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Double Bass Undergrad And Graduate School Ideas
- Thread starter ADissen
- Start date
A possible scenario/some food for thought...
Does your high school offer technical classes?
This was almost 10 years ago, but when I was in school you could choose to go half time and get a 2 year degree in heating/air conditioning, plumbing, cosmetology, welding...etc. It was a great program that was funded through the state and was provided totally free of charge to the students. Even in uncertain economic times, these occupations with still be in demand.
If you have such a program at your school, you could graduate high school with a reasonable earning potential and no debt.
I have many college friends working awful jobs because they couldn't find work in their field of study. Now they have the LOANS associated with that earning potential, but no job.
Keeping in mind that many orchestral auditions are blind... live at home with your folks and work a reasonable week at your day job while practicing your tail off. Take lessons for a few hundred dollars a month with the very best private instructor that will teach you.
When the end pin is planted...it doesn't matter what your resume does or doesn't say.
I started playing double bass during my junior year of college. I thought I wanted to be a public school choir teacher. If I had started bass earlier...I think this scenario would have been the way to go.
Being a working class musician with college loans can be really tough. It's good that you're thinking ahead.
Give it your all, but know that if music becomes only supplimental income in your future...That is NOT failure. Children, houses, cars...they cost real money. Many people, myself included, that are "full time" musicians have very little income. If/when I find a woman I want to start a family with...I'm sure I'll have to find a day job, or fill a really active teaching schedule of private bass and vocal students. The show I toured with last season opened in Boston, and ALL the local musicians had day jobs. They were all great players, but they were also in computers, sales, education... I would imagine this is more the norm than "full-time" musicians making a living from performing only. Best of luck!
Oh...don't forget to enjoy high school...play some sports, and ask the girls that are way out of your league to the dances...the worst that can happen is they say no
Does your high school offer technical classes?
This was almost 10 years ago, but when I was in school you could choose to go half time and get a 2 year degree in heating/air conditioning, plumbing, cosmetology, welding...etc. It was a great program that was funded through the state and was provided totally free of charge to the students. Even in uncertain economic times, these occupations with still be in demand.
If you have such a program at your school, you could graduate high school with a reasonable earning potential and no debt.
I have many college friends working awful jobs because they couldn't find work in their field of study. Now they have the LOANS associated with that earning potential, but no job.
Keeping in mind that many orchestral auditions are blind... live at home with your folks and work a reasonable week at your day job while practicing your tail off. Take lessons for a few hundred dollars a month with the very best private instructor that will teach you.
When the end pin is planted...it doesn't matter what your resume does or doesn't say.
I started playing double bass during my junior year of college. I thought I wanted to be a public school choir teacher. If I had started bass earlier...I think this scenario would have been the way to go.
Being a working class musician with college loans can be really tough. It's good that you're thinking ahead.
Give it your all, but know that if music becomes only supplimental income in your future...That is NOT failure. Children, houses, cars...they cost real money. Many people, myself included, that are "full time" musicians have very little income. If/when I find a woman I want to start a family with...I'm sure I'll have to find a day job, or fill a really active teaching schedule of private bass and vocal students. The show I toured with last season opened in Boston, and ALL the local musicians had day jobs. They were all great players, but they were also in computers, sales, education... I would imagine this is more the norm than "full-time" musicians making a living from performing only. Best of luck!
Oh...don't forget to enjoy high school...play some sports, and ask the girls that are way out of your league to the dances...the worst that can happen is they say no
Well, as an astrophysicist who can play the bass, at least you will be employable.
(physics humor)
Well, as an astrophysicist who can play the bass, at least you will be employable.
(physics humor)
Momentarily off topic...
Would you mind PMing me about astrophysics and what kind of work you do
.... Back on topic
hey guys,
another question school related so i figure just throw it on this thread...
When a college (university or conservatory) is going through application after application, how big of a factor are the level of classes the applicant took in high school with subjects that arent related with music? would a kid who took some AP college level classes in math/social studies be regarded as a better choice over someone who took Honors level classes. Or would the AP student seem as though they couldnt put their heart into one area.
_______
otherwise, how many of you performance graduates were able to take AP classes and still be at the top of your playing ability?
and, were the AP classes worth it?
registration for my junior year is coming up, and many view it as the most important year that colleges look at.
thanks everybody
another question school related so i figure just throw it on this thread...
When a college (university or conservatory) is going through application after application, how big of a factor are the level of classes the applicant took in high school with subjects that arent related with music? would a kid who took some AP college level classes in math/social studies be regarded as a better choice over someone who took Honors level classes. Or would the AP student seem as though they couldnt put their heart into one area.
_______
otherwise, how many of you performance graduates were able to take AP classes and still be at the top of your playing ability?
and, were the AP classes worth it?
registration for my junior year is coming up, and many view it as the most important year that colleges look at.
thanks everybody
For a university, it's going to probably have some importance. As for a conservatory, they're going to be much more interested in your musical abilities than you're grades and courses in high school.
As the other people said, going to a university, you first get accepted into the university then the music program after you audition. But I'm not sure how it works with a minor. BTW I'm probably going to end up at the University of Maryland double majoring in Electrical Engineering and jazz performance. My thought process was I love playing and performing, but I am fully aware that money is hard to come by as a musician, thats why I chose to double. People have told me many people do this, and end up dropping whichever one feels more like work than an education. I think you'd have a hard time getting into a graduate music program without a undergrad major, or maybe not, I'm not the head of a graduate program.
just go for it, man. Going to school for music is no cake walk. You don't have to start paying back your student loans until 6 months after you're done with school so why not just be a music major, get a part-time job, work you ass off, hit up a decent grad school with a teacher you want to study with, and when you graduate just start paying back your loans (if not sooner). I am in a boat right now where I'm a music major without a job... and it sucks. needless to say it's veeerrrrryyyy difficult to find one that's flexible enough for me. so I work playing. it doesn't pay great but it's what I like to do. I'm also trying to find students locally.
If you're worried about job security do Music Ed.
If you're worried about job security do Music Ed.
in my experience, your GPA and testing matters more than what classes you take. go for the upper level classes if you can take them and are interested in them, though. it can't hurt. however, once you're in the school they want you to do music. I've been told directly by professors to take Gen Eds that are easy so I can practice more.
I'm sorry for the multiple posts but this post caught my attention. I'm sorry but I feel that you couldn't be more wrong. Why is a degree any less important for someone playing jazz than classical (for popular music ill take it, but not jazz). Good luck being a succesfull jazz musician without the connections you make in college with your teachers and peers.
And as far as all the music education proponents out there. All I have to say is its not the same. You'll get the education degree, get a teaching job in between gigs, and next thing you know years have gone by and you haven't played your instrument. Your "backup" will become plan A. I've seen too many teachers go this route.
This doesn't include having private students, but as far as that goes, you don't need an education degree to teach someone how to play, you just have to know your instrument and music like the back of your hand.
Basically this just sums up to I don't think you should teach unless thats your goal, because it will take over your playing. Too many teachers end up not really passionate about teaching and ruining music for many kids.
makes sense enough for me.
it gets a little frustrating nowadays at school when all the teachers are ramming "you wont get into college unless you take every single AP class available" and im just sitting there saying thats BS to begin with and even more so in my case and any other music performance major hopeful.
I'm just gonna do one AP with Calculus cause my dads right when he says math can get you a job anywhere. just in case.
thatll give me ample time to practice without having to write a DBQ for AP History everynight
(any AP world/ u.s. history people share my love for DBQ's?)but back to the topic.
thanks for the advice everybody.
makes sense enough for me.
it gets a little frustrating nowadays at school when all the teachers are ramming "you wont get into college unless you take every single AP class available" and im just sitting there saying thats BS to begin with and even more so in my case and any other music performance major hopeful.
I'm just gonna do one AP with Calculus cause my dads right when he says math can get you a job anywhere. just in case.
thatll give me ample time to practice without having to write a DBQ for AP History everynight
but back to the topic.
thanks for the advice everybody.
The other thing with AP classes is if you get a 4 or 5 on the test then you can knock out some of your gen ed requirements and devote more credits to music.
A bachelors is a bachelors. If you are a smart person and put in a little time studying for the GRE's, you can go to whatever professional school you want (get in to). It DOES NOT matter if it is a BS, BA, BFA, or a BM.
How many of you that went to a "real school" for undergrad and majored in a "real profession" are actually studying something that relates to that major? Probably few. What one gets their masters in is a much better bellwether of what you will do as a career.
I actually had a chat with an admissions counselor about this recently. If you go to one of the top schools in your field (regardless of the field) and succeed at that school (ie: graduate with a reasonable GPA, good recs, awards and honors, etc) it will show a lot about your character. Now couple that with good test scores, they will accept you.
Don't worry about it. Play your best, and it will be fine.
How many of you that went to a "real school" for undergrad and majored in a "real profession" are actually studying something that relates to that major? Probably few. What one gets their masters in is a much better bellwether of what you will do as a career.
I actually had a chat with an admissions counselor about this recently. If you go to one of the top schools in your field (regardless of the field) and succeed at that school (ie: graduate with a reasonable GPA, good recs, awards and honors, etc) it will show a lot about your character. Now couple that with good test scores, they will accept you.
Don't worry about it. Play your best, and it will be fine.
I try to be as like Epictetus as possible, who said "first say to yourself what you would be and then do what you have to do."
JAM
JAM
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I would definitely check this site out. Also, there are other great topics here such as how being in college debt can screw up your life and info for prospective music teachers.
I am a university college major. But, I am older, I already have a career in something else, and I am also doing a certificate program in that career to sharpen and update my skills in my non-music field while I do the performance degree. My DB teacher stated that only about 8% of his performance classmates are still in the field a few decades later.
Music education never appealed to me. One should really really want to do this, and do this first, because it will take up most of your time, based on the experiences of others I know.
I would definitely check this site out. Also, there are other great topics here such as how being in college debt can screw up your life and info for prospective music teachers.
I am a university college major. But, I am older, I already have a career in something else, and I am also doing a certificate program in that career to sharpen and update my skills in my non-music field while I do the performance degree. My DB teacher stated that only about 8% of his performance classmates are still in the field a few decades later.
Music education never appealed to me. One should really really want to do this, and do this first, because it will take up most of your time, based on the experiences of others I know.
thatll give me ample time to practice without having to write a DBQ for AP History everynight
haha...i'm taking AP US history now, but i have a lazy ass teacher who barely requires much work outside of school. this is a relief now, as i have a ton of homework and stuff to do from my other classes since i go to a college prep school, but since my AP teacher doesn't require a ton of work i might not do to well on the AP exam at the end of the year
i'm a sophomore trying to plan college stuff out too. So far my plan is practice my butt off through high school, hopefully get into BU or a good school that is good for both for music and academics, practice my butt off through college, maybe grad school for music?, then work my way up to a major symphony. The only thing i've been thinking about is....right after college and everthing, then what? chances are i'm not going to land a spot in the boston symphony right away or anything, but maybe i'll just have to work my way up. I'll i'm thinking about right now is practicing all the time so that going to a good school and playing in a major symphony could be a possibilty someday. If you're really into music and you know you're going to do it forever, just keep working hard so that it can happen. You are smart though for looking at other possibilities as backup plans, etc.
If you think you can, you're right. If you think you can't, you're right.
Good luck
On the other side of things now, the best advice I can give to anyone applying this year is to not overdo anything. Don't pound out the audition repetoire and forget about the groundwork, don't overthink or speculate, and don't neglect your last year of high school. Technical work will always improve your overall product (the one you're trying to sell), speculation will create false scenarios that will psych you out, and shirking senior year will have emotional and academic repercussions that affect your playing and your prospective chances of being admitted to a school of your choosing.
“The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.” --Oliver Wendell Holmes
“The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.” --Oliver Wendell Holmes
haha...i'm taking AP US history now, but i have a lazy ass teacher who barely requires much work outside of school. this is a relief now, as i have a ton of homework and stuff to do from my other classes since i go to a college prep school, but since my AP teacher doesn't require a ton of work i might not do to well on the AP exam at the end of the year
i'm a sophomore trying to plan college stuff out too. So far my plan is practice my butt off through high school, hopefully get into BU or a good school that is good for both for music and academics, practice my butt off through college, maybe grad school for music?, then work my way up to a major symphony. The only thing i've been thinking about is....right after college and everthing, then what? chances are i'm not going to land a spot in the boston symphony right away or anything, but maybe i'll just have to work my way up. I'll i'm thinking about right now is practicing all the time so that going to a good school and playing in a major symphony could be a possibilty someday. If you're really into music and you know you're going to do it forever, just keep working hard so that it can happen. You are smart though for looking at other possibilities as backup plans, etc.
all im really worried about is the debt after college. Thats the only reason im throwing different scenarios around. i mean, i know i want to play bass, but i know jobs=few and hard to come by. Thatll be hard enough with out a bunch of debt. So, the only options i have to avoid the debt are practice a lot to get a near full-ride, be adopted by a retired oil-mogul couple, or have my parents win the lottery (which may just be more likely than ever getting a full-time symphony job
).im gonna have to go with the practicing plan.
