As the subject reads, what are your opinions on Music related degrees? Mostly speaking paid degrees, i.e. Bachelors and above.
I won't chime in with my own opinion yet as I want a completely unbiased discussion without an overarching OP sitting on one side or the other.
Cheers,
Josh
What are your opinions on Music related degrees?
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- KVRAF
- 26033 posts since 20 Oct, 2007 from gonesville
I attended a university (with a conservatory attached) from 1977 fall thru end of 1978. Then a semester at a pure conservatory in 1980, but I was working for a living by that time.
Even back then, a Bachelor's in Music functioned chiefly to get you into grad school, where basically you gear yourself to research or teach. I was far from that person. I didn't so much intend to graduate, I pursued it like it was trade school, to get some chops together I could use in performance and ultimately composition, though I did eschew having a composition professor entirely.
I matriculated as a performance major, aka Applied Music. Now, one of the things I did pursue was writing a paper under the class heading "Form and Analysis" (I'm not sure they didn't make this course up for me, there was no professor for it), so I did appreciate an opportunity to have to write for a grade but I didn't remotely see an academic career. I'm ill-suited for scholastics I think.
I would tend to think you want a doctorate now to go anywhere strictly through your degree. Typically the performance major is oriented towards a life of auditions for professional orchestras (hopefully) or touring as a solo artist. I don't see a lot of point in school past undergraduate study for that kind of student unless one does the 'smart' move, Plan B as a teacher; and the more you think you want to write/publish (in order to enhance your professorial status and paycheck) the further you keep at it. As a guitarist I was a day late and a dollar short for much hope touring like I'd be a marquee attraction myself, it's a gigantic struggle and hard to get paid unless you're a world beater. I saw better players about to starve out there.
Even back then, a Bachelor's in Music functioned chiefly to get you into grad school, where basically you gear yourself to research or teach. I was far from that person. I didn't so much intend to graduate, I pursued it like it was trade school, to get some chops together I could use in performance and ultimately composition, though I did eschew having a composition professor entirely.
I matriculated as a performance major, aka Applied Music. Now, one of the things I did pursue was writing a paper under the class heading "Form and Analysis" (I'm not sure they didn't make this course up for me, there was no professor for it), so I did appreciate an opportunity to have to write for a grade but I didn't remotely see an academic career. I'm ill-suited for scholastics I think.
I would tend to think you want a doctorate now to go anywhere strictly through your degree. Typically the performance major is oriented towards a life of auditions for professional orchestras (hopefully) or touring as a solo artist. I don't see a lot of point in school past undergraduate study for that kind of student unless one does the 'smart' move, Plan B as a teacher; and the more you think you want to write/publish (in order to enhance your professorial status and paycheck) the further you keep at it. As a guitarist I was a day late and a dollar short for much hope touring like I'd be a marquee attraction myself, it's a gigantic struggle and hard to get paid unless you're a world beater. I saw better players about to starve out there.
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Winstontaneous Winstontaneous https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=98336
- KVRAF
- 2593 posts since 15 Feb, 2006 from Another Green World
Great points, Jan.
Other considerations (did a year as a jazz bass major, got a masters in art):
- Is it worth getting into debt for this? Maybe not such an issue if you're outside the US, or wealthy.
- What do you really want out of it? Meet other people to play with, teach? Is this the best (or only) way to reach that goal?
This of course assumes you have demonstrable vocal / instrumental / compositional proficiency.
I know people who have made satisfying careers from music school degrees.
But it's tough...I also know folks who would travel hundreds of miles a week to stitch together community orchestra, adjunct college, or music store teaching gigs.
A couple talented friends with PhDs in composition and musicology say you basically won't even be considered for tenure-track jobs at 2nd-rate universities without an Ivy League degree.
Other considerations (did a year as a jazz bass major, got a masters in art):
- Is it worth getting into debt for this? Maybe not such an issue if you're outside the US, or wealthy.
- What do you really want out of it? Meet other people to play with, teach? Is this the best (or only) way to reach that goal?
This of course assumes you have demonstrable vocal / instrumental / compositional proficiency.
I know people who have made satisfying careers from music school degrees.
But it's tough...I also know folks who would travel hundreds of miles a week to stitch together community orchestra, adjunct college, or music store teaching gigs.
A couple talented friends with PhDs in composition and musicology say you basically won't even be considered for tenure-track jobs at 2nd-rate universities without an Ivy League degree.