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Formal Music Education

H

Hypnotaize

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Apr 10, 2014
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#1
High school student here. I'm still somewhat new in my music education, but I have zero doubt that it's all I want to do. I've had interests in several forms of art (animation, drawing, writing), and none gave me quite the thrill I get when I pick up a bass, or a guitar, or sit down at the piano, or occasionally when I churn out lyrics for our alt rock band. Since I'm in that awkward stage of not having to apply to colleges yet, or necessarily look at any, but still need to start thinking about my future, I intend on getting a big boost in my music education.

What is your opinion on music colleges, formal music educations, and what would be good for me to know if I wanted to eventually apply for, say, Berklee?

Later on in life, I'd like to teach middle/high school band, potentially open a record store in my small town. Definitely needs it.
 
#2
At least you seem realistic enough to understand that if you make a living at it, it likely will be teaching.

A member of my band majored in performance at the school you mention. Killer player. He paints houses for a living.

There likely is a reason there is no record store in your small town - the internet.

Hard business to get into. Talk to as many professionals as possible, keep your grades up and options open.
 
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#3
Being a multi instrumentalist will serve you well working. Learn to sing backups well.

There's a ton of threads about the merrits of a formal education on here and I'm sure this one will devolve too. But I will say that of you commit to a career in music you can make it (by that I mean feed yourself in a crappy apartment).
 
#4
buldog5151bass said:
At least you seem realistic enough to understand that if you make a living at it, it likely will be teaching.

A member of my band majored in performance at the school you mention. Killer player. He paints houses for a living.

There likely is a reason there is no record store in your small town - the internet.

Hard business to get into. Talk to as many professionals as possible, keep your grades up and options open.
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Well, it's also a fairly small town. To go to most chain stores, you have to drive to the next city over. No bookstores, either, since they've all been run out by the Internet. My grandmother (who I live with) constantly complains about missing the feel of flipping through books at Barnes & Noble. Hopefully soon I'll be able to dual-enroll in the community college and maybe pick up some theory courses.

I'm an A/B student, currently enrolled in an advanced math/science program, so options are wide open.

And Dogbert, I'm currently taking both bass and piano lessons. Self-teaching guitar with Hal Leonard books. Before I graduate, I'd like to pick up violin and alto sax.

What I'd really love to do is compose film scores (Danny Elfman is a massive idol of mine), but I know that's a long shot.
 
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#6
Kmonk said:
If you plan to teach, you can get a good music education without spending a lot of money on Berklee. Many state universities have excellent music programs at a fraction of the cost of Berklee or similar schools.
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It's not necessarily that I want to teach, it's that I want to learn as much as I can and be the best musician I can be. Berklee's just the first school that popped into my head. I'd really like to go to San Francisco State, as they have a great music program and scholarships for music teachers, and I wouldn't have to pay out-of-state fees.
 
#7
I majored in Studio Music & Jazz at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music. It was a fantastic program and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I probably would've done much more with my playing career if I had stayed in NYC or moved to LA. But that being said, I wound up in Charlotte and still play quite a bit. However it's not a living, and I went back to school for music education, and I've been a Band Director for the last 8 years.

My advice is unless you have rich parents or a huge scholarship you're going to be in debt up to your ears if you go to Berklee and there's a good chance you won't be famous enough to be able to pay back the loans. It's not worth it. I know a guy who spent a year a Berklee and quit to pursue his music...it seems to working well. You don't need a degree to be a great player. Nowadays there is lots you can learn online or from a book or a private instructor. You'd be better off going for music education and teaching than you would a performance degree, unless you're a really fantastic player. But remember, the more you teach the less time you have to practice and play. Only you know what is right for you, but don't be foolish and rack up a bunch of loans you can't pay back. You'd be better to do something with computers, business, or engineering. Or become a doctor or a lawyer and have nice income. The life of a musician kind of sucks when you see the milestones your friends will have in their careers and you're just waiting for a good gig. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do, but it's not as easy as it could've been.
 
#8
You'll need a degree in music or music education to teach high school or middle school band in public schools. You may not need one to teach in a private school or religious institution but you'd have to have years of practical experience and/or a nationally recognized name. As mentioned above, a good degree in music education can be had at state schools for significantly less than name brand schools like Berklee. Berklee is very expensive.

A large number of people who have had success in music career endeavors mention these steps:

-Move to a city where the type of work you want to do is actually being done.
-Attend a good state school or community college where you can study common practice music and get a degree.
-Network, meet people, and play a LOT - this factor is what Berklee, MI, etc. offer much more than schools not known exclusively for music.
-Study privately with a very accomplished and experienced player.
-Be prepared to work harder, longer, and smarter than all the other hopefuls out there, and be professional and easy to work with while doing it.
 
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#9
I don't really have any intention of going to Berklee. It's just the first school I think of off the top of my head. Middle-class family, I doubt I'll ever be able to attend Berklee even if I had the skills. But it's just the first name when I'm thinking of music skills. Yeah, I had a lot of doubt about this, and I try to keep other interests, but none are quite so appealing as music. I'm an exceptional student in school, and also consider engineering as a career choice.
 
#10
I studied music formally as a jazz and studio music major, with a principal instrument of the electric bass. I dropped out after two years, studied liberal arts afterward, and never became a full-time musician, except for brief stints. I regret that I have not been able to develop my talent more than I have, but I have not regretted all the work I did to become educated in history, psychology and all the other things I've studied. Being a player is HARD. It's also not something that's always as fulfilling as it might be for people who have other talents to develop.

I enjoy ALL the good work I do, musical or otherwise, and I find great fulfillment in teaching, whether it's music, history, law, or psychology. Playing is always a gas, and I am always looking for opportunities to play when I can. I often wonder if I would have been happier as a full-time player; I suspect not, but it's different for everyone.

Only you can decide what direction you'll go in, or how far. There's a lot of good advice on this thread. Good luck.
 
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#11
Kmonk said:
If you plan to teach, you can get a good music education without spending a lot of money on Berklee. Many state universities have excellent music programs at a fraction of the cost of Berklee or similar schools.
Click to expand...

True. I don't think any of them can quite match what Berklee offers, but you can certainly get a top notch musical education elsewhere.
 
#16
Hypnotaizen, to function in the World you will be living in you need a four year degree in something. You can get by with less if you are very talented and or very lucky. A four year degree in music with a teaching certificate will land you a $40,000 a year job at a good school district. Less at a small town school. That same four year degree in engineering or marketing doubles your starting salary. The four year degree in engineering, and especially marketing, means travel, the four year degree in music means you will be spending nights with your family. Traveling gets old very quickly. True you get to see a lot of cities, what you really get to see is the air port and a rental car ride to the client's office. Very seldom do you ever get into the city. Then.......

..... Up pops the student loan. Is a four year degree in music going to off set the student loan? Good question. Unless you are very talented and or very lucky most musicians have a day job to put food on the table and then they play music for fun after the day job.

You need to talk this over with some one that knows you and understands your wants. Moms are normally a pretty good choice.

Good luck.
 
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#19
Hypnotaize said:
I think I'll probably start with a semester of community college to see if a formal music education is worth it.
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Consider a non-major music program. Having a state-school degree in, say, accounting (with a music minor), is much, much, much more likely to get you a high-paying job than the most prestigious music degree. You can learn what you love, but that doesn't have to be the ONLY thing you learn.
 

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