I want to major in music but im not sure...?

Question

I really want to major in music i love music and i have been playing trombone for 6 years, guitar for 2 years, and bass for a month. Im worried i will not be able to find a job or make enough money to get by. Im also the low brass/tenor section leader in my marching band and im always 1st chair in concert band. My dad does not want me to major in music cause he says i will not make any money and im starting to believe him and just screwing my whole 6 years of trombone and giving up on music. If anyone can help me out please send answers. Im a senior and i need to start applying for college soon.

Answer 1

College is not a vocational school. You go to expand your mind and learn more about what you love. From that perspective, a Music degree is appropriate.

However, you will need to eventually decide what career path you want to pursue. And unless you plan on becoming a highschool music instructor, you might be job-limited.

Do you know what you want to do after graduating? If not, compromise with dad. Tell him you really aren't sure what you want to study other than music. But you will ponder it during you first 3-4 semesters. Start in music, then, if something else sparks your interest, you will consider changing.

College is an opportunity to explore many fields and also to focus on certain fields. First explore (while studying music) then decide and focus. Very mature middle-ground!

Answer 2

You should do what you love! Take into consideration the recommendations of your parents, but it's ultimately your decision. Also, there is no reason that if you get a degree in music and then decide to go for a career in technology that you should feel as if you had wasted your time - the arts are never a waste of time! I would suggest that you take some classes in both fields when you get to college before you decide on a major. You may also look into a school that has a music business/music industry major program - these degrees combine technology and music, and many people really enjoy these degrees. Just remember - you're only 16, and you have plenty of time to figure out what you want!

Answer 3

How about some brutal honesty for both you and dad. ☺

First understand that every music major in college was the section leader in HS and made 1st chair in all-state band and is pretty darn good. That's reality of who becomes a music major. In terms of college music majoring - you'd be nothing special. Now, if your last 4 CDs sold gold...

Being a music major in college is far more than playing well. Playing well is essential and it comes with about 2-4 hours of practice and 2-4 hours of ensemble rehearsals per day. Add in some serious music theory and sight singing along with some deep analysis of music history. A lot of listening to music you don't really care for and learning to understand. It requires fluency in bass and treble clefs and ease in C clefs (trombonists will be required to be fluent in tenor clef). It requires learning to transpose at sight and to read scores. There's way more than playing bone.

Then, on top of all that, you have to take English and Math and Science, and History, Sociology, and ..... just like everyone else. Then, if you're on the track for education (K-12 music) then you also have education classes and student teaching.

It's a very demanding course of study that requires absolute dedication.

My BA is in Music (flute) and I have an MA in HR Development and am about 1/2 done with my MBA. I have a friend with her BA in Music (flute) and she is now an Instructional Technologist with an Master of Science. Another friend has her BA in Music (percussion) and she just took her first job as a HS Band Director after getter her master's in teaching. She starts at just under $50K and in SC that's really good money. Another friend has his BA in Music (voice) and he's an insurance adjuster at a large insurance company. Another with his BA in Music (tuba) is playing in clubs with a rock band (not tuba) and is enjoying it but not making big bucks. Another friend has two BAs (one in sax playing) and his master's in teaching - he's a HS band director now but is about to bail on that and go get his master's in architecture.

I've known musicians who went on to become doctors, dentists, and lawyers. There are plenty of examples of exactly that. And I've known a few who played music for a living with varying degrees of success.

The bottom line is that a BA in Music is a pretty good entry tool to many grad school programs. You can use a BA in Music to go into technology or business or law or medicine... as long as you get the right foundation with it.

The other bottom line is that you don't have to major in music to be in the marching band or symphonic band or orchestra or choir or brass quartet or flute choir. Or to take theory and sight singing or class piano or music history. I know plenty of business majors who were in the bands and choirs. More than a few education majors do band and choir. I even know a couple marine scientists who play in the band and they usually only want to be at the beach (just a joke - no marine science flames)

What you really need to do is decide what it is you want to do after you graduate. If that is to be a music teacher then a degree in music is essential. If you want to be a musician then a degree in anything is sufficient -- you can either play or you can't.

Understand too: Music is one of the higher arts. People who are well rounded are engaged in one of the arts. The most wealthy business people need this skill - so they understand the opera and ballet. You haven't wasted anything learning about music. Well rounded also means that you understand a science and a literature. It also requires a sport (business people seem to like golf).

Dad is not completely wrong - if you have no objective, a degree in music may be an unmarketable credential. If you have an objective and it involves music, then a degree in music is the thing to have.

Music ed often runs into the "five year plan" due to the student teaching - if you're on the five year plan anyway, a double major can be a very good idea.