I grew up in a time when being a musician and learning to be a musician was actually very wonderful.

McFerrin is reflecting on the cultural and educational climate of his youth, when pursuing musicianship felt socially affirmed and intrinsically joyful rather than narrowly instrumental or commercially pressured. The repetition—“being a musician” and “learning to be a musician”—distinguishes identity from apprenticeship: he values not only the status of musician but the process of training, discovery, and disciplined growth. The remark also implies a contrast with later periods in which arts education may be diminished, professional pathways more precarious, or musical life more market-driven. In this light, the quote functions as a quiet defense of musical learning as a formative, “wonderful” human experience, not merely a career track.