Degrees/ Careers in Music

gatorfreak8031 · #1 07-15-2008, 06:58 PM

I'm just getting in to college and would love to do a music degree. I don't consider myself the greatest bassist, but I would say not bad from what I've seen of other players my age (granted thats not very many players). I really love music though and I would like to find some good careers in music and what kind of degrees will help for those careers. Being a teacher is what everyone seems to fall back on, but what other kind of stuff is out there?

gatorfreak8031 · #2 07-16-2008, 09:37 AM

anyone?

Visirale · #3 07-16-2008, 09:48 AM

Do you want to make decent money?

gatorfreak8031 · #4 07-16-2008, 10:39 AM

It'd be nice, but money isn't the huge issue, as I long as I have enough to live, and I'm not struggling to get by in 10-15 years. I understand musicians are known for being somewhat poor though.

gatorfreak8031 · #5 07-17-2008, 05:03 PM

bump, I'm just hoping to get some ideas

hoey222 · #6 07-17-2008, 07:37 PM

performance degrees are ok - can be a very tough life - and you have to be REALLY good to get the decent jobs. and even then it's not always a guarantee that you will land those playing jobs. you can teach at the university level with a performance degree - basically a masters/doctorate in performance...

teaching is the way to go...i have an ed degree...the jobs are definitely out there - it keeps you in music and keeps you connected to musicians. it takes a special breed to teach.

there is also music therapy - music as a means of healing- - jobs are good but very rare

music occupational therapy - physical therapy for musicians ( not sure if thats the right title)

composition majors - kind of like being performance

i'll give you a bit of personal experience. I only taught for about 5 years - the classrroom wasn't for me. I ended up in a career in IT. The pay is way better and some of the thinking processes used for music are very similar to IT. The logic and the language seem to carry over well. I still play as often as i can, a young family can make it difficult at times. I enjoy it more now because it's something special - it's not my "job".

I had a blast as a music major - it just took me a little longer than college to find out what i really wanted to do with my life.....

Visirale · #7 07-17-2008, 07:46 PM

If you wanna stick with music but make enough money to not be on the ramen noodle diet the rest of your life, look into music business. Even it isn't a guarantee but it's a little more solid than trying to make it as a player. I hate kids (little bastards) so education was never in the equation. If you do like kids... that's always an option but you won't be making the dough for the big houses or fancy cars... but it's a respectable living.

Snarf · #8 07-17-2008, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gatorfreak8031

I'm just getting in to college and would love to do a music degree. I don't consider myself the greatest bassist, but I would say not bad from what I've seen of other players my age (granted thats not very many players). I really love music though and I would like to find some good careers in music and what kind of degrees will help for those careers. Being a teacher is what everyone seems to fall back on, but what other kind of stuff is out there?

If you're not confident that you can compete with the top of the top that's already making a living playing music, then you may want to look elsewhere for a career.

gatorfreak8031 · #9 07-18-2008, 09:54 AM

Sounds like few really secure options out there, about what I expected, but I guess part of that is just life and if we all went with the most secure job we'd have too many people working at McDonalds. Business sounds good, and teaching at the university level wouldn't be bad either. Even high school might be ok. Guess theres a bit of research to do there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoey222

I'll give you a bit of personal experience. I only taught for about 5 years - the classrroom wasn't for me.

What level did you teach at?

hoey222 · #10 08-12-2008, 01:31 PM

sorry - for the late reply -

i taught elemntary classroom music 2-4 grade

uethanian · #11 08-12-2008, 02:23 PM

that depends if you want a bass-related career or a general music career. many music degrees lend themselves to teaching. for instance, if you get a music theory degree, you'll probably end up teaching music theory (not too many applications outside academics).

if you want to make a living playing bass, well...some colleges do offer a performance major in bass guitar, but you have to consider that your time/money/effort might not be better spent progressing on your own. a performance degree is just a piece of paper. what gets you jobs is being more skilled/available/reliable/organized/connected than the next guy. most venues or studios could care less if you have a fancy degree from a fancy college.

**cheezewiz** · #12 08-12-2008, 02:32 PM

Most performance and theory and comp. majors get to wear ties to work. Unfortunately, it's the dress code at TGI Fridays.

Certainly there are exceptions, but those exceptions are normally people who are so uber talented, they'd have made it anyway.

Dr_Funkdamental · #13 08-12-2008, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheezewiz

Most performance and theory and comp. majors get to wear ties to work. Unfortunately, it's the dress code at TGI Fridays.

ROTFLMBO! This was hilarious. I will say as a music major, unless you want to teach, major in something else and keep working your chops. If you notice, most of the guys on TB have careers in other fields and gig on the off time (mainly the guys with the hundreds of nice basses LOL). If I could go back, I def. would have majored in something else. Im blessed to play for the army (which is a great gig) but Im studying now to get my Master's in something else that I can use later to make some better money. Money wont make you happy, but the lack of it will make you unhappy.

McHaven · #14 08-12-2008, 04:19 PM

I was a music major. I was going for the education degree, playing tuba. I was a great tuba player, but even on the education track, you have to be constantly practicing and getting better.

I couldn't take making music a daily chore rather than a pleasure so I changed majors. YMMV.

hectorjcm800 · #15 08-12-2008, 04:52 PM

IME, i'm not Duck Dunn or Leland Sklar, but I can play well, I also play lead/rhythm guitar competently (like McCartney, I played lead guitar for years after discovering bass), and sing somewhat decently, I can write songs, studied music recording/live sound in one of the best schools here in Mexico, Fermatta.

Obviously, I can write/speak in English, and won some "student financial aid" from Berklee about 3 years ago. Turned it down because it was a dimebag compared the other expenses of living in Boston, and the rest of the tuition fee. Finished my "music career" a year ago.

Boy, I might have bad luck or something, but ALL I can say is, the road, and your local live music circuit are the better schools out there, and almost all of my favorite musicians were trained that way. I have a band, but fortunate or unfortunately for some others, I'm not very fond of the big, poppy commercial music, I'm agnostic, and I'm part of, and support the whole underground music scene and independent ways of making music that's kind of alternative (commercial suicide). I do some production staff work sometimes as a freelancer, involved in concerts, big events and that. Sometimes I rent my gear, which throughout the years has been upgraded and now I have some decent pieces. Unfortunately too, I have G.A.S., and sometimes I spend too much in gear. Sometimes I tour with some medium level "indie" bands as a roadie, or rent them my gear. Not my main income by far. I'm almost 26, still have a day office job, and I don't make any serious money, like $500-600 a month, sometimes more, sometimes less (I'm mexican by the way). Most of my friends who went to college, and studied "regular" majors have now better jobs than I, but very BORING ones (besides they don't work in the field they majored, because of the lack of employment).

I still live with my parents, and help them, 'cause they help me. I don't drink too much and I don't do drugs. I have to do everything my imagination comes with in order to make dough from music, not end up as a call-center kid, and keep it real. Some of my classmates, kind of distant friends, are now into some major national acts, like "Camila", some other were famous musicians'-filmmakers'-TV stars' children, so you do the math, and some others work as touring musicians for the aforementioned national acts. Hung out with them and never felt comfortable into that group. Honestly, I learned a lot of good stuff, and I'm happy making and playing music that comes deep from my heart, but always I feel like I ripped off my family with that "degree".

Fortunately, I can eat better than ramen noodles.

bluestarbass · #16 08-12-2008, 05:02 PM

its more who you know than what you know, at least on the business side. I graduated with not really a music degree, a music engineering degree. I really wanted to work for a label or work in a studio. Those jobs are really really tough to get, and even if your qualified, you still will have to know someone. After 2 years I finally lucked out and got a pretty sweet gig as a mastering engineer. I guess what I'm saying is, theres more solid careers out there, but if you want it bad enough and are able to basically live for nothing for a while, you could do it. It doesnt sound like your really after the production side though.