<p>Hello everyone.
I am a junior in high school and my plan is to attend FSU when I graduate as a Music education major. My only problem is I have a lot of doubt. I really want to audition guitar for this major but I have no idea if I am good enough. I am currently working on auditioning for All-State in September and I take private lessons. I also practice everyday for an hour or more. I am just really concerned that I won't know enough by the time it is time for me to audition, and I will not be good enough.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>dimguitar,
Don’t underestimate your commitment and hard work and what that can do for you between now and then. Hopefully you are working with a good private teacher and your commitment to practicing is getting results.</p>
<p>My son also doubted whether he was good enough. He started studying his instrument later than others and he knew his competition in-state and knew where he ranked. He doubted himself even after he passed all his prescreens. He got a bit of a confidence boost after he was admitted everywhere. But even this summer he doubted himself and his ability. Part of that is being an artist.</p>
<p>If you want it badly enough then all you can do is keep doing what you are doing. Not trying should not be an option. Most schools are able to judge potential and not just current level and if they see your commitment and hear from your teachers about your commitment that will say a lot.</p>
<p>All you can do is keep working hard and keep improving. If it is something that you want badly enough then you will work hard and see results.</p>
<p>Many people start guitar at an older age than other instruments.</p>
<p>One word of caution: make sure that the schools you want to apply to have a guitar program. My daughter plays classical guitar as her primary instrument. She found she could not apply to several schools that might have interested her, because they had not guitar teacher and no audition. Guitar was not accepted as a required instrument for a composer at these schools. State universities that she spoke with did not accept guitar, and those are schools with excellent music education programs.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>dlmguitar, you should not doubt your own abilities. I bet that you are actually far better than you say you are. The questions I have for you are a) are you classical or jazz (or something else entirely)? And b) does guitar as an instrument add up well with the careers of music ed majors?</p>
<p>The second question is one that I had to think about a lot myself, as I am a pianist. I ended up choosing to go to a school where I could major in performance rather than my music ed option. The reason I bring that up is that there are three major branches of high school/middle school ensembles - choir, band, and orchestra. We both play instruments where although they could be used in any of those three groups, they are by no means the one of the main instruments and it may not be helpful to play an instrument that’s unrelated to what you’d be teaching. However, if your plan is to teach elementary/middle school general music then guitar (like piano) is a great instrument to play. Just something to think about.</p>
<p>My reason for asking the first question is that in general, it is easiest for music ed majors to be classical musicians at most schools, but that isn’t always the case. If you are classical, you should have a lot less to worry about. If you play jazz, look at University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music because they not only allow you to be a jazz player and major in music ed but they even have a special program for it to allow for jazzers to perform a lot while completing the music ed major. I think it’s a concentration or emphasis but it’s not quite a whole second major, which is great. Berklee is also a great place for jazz and music ed, as well as pretty much the only place for you if you play something else other than jazz or classical.</p>
<p>However, the main thing I want to leave you with is not to doubt yourself. My own piano teacher didn’t think I’d be able to pull it off but I ended up being accepted to two of the country’s best conservatories because I never gave up and I just kept playing, which is really what it’s all about.</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback, it is greatly appreciated. It is funny because I am the only one who seems to have doubt in myself none of my teachers do. PianoMan12, I play strictly classical but I also play in my High School band (trumpet). My plan is to go into a University with guitar because I love it the most and take music education classess and guitar performance classes. Maybe a double major. I don’t yet have an idea what I want to teach yet, but I know I want to have some background in education and performance. I am only a junior so my only thoughts are getting into the right music school and then see where I go from there.</p>
<p>Guitar is a good instrument for music therapy as well. Just a thought.</p>
<p>My son just started at Berklee as a Music Education major. He will have to take courses in keyboard, brass and woodwinds, in addition to already having guitar as his primary instrument (at Berklee, every student has to have an instrument in which they perform, no matter what their major). Check out the curriculum at each school you are interested in, and make sure you feel good about the array of courses you will have to take.</p>
<p>If you have teachers who have experience with former students who have gotten into the schools you are interested in, they will be able to tell you if you are a good candidate. We come from a very high-achievement oriented school district, where every music student is “a gifted artist” (according to their parents), but knowing how few students are actually accepted into the top schools, it was important for my son to know if he had a chance or was wasting his time. He had two teachers who had gone to Berklee, who felt he had an excellent chance of getting in.</p>
<p>Also, take a look at what the different schools require for auditions. They were all very different at the schools where my son auditioned–some requiring a specific prepared piece, some would let you choose–others required sight reading, playing by ear and/or improv on the spot, and often a written test of their own. Berklee’s was the most involved of the ones we looked at.</p>
<p>If you are able, you can try to get a lesson with a member of the guitar faculty at FSU. Good Luck and don’t doubt yourself.</p>