Help for Junior with interest in music but not much of a background

College Majors Music Major
1

Hello my wife and I thought our son’s greatest interest was physics but we just had a heart-to-heart talk with him and it turns out his passion now is music.

He started playing guitar at 15 and he’s 17 now. He has been in the school band, folk band and briefly the jazz band (unfortunately that shut down due to lack of participation). He recently took up fiddle (the folk band does Irish music) and his music teacher is impressed with how quickly he picked it up.

The problem is that colleges, from what I’ve seen, are looking for classically trained or jazz-trained students with years of experience, which he does not have.

I suppose he could try to learn some classical pieces in the next 9 months or so to audition for the colleges, but I don’t think he would have much of a chance versus students who have been playing violin or guitar since age 5.

He’s a smart kid and may end up being a National Merit Scholar, but I don’t think that matters as much to a prospective music department at a college.

Any chance of his getting into a music program at a college? Any advice would be helpful.

2

He should apply undecided to a university or liberal arts college of his choice which offers a BA in music. They are almost all non-audition programs, at least at the freshman level. He could also double major with physics and needn’t give it up. He could also continue to pursue music in college as an extra-curricular and just take guitar lessons, perform in college ensembles, and pick-up bands too. There is no need for him to apply to a School of Music for a BM for which, as you surmise, he is unprepared. And being a National Merit Scholar will indeed help him get into a program where he can continue with music.

Take a look at this thread: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1120351-best-liberal-arts-university-with-best-music-program-p1.html for an idea of some great colleges with good music programs. There are a ton of choices. What else is he looking for in a school? Location, size, academics, aid?

3

Thanks SpiritManager- I did take a look at BA programs in music- it looks like quite a few LACs have them.

Is it possible to become a music teacher with that degree or would he have to go the audition/performance degree route with that?

4

Most colleges have a music department and major (for a BA). The curriculum may vary a bit (for instance, Brown has three strands in its music major, composition/theory, ethnomusicology and technology; Wesleyan tends toward world music, and so on, so look at the music department, curricula, courses and requirements for each school. Some do have an applied music component, meaning performance, in classes, or by providing for lessons, or by giving credit for performance. You really have to look into details.

In general, a BA music major will study theory./aural skills/musicianship, some composition, music history, ethnomusicology, and technology/electronics. Some courses may cover folk, jazz, rock but many courses will be focused on classical. (I might add that one of my kids majored in music without even touching an instrument.)

Your son can deepen his interests in music both in and out of the classroom. He can take lessons and classes, and perform in extracurricular ensembles. His music may blossom. He can also take physics classes and see what he wants to do once on campus. Has he taken any theory? He may even find he does not like academic study of music and wants to keep his music separate from his studies who knows. Or he may love music classes.

Music education is a different major than general music. Often state universities offer music education. There are auditions but in general the fact that your son plays several instruments would seem to be an asset for that field, if he continues to develop. He can look into programs for undergrad but there are also grad programs.

I don’t know what part of the country he is interested in. He can choose based on location, size, academics and “vibe” like anyone else as long as the departments he is interested in check out after research. Let us know what part of the country he wants to be in and maybe we can suggest some schools.

I recommend a book I found online entitled “Creative Colleges” that has sections on music, theater, dance, art, and writing. Good uck!

5

Thanks compmom- I did look into the music education major on various college websites and as you suggested it does seem to require an audition. He has no classical or jazz background at all so it is unlikely that he will gain admission when compared to other applicants.

6

@‌ artie-
As you surmised, it probably would be difficult for your son to get into a performance program given where he is, both jazz and classical programs will be extremely competitive. As others have suggested, there is the possibility of going the BA route and/or dual major that way. This way he can pursue music and see if in fact he really wants to do it, while having the flexibility of a dual major and/or switching majors and so forth.

As far as teaching goes, music ed degrees are aimed at people wanting to teach in the public schools, they take a wide range of things, they have to learn about the various instruments to be able to teach them, plus they take general education courses the way other types of teachers do. If your son is thinking he might want to teach privately, or perhaps teach let’s say guitar at a music school or maybe even a private school, he doesn’t need an ed degree (obviously, if he was going to be a music teacher in a private school where he is expected to direct the school band/orchestra, or teach multiple instruments, similar to what a public school music teacher would do, then he would need that experience, but I meant simply if let’s say he was going to teach guitar to students at a private school).

Given he is coming into this late, the BA approach sounds reasonable to me as a way to get his feet wet without cementing anything.

7

After discussions, son has decided not to major in music if he can’t teach it. He has been looking at other majors and will keep music as his avocation if not his vocation.

8

If he applies to colleges, he can still decide to major in music if he again wants to. Many music programs do not require a classical or jazz background. Whatever he does, I hope he continues to love music and have it in his life!

9

Have him check out http://www.berklee.edu/ – not all music majors require mastery of an instrument.