University or Bass playing?

[Blissful_Lad]

Hi,

Moderators - feel free to move this into the correct category.

I need some advice from fellow bassists on where to take the next steps in music.

I'm 18 live in London and about to finish school in June. I have been playing musical instruments since I was 6 years old (bass since I was 12), and I have been producing music on the computer since I was 10.

The debate is whether I go to university to study music technology (I have an unconditional offer which I have accepted, but I may not take it up), or find contacts for production bits and pieces, as well as bass playing. I can sight read so one of my options is to work on cruise ships. I like the idea of independence and travelling so this may be a good pathway but it might be hard to maintain work when not on cruise ships, as I assume many people working on them will not be UK-based, and will mainly know people in the cruise ship industry.

My parents are keen for me to go to university as they like the idea of a degree (of course) and they think the university will provide contacts. However, many past students have gone on to be freelance workers in composition, and therefore the university careers people won't have provided them with work.

Another issue is that music studios won't be that interested in a degree, as they want to know if you are actually good at recording and mixing etc. In that respect, going to university and taking on so much debt may not be worth it.

The university being unlikely to provide work and giving me a degree certificate that employers are not interested in, means my main reason for going to university would be to get smashed most days. Although that's fun, it won't help me in the long term.

The idea of adventure and travelling does appeal to me instead of studying for the next 3 to 4 years. What do you think? Bass playing (using my current contacts over this summer to get into theatres, cruise ships, live gigs and studio sessions), or going to university to study music technology? Am I over thinking this process?

Thanks

OP, with all that music training... are the top-level music schools knocking on your door? Offering you 75-100% of tuition scholarships? Do you have any grants that you've applied for and won? Have you collected any substantial cash-prizes for your music skill set? If not, you need to realistically assess your competitive musical skill level. One doesn't just "go to a top-level" music school. There is a rigorous audition process. Exceedingly HIGH failure rate. You will be competing with people, from all over the world, that have been playing 6-8 hours a day since age 4 and likely trained in pre-college music schools like Juilliard. The rest go to out-of-market schools and get smashed, all day.

PAYING to go to a "How-to-Record" school is nearly a 99.9% scam. There are NO gigs out there after that. Really. Think about it. There are less studios today than there were yesterday. EVERYBODY thinks they can record, mix, and master the next #1, in their bedroom with Audacity. Nope.

If you cannot qualify for (with scholarships) highly-employable degree programs - STEMs, consider a trade school. EVERYONE, including unemployed bass-players, need plumbers & auto mechanics. At least you will be able to pay off any student loans and buy a house.

ALL the theatre, cruise ship, paying live gigs and studio session work is ALREADY filled (with bitter blokes) and becoming less and less. There are way too many "musicians" that will play for free, or worse pay to play.

Getting lucky as a pop/rock bassist is equal to winning the lottery. Good-luck!

Being burdened with student debt will be catastrophic - DON'T!

Luvin' sumpin' doesn't cut it. I love pizza. BIG DEAL!

 

[Elfsocks]

I would say it totally depends on what you want to do in life. If you want to be a bass player, I would suggest working your arse off at that. You can always go to university later if you want to do something different.
I ended up studying music (specifically bass) at university, not because I wanted a degree, but because it meant I was playing all the time, practicing, recording etc). I worked as a bass player for years but had a total career change in my late 20s; it's never too late to try something new.
Lots of people say "study and let music be your fall back", but if you want to be a professional musician, that is probably not the best way to approach it; most people making a living in the creative industries worked their arse off at it to get to that point. Ditto if you want to be a civil engineer, studying bass ain't gonna help "no, I don't know much about load bearing canilevers, but watch this Larry Graham Medley" . My opinion is that you need to be brutally honest with yourself and decide what you want to do, and then absolutely go for it.

Also, I had no formal music training, but I had skill so they made me do a foundation year to bring me up to speed with everyone else before the degree proper.