<p>I'm a high school junior, and I've been a straight A student. My parents expect me to use my intelligence in college, they want me to major in something like engineering our computer science. However, I really love music, I've been playing music since I was 5, and I want to major in music. So what should I do? I also have concern about my job paying if I do take music major...</p>
<p>What instrument do you play and what would you consider majoring in? Please look at some of the older and ongoing threads in this forum about “music and money”. There are no guarantees of a good paying job in any field nowadays so you have to weigh the pros and cons and go with what makes you happy.
There are plenty of really bright students who major in music, my own D being one of them;perfect scores on her ACTs, top of her prep school class, academic awards galore, and she chose a program that incorporated academics into her music performance major (where she is still at the top of the class). For your parents to think otherwise shows me that they don’t know anything about performance majors nor have they done any research. Have you done any looking? There are several schools that come to mind, but again, it depends upon your instrument. Ultimately, you are going to have to sit down with your parents and make your thoughts and wishes known. If you’d be happy as a computer engineer who plays in a community orchestra then fine, but if you’d be miserable unless music is at the core of your life and you can’t imagine a day without it, then you have to face that.
Keep asking questions and let us know more about you!</p>
<p>Aliceinrealland,
This is a real story. Imagine a 51 year old single man living in a gorgeous apartment with views over Central Park’s Sheep’s meadow and a Steinway in his apartment. Sounds nice? He has made quite a bit of money over the years and is retired. He has an undergraduate degree from Harvard, Suma-Cum Laude in Mathematics. He has a law degree from Harvard as well. He has travelled. But he is not happy. He is very overweight, depressed and engages in behavior that is not healthy for him. Sometimes he day-trades alone at his computer and makes more money. But he is lonely and sad and drinks too much when he is with friends. He signs up for a Continuing Education Class at Julliard, and is placed in the top class. At one point he wanted to go there for graduate school but his mother pushed him to attend law school instead. He loves the CE piano class at Julliard. He makes friends. He starts practicing again and for a while he is briefly happy and less inclined to engage in self-destructive behaviors.</p>
<p>A while ago I saw a video VOWS on the New York Times that featured a man who seemed like the Yale version of my friend. But this man had gone on to study music. He was living a somewhat magical life filled with friends and a job/career that he loved in New York. He probably was not as well off as my friend. But he was in a committed relationship where music was central and active in the music community in and around New York. </p>
<p>At the same time there are those who pursue music or arts and after a while realize that they want to do other things and they do. My daughter went to conservatory for theater/movement and is now in graduate school to become a nurse practitioner. Brian May the guitarist from Queen now has a Phd in Cosmology and is a professor at some University in the UK. One of the lead scientists for NASA for the OPPORTUNITY mission originally attended Berklee School of music.</p>
<p>You are young. If you don’t follow your dreams now then you will always wonder “What if…” But if you follow them and then decide that you do not want to the life-style or are not committed to practicing or feel you do not have what it takes you can switch and pursue engineering or a million other paths that use your intellectual gifts. College is not an end point. It is a beginning. And it is OK to start off on one track and later switch to another.</p>
<p>One thing that might help your parents is to show them potential career paths of musicians. Many think that unless you become a “star” there is no point in pursuing music. But there are many jobs in the music world such as being an academic and teaching at a University, running a music school, teaching K-12, composing for film and media, doing sound engineering and more… Berklee School of Music graduates actually do very well post graduation getting jobs.</p>
<p>Many parents do not understand the path of music majors. Do you wish you could go to conservatory, and get a BM perfrormance degree, or would you prefer a university or college with an academic music major and opportunities to play in ensembles or orchestra there? Or perhaps both?</p>
<p>Have your parents read this for information: [Peabody</a> Institute - Conservatory Admissions: The Double Degree Dilemma](<a href=“http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/doubledegree]Peabody”>http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/doubledegree)</p>
<p>Double degree programs at places like Bard, Oberlin, Tufts and Harvard (and many more) can sometimes satisfy students (and parents!) who want both performance and academics. They generally take 5 years. At Bard, all students in the conservatory are required to do a 5 year double degree, at other schools, it is optional. Harvard’s program is actually a double bachelor’s/master’s.</p>
<p>But many musicians have worked hard for many years and really want to focus on music, and this is not only a legitimate choice but a wonderful one.</p>
<p>Many students come on here with the same problem. Perhaps your parents could talk to someone like one of your teachers, or a music professor at one of the schools you are looking at. College goals are changing, but it is still not vocational school: there is not always a match between major and career. Tell your parents that music majors have the highest acceptance rate of any group, when they apply to medical school. The discipline of music majors gets respect in many contexts.</p>
<p>You would have access to any job that requires a bachelor’s, and access to grad schools, including law and medical schools, if you get a degree in music.</p>
<p>My daughter is a music major and has also done some internships (one has been two years with an orchestra, helping with recordings, fundraising and concerts). I am glad she has been able to focus on what she loves for these years, and am confident that she will find a job she can live on - and enjoys, whether it involves music or not. She can do music on the side if need be.</p>
<p>(One other thing: I think musicians have become more entrepreneurial and the goal of music students can be much broader and varied than getting a seat in an orchestra.)</p>
<p>Jumping in to point out that a music degree is a valid college degree similiar to a liberal arts degree and as compmom stated you can still go on to grad school in a different field. Son worked this summer as an interpreter and tour guide at an historical site. It was interesting to find out that his immediate boss has a degree in early music and the CEO is a classically trained pianist. Music teaches discipline and many employers respect the dedication and long hours it takes to pursue this degree.</p>
<p>Do what ever is going to make you happiest. </p>
<p>If money and security is what makes you happy, music probably isn’t the best choice for a profession, but if you hate math/science you probably wouldn’t make a very good engineer or scientist or programmer.</p>
<p>Most people change professions several times during their life, and like someone else pointed out, you can always go to grad school for a different major.</p>
<p>If you suspect that your happyness may be in music, you might want to try a music major first - it’s probably a lot easier to change from music to something technical than something technical to music. If nothing else, you could plan to complete the requirements for a minor in music your first year, then if you decide not to continue in music, at least you have a minor completed to accompany your major.</p>
<p>Also, duel degrees or double majors arn’t out of the question, but it would take extra time, and thats time that could be devoted to a masters degree instead of two bachelors.</p>
<p>If you are concerned about pleasing the “rents”, discuss this with them, show that you are willing to listen to them, and propose a reasonable compromise…</p>
<p>Maybe you start taking your general ed requirments at an inexpensive local community or jr. college the summer after graduating high school, that way if you do decide to double major, or get a minor, or change majors, you will be a little ahead of the game and can still graduate possibly in 4 years. </p>
<p>Also, there are options for music that may result in a career around music, but not necessarally as a musician. Like “music business” majors and minors, music entrapanureship minors, and even some music technology programs (recording, computer music, etc) that may fit in well with a computer or engineering degree.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. My main instrument is piano, but I’m also good at percussion, violin, and others. Music performance major or music education major, I haven’t decided. I did talk about college with my parents, and they are considering it too. I’m sure in the end my parents are going to support my decision though.</p>
<p>About double major, does it cost more than one major? I know double major requires more classes, and it is time consuming, but I’m thinking about it.</p>
<p>Music-related jobs sound very interesting to me. Can anyone tell me more about music technology programs?</p>
<p>Aliceinrealland,
Since you are Junior you might want to consider attending a summer program that will give you a better feel for what attending a conservatory and studying music at a higher level would be like. Both my boys did Berklee’s 5 week Summer program. One decided he did not want to go to college exclusively for music. The other son was leaning toward attending conservatory and attending Berklee last summer convinced him that it was indeed what he wanted to do. You might want to visit Berklee School of Music’s web site because they have a lot of information about careers in the music industry. </p>
<p>I know that Eastman School of Music has a summer program. And there is a program at Tanglewood for classical musicians (although you have to audition for it).</p>
<p>Alice, have you had your performance level evaluated by a really good teacher? The level of competence required to gain entrance to a good performance program is quite high most places and extremely competitive at top conservatories.
Since you mentioned several instruments, it raises questions as to your level on each. Music Ed might suit you well- if you have a desire to work with students at the K-12 level- since you do have an interest in various types of instruments.</p>
<p>Just want to add quickly that the study of music certainly does require intelligence. Music classes can be as challenging as the most difficult premed or engineering classes.</p>