degree is music?

[DeeDeeEntwistle]

We'll im 21 and I'm interested in some day teaching and maybe becoming a session player.

I've been playing for 14 years but only recently started learning to read music but I think im going to go to school for music theory.

can some of you post your music degrees, and how long it took to get and why you decided to do with it.

thanks.

[JimmyM]

the session player gig is pretty much dead in the water these days. guys who used to never go on the road are going on the road just to make ends meet. there is still session work available, but making a living on just studio work isn't much of a reality anymore.

[MNAirHead]

Jimmy is correct.

I'm not being a cruummmmmeudgeon.

cute, talented + sales ability will get you there.. reading will not

[DeeDeeEntwistle]

ok, so can anyone tell me what they do with their degrees ? thanks

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by DeeDeeEntwistle

ok, so can anyone tell me what they do with their degrees ? thanks

well, you can get a teaching job at a school

with all due respect to the fine institutions who teach music, a degree in music is almost 100% for personal satisfaction. if you're getting a degree with the idea that it's going to make you more marketable in the music community, you're going in for the wrong reasons. for every famous player who came out of one of these schools, there are 100 players with degrees who can't get any better gigs than i get without one, and 1000 who get much worse gigs than me.

[Grantrudd]

I am 20, and will be headed to school in the fall for a music degree. not too long ago, i thought that a music degree was a waste of time and money, but i recently came around to the fact that it was about the experience of the school, the connections you make and the improvement you make as a player. the degree will not help when you are auditioning for a gig, but maybe you will have the edge on the competition because of something you learned at school.

[Kobaia]

i just graduated from Berklee in Dec. the only reason to get degree's anymore is to teach. and generally Masters are required. all i can say is diversify your skills the more you can do the better. if you're already a good player, don't go for performance, it doesn't take much to hold down a paying gig. I'd say the most important thing to study would be sound engineering and recording. somethings you'll learn just because of the nature of going to school like composing, playing, and theory.

everyone needs a jack of all trades.

[cat_saltnpepper]

i got my BA from Berklee, did most of the general education some music classes at Fullerton college then transfered. took about 5-year, 8-semester of full-time and 2-semester of part-time. spent year and half for MA, too. so total 7-year.

I felt the need for schooling when I started learning jazz. theory, improvisation, style, I thought I'd need a lot of resources and guidance to make my study efficient and also, learning the roots of different kinds of music, too. even with thousands of recording I have, it's only a little compare to the library of the music school. not to mention all the charts, video of clinics and masterclass, concerts, instructional books, etc.

in terms of the education, it was good but I did pay quite sum of money and had to get a loan from the bank, too. not to mention I sold bunch of gears before I go to school.

I learned a lot but advantage from all those educations and certificate - it's piece of paper though - is I don't have to worry about my resume at least. some of the jobs, especially in education field, requires certain amount of degree to get or to be promoted so in a way, it's like an insurance.

[sound of bass]

There is now a medically recognized "Music Therapy", program available (its just gaining here in Pa.) actually need to research it better myself, but its a mandatory Masters Degree, starting salary range 50 - 55,000 year just playing to patients from any age range, many ailments, nursing homes, hospitals, wards, etc. I work here in a hospital that offers a tuition reimbursement program...used it to become a paramedic AND did already check that it would be accepted and reimbursed should I want to. The only drawback for me is I dont think I can do 5 years of school at this point in my life. But the option is an outlet for people with music degrees, and who doesnt benefit from music therapy? Check into it, it may be for you.

[waleross]

In my case, I went to Junior College (in Miami) and then finished at a 4 year school. I got a BFA with-out a teaching cert. It took me years to finally finish but as said in this thread its for personal accomplishment. You only need so much schooling to play music . In this economic environment studying music is not enough. Music and Art teachers are the first to get cut. Good luck

[DizzyExiled]

If you want to make money, go for sound engineering with a minor in music, that way when you get your degree (and god complex) you can make money even when you're not the one playing.

[Stumbo]

So you want to be a music major?

[Stumpy]

I earned my BA in music, MA in music composition, did the music education and credential programs.

I did my degrees so I could teach. I am planning on earning my PhD for my own writing/arranging edification, that and to move over on the pay scale.

Yes I play in bands. Yes I can do well there. Do I think that my degree study helped me as a player? Yes.

What are your reasons for going to school?

[Dr. Love]

I have a BA in Music Composition. In retrospect, if I had tried to major in something else, I probably would have dropped out because I was not real scholastically minded during these years. I'm the Music Minister at my church and plan all the service music. I also play in a band with weekly gigs. The education definitely helps in both. I still have a non-music day job, but just having a BA has opened a few professional doors that would have been closed without a degree.

[zaubertuba]

My B. Mus. was in Performance (on Tuba of all things). Took me 6 1/2 years because I spent the greater part of the first three playing Bass or Tuba in every applied music group I could.

...and I wouldn't trade that experience for anything.

Additional experience *behind the scenes* in the Bachelor's (I ran the Recital Hall and worked special events a lot) supported my Master's (M.A. in Arts Administration) and my later work as a Facilities Manager at a College Performing Arts Venue. Which led to my current job as Conferences and Events Director.

I tell people you can do anything with a music degree. What matters, as it is with just about anything, is how well you apply yourself.

Oh, my music-major wife has a rather similar success story as well.

[Wasted Bassist]

I'm seventeen now, and I'm going to college next year for music education. If all goes well I'd definately like to go on for a master's degree, or hell maybe even a doctorate.

[joelc1319]

+1xxxxxx on applying yourself. My undergraduate is in Music & Technology, with concentrations in Recording/Production and also in Theory/Composition (I like to overload ). I may pursue a Masters in Music Education at some point but I'm not entirely sure.

As far as being a performer, I have learned that having a good business sense will be far more valuable than having intense skills. The skills are, of course, a given, but you won't get anywhere without the good business sense. My experience being that I play alongside plenty of folks who went to school for music performance, and we're still playing the same gigs even though I don't have a degree in performance. I think at the very least it's important to take classes in Music Theory, if not get a certificate or full degree in music (of some sort).

Also, +1 to the jack of all trades comment: if you can perform AND write AND record yourself doing these things, you can indeed be very marketable.

Edit: I have also learned that there is ALWAYS a way to apply your undergraduate studies, whatever they are in, to all facets of your musical career. Figuring this out will also open new doors.

[guitardefector]

I'm doing fine without school so far. Those Ed Friedland books have made me a competent sightreader and introduced me to many styles of playing. If I could afford it, I'd definitely get a one-on-one bass instructor, but college is so overrated, IMHO.

A real life story: I got accepted to Berkeley(the university, not the music school)years ago as a foreign language major. Till then all my knowledge of my chosen language was paperbacks, TV, and a few trips abroad. I was very competent but felt intimidated on my first day on campus.

After two weeks, my instructor appointed me tutor/assistant to his class. Many of those I tutored were 4 and 5 year majors who barely had a grasp of the language I was already proficient at without formal training. It has made me question the true value of college to this day?? I guess this can also be applied music schools. Most, if not all, can be a total waste of $$$$.

[onlyclave]

Originally Posted by guitardefector

It has made me question the true value of college to this day?? I guess this can also be applied music schools. Most, if not all, can be a total waste of $$$$.

Try going to law school without that degree...

[guitardefector]

Originally Posted by onlyclave

Try going to law school without that degree...

You can become a lawyer by working in a legal office, getting experience and taking the Bar exam...or so I've heard from many acquaintances, law school isn't even necessary.