I know several people who had careers in music business. It’s not an easy career, and some really does involve making good connections.
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I have, I have applied to multiple internships and am currently looking into pre-college programs for the summer.
Yes, yes, I know, I am trying to make as many connections as I can and will continue to do so.
If you are a junior who is two years ahead, you aren’t even 16 yet, right? I think you might have some difficulty finding internships. But you won’t have trouble finding people who are willing to talk to you about this as a career and what it takes to get there.
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I do SAT prep every day and my score improves roughly 100 points a month so based on that, I am expecting to score and have a goal for 1450.
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Yeah, I recently got rejected from an internship for that reason but there are a couple that cater towards high schoolers so I’m trying to find more of those. I have a few people in my life who have similar careers and I talk to them regularly about my plans.
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Some other schools you may want to consider are:
- Columbia College Chicago (IL)
- DePaul (IL)
- Drexel (PA )
- Loyola New Orleans (LA)
- Middle Tennessee State
- SUNY Fredonia (NY)
- SUNY Oneonta (NY)
- Trevecca Nazarene (TN) - as you already have Belmont on your list, then this institution may also work for you. Based on its website, its religious affiliation has a definite influence on the university’s worldview.
Are you confusing Miami University of Ohio with U. of Miami in Florida?
U. of Miami’s acceptance rate was 28% in the fall of 2021 (source).
Miami University’s acceptance rate was 89% in the fall of 2021 (source).
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This idea may be totally off target, especially as I am not familiar with the transfer rates at the colleges you’ve listed…But since you are two years early and plan to essentially take the next two years off…Would it make sense to go ahead and do an AA at a local community college? You could check transfer acceptance rates at your preferred colleges and see if that might up your chances. You could do internships and such while you take classes.
What state do you live in?
Miami of OHIO doesn’t have a strong music business program.
University of Miami (FL) does.
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Yes, but OP was indicating that they classified Miami as a safety because of its high acceptance rate. As I don’t consider a 28% acceptance rate high, and the two Miamis are very different schools, I was trying to indicate that OP might not be looking at the right Miami’s statistics when classifying the likelihood of admission.
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As someone who also wanted to go into the music business, I think it doesn’t matter what school you go to. The critical traits that I saw correlate with success were street smarts and hustle.
I would read as many trade publications as you can, and identify people doing what you want to do, and see how they got where they are.
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Yes, I believe I was, now I see why people were confused.
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I like @worriedmomucb’s idea of doing some work at a community college as your “gap year” experience. As you’ve done a fall Saturday school in Philadelphia, I will assume that you are from that metro area.
Community College Options
Doing this would give you some extra experience that could meld well with a career in music business, but would not necessarily be a ton of overlap in the course requirements. And this program indicates that it also offers internship opportunities, so it may be a way to work around age minimums.
Other possibilities could be:
Must be in the Music Performance AA program to complete this one:
Volunteer Options
Alternatively, if you’d like to find some volunteer experience, perhaps one of these organizations might be a fit?
This one specifies ages 14+
https://manncenter.org/volunteer
(As this organization indicates that background clearances aren’t necessary for youth volunteers, I’m assuming youth volunteers are allowed.)
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I seem to recall Northeastern and Drexel having a music business degree. Drexel might have summer programs.
S20 briefly kicked around the idea. I showed him an article about the incoming Bandier students and their bios. Amazing kids. They only take 25 applicants from over a thousand. If you can find the article it should give you some ideas how to build your portfolio.
I am not from Philadelphia but thank you so much for that huge list! I haven’t done Saturday school there yet but from what I’ve read it’s all online. Thank you that was very nice.
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I will double-check if my local college has any similar programs.
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Thank you, Northeaster and Drexel are great schools I wasn’t aware of their music business major, thanks.
I don’t think anyone has mentioned CU Denver’s MEIS program? MEIS = Music Entertainment & Industry Studies. With your grades, you will get in there. My son’s been accepted there for jazz performance, and it looks like a very cool program. At first, the idea was that it would be a safety for him, but once he learned more, now it’s high on his list. Since you have time, you could do summer programs there to get a feel for it. They have excellent recording facilities and practical business courses along with a collaborative, creative environment.
Looking for schools known for industry connections, that list would include USC (also a very tough acceptance rate). Someone mentioned Loyola New Orleans, and my kid really liked it there and is considering attending.
It sounds like you can pay, so UArts and C0lumbia Chicago seem like good safeties. They are expensive, and the scholarships they offer don’t make much of a dent in the overall cost of attendance, but they both look very cool. U Miami is need-aware, and if you are a full pay student that would make it easier to be able to accept their offer. Their acceptance rate is lower than 20% now, so they would probably be what I’d call a reach for anyone.
Drexel has a very good music biz program, and it isn’t easy to get into. you have to apply for that major and they maybe accept like 17%?