Age for music school

chanson · #1 11-08-2011, 05:41 PM

A bit of background before I get to my question...I've been playing bass off and on for a little over 5 years. I say off and on because I was never extremely dedicated to it, and in the last year I have hardly played much at all. In the last few months though, I have been trying to play a lot more, taking lessons again, and trying to take in as much as I can, theory-wise. I am currently pursuing/starting a career in video engineering, which I studied in college for 2 years. Ever since starting to get serious again I've had the dream in the back of my mind of going to a music school (Berklee, UNT, etc.) and studying music. I'm currently 20, and my goal is to be at a level where I could apply to a music school in the next 4 years. Whether this is realistic or not, I'm unsure, and you never know what will happen between now and then, maybe it will be 10 years before I am proficient.

Now, on to my question. I noticed a lot of students of this schools are at a very young age, around my age now. I read an article at Berklee's website saying that the average age of students entering the school is 20 (19.8, just rounded up). Now, I keep wondering why there are all of these younger players and not older ones (20s-30s). I realize in the grand scheme of things, 25 is still young. Very young. And you are never too old to learn anything. But is there any advantage to applying/attending music schools at a younger age?

Hopefully I get some helpful responses, not people just arguing over my word choices or anything like that. I am just trying to figure out what would be the best choice for me down the road. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, I just feel like I am getting a late start

nickrs540 · #2 11-08-2011, 05:50 PM

I would think most schools would want to get younger students to teach them "their way of learning" early on instead of having more "seasoned players" who they will have to have unlearn what they know and then relearn the schools way of doing things. That could be completly incorrect, but thats how I thought it worked out. Im in the same boat as you, so it would be nice to hear from someone who knows for sure though.

scootron · #3 11-08-2011, 06:00 PM

Not an expert, but...

We had a young man who was our keyboardist/vocalist leave for Berklee a couple of years ago. He was 22, because he finished college before he went. People who want a college degree will usually be 22 or a little older on average, as compared with kids who aren't interested in a college degree and just want to go to music school, which means there will be a lot of younger kids.

There are a lot of schools with great music programs where you can also get a college degree. My son is only 14, but he's already starting to look at that option. He wants to study music, but still wind up with a degree.

lfmn16 · #4 11-09-2011, 04:03 AM

I didn't get serious about string bass until I was 22. I practiced my ass off and was accepted at North Carolina School for the Arts at 25. Most of the other students were 18, but I didn't care since I was there to learn.

Apply yourself, practice your butt off and you'll be fine.

etoncrow · #5 11-09-2011, 04:17 AM

I started over in college studying mechanical engineering at age 33. Took me 4-1/2 years to finish. Most of the other students were in their teens and early 20's. Only 1 in 3 finished with a degree and I was one. Moral: it is never too late to educate yourself.

Joe Nerve · #6 11-09-2011, 04:35 AM

A difference of 5 years is nothing. Even if there were any valid reasons for one being more beneficial than the other. I could argue that it's much better for a 25 year old to go to music school, than a 20 year old. When I went to college at 18 I flunked out, first semester. I returned at 23 and graduated with honors. I grew up a bit (a lot actually) in the down time. I know you understand that age has nothing to do with it, but you really need to believe it. Throw any thoughts regarding it out of the equation because the numbers mean absolutely nothing. The only way they have any power, is by you giving meaning to them.

Somebody said something to me when I was on the fence about returning to college that really hit home. I said, "If I go back to college now, I'll probably be around 28 when I graduate." They said, "and how old would you be if you DIDN'T go to college."

Do what you want to do, and again - leave the age thing out of it. Really.

chanson · #7 11-09-2011, 10:57 AM

Great advice. Thank you. Looks like I have a lot of work to do!

Mayers · #8 11-09-2011, 11:15 AM

I did go to college when I was 20 years old to do a music degree after I started to play at 16 years old. It took me 3 years to get my degree.
After that i worked here and here but eventualy I returned to college at 25 years old and now at 28 years old I have another college degree with me. Did I feel old some times ? yes but I was there to learn.

The only thing that very annoying with studying music is you have to be better than what the school ask at the audition. So maybe ask what ask at an audition, so you'll have a clear goal.