<p>My thoughts dovetail with BassDads, but I wanted to add some of my observations to it:</p>
<p>1)Academics depends on the school. With stand alone conservatories/music schools like Colburn, Curtis, Juilliard, NEC, Eastman and so forth, academics could only be a negative from what I know (ie if you totally mess up academically, I am talking seriously so, it could stop you from being admitted even if talented). On the other hand, having 2400 SAT’s, 4.0 GPA, AP classes and so forth won’t buy you anything (I have heard on here and elsewhere that high grades might act as a tiebreaker, but I have no solid evidence of that, and admissions people said that was highly unlikely from what I have heard and read. </p>
<p>If going to a school like Rice, USC, etc, where you have to be admitted academically and musically, it can help make it easier to get in if your grades are up there. The high grades won’t get you into the music school portion, the way that being a top notch player may help with the academic portion of the admit, but they will make getting the academic side to admit you easier. Plus as others have pointed out, high academic achievement could get you academic scholarships in some programs, so that is something to think of.</p>
<p>From my perspective, if you had to choose between taking a really heavy academic course load and working on musical performance, if you are serious about music, cut down the academic load and focus on playing ability, because in any music school you get in by how well you play, you don’t make the grade there, what the academic side says about you means little…:)</p>
<p>2)I think taking the AP music theory class is a good foundation, that if it doesn’t impose a load on music prep or other academic work, ti is a good foundation to have. I will add that unless you are really solid in music theory, find you have a bent for it, that when you get to music school that even if you place out of the 1st level course, you may still want to do it. Having the AP class will make taking the course easier, but because music schools track music theory differently, teach in different sequences, use different terms, it might be easier to do it the way the school designs it rather then placing into a second level course that may be a bit confusing (others may agree disagree, depends on the school and how they track things, of course). </p>
<p>3)You will hear how hard it is to be a musician, how thick skinned you need to be, how competitive it is, and all that is true, and yes, if you want to do this, you should be prepared for all that and also have the passion to transcend that. </p>
<p>If you are planning to go into music, then these are the things that seem to be what ends up making for a successful working musician:</p>
<p>-Get all the ensemble experience you can, if they offer extra ensembles, grab at it, chamber, orchestra, whatever. If you can get gigs outside of the music program, paying or not, take them, to gain experience and network. Most working musicians get jobs via networking, it is a big part of the crazy quilt musicians cobble together to make a living (put it this way, it is great to work towards a position in a big 5 orchestra, that pays well, has job security and benefits, but it isn’t how most musicians make a living). </p>
<p>-If you are on a solo instrument, don’t let the goal of being a soloist stop you from working on the ensemble stuff. On solo instruments, the teaching often seems to concentrate on solo repertoire, with the goal of creating soloists, but the reality soloists are like triple crown winners in horseracing, very rare. The solo rep they work on with these instruments is valuable for teaching technique and musicianship, so it isn’t wasted, but it also can be deceptive, students who spend their time on getting into competitions and such, who blow off ensemble work, are going to have problems when they get out. </p>
<p>-Network within the school, make it a point to get to know the other students, encourage interaction. Again, these are going to eventually be your peers in the music world and is the starting basis for getting work once out of school. Music is a small world, it is a cliche, but that is true, and focus on relationships, it is as important as playing well. </p>
<p>-Be prepared for highs, lows, and highs and lows at the same time. Music teachers at the conservatory level can be pretty tough, some of them border on the mean IME, more then a few of them seem to abide by the theory that you strip a music student down and then let them worry about rebuilding themselves (especially ego), it can be rough. also, if you were a big fish in a small sea, and go to a top level school, be prepared to see kids that blow your socks off, it is likely you will be in the middle of the pack rather then floating on air, so to speak (on the other hand, if you got to a good program, and are the one blowing socks off, that must rock, too:). It is easy to get frustrated, it is easy to lose confidence in yourself, just remember that even the knock your socks off type feel that, too:). </p>
<p>-One note that has been said time and again, if you are thinking of jumping into music performance, it is not crossing a high wire between two skyscrapers without a net, not by far. If music doesn’t work out, despite the way people view college these days, as some sort of glorified vocational program, it isn’t, and you will be coming out with a college degree that in some ways probably equips students better for non music careers then a lot of college study does. The discipline of practicing, alone, for hours and hours, the ensemble work, dealing with personalities (especially music teachers!), finding your way, just the sheer dedication it requires to get into music school and then get through it, are life lessons in themselves. I work in IT, and there are a lot of ex music students in the ranks, and I have seen it elsewhere. Music students go on to grad school in other careers, the same thing kids with liberal arts degrees do. </p>
<p>A common theme is that students should double major, that that is safer, and while it obviously is a potential path, it isn’t the only one. Double majoring in history and music performance may not be that much of a safety net, because for most jobs, what does a history degree offer that a music degree doesn’t, in terms of an entry level job (or at least most of them…)?. It all depends, though having that second major is music falls by the wayside is a kind of insurance…but it also can make the experience of going through music school much harder, by limiting practice time, time to do ensemble work and so forth…</p>
<p>One thing several music students have told my S, is that be prepared, whatever you are expecting, to have your view changed, and changed again, as time goes on:)</p>