In Need of Musicians' Advice!

College Majors Music Major
1

<p>I'm a junior, and starting to look at different colleges right about now. I play trumpet for school, but my real passion is singing and playing guitar, and also songwriting. I know that I want to perform music for the rest of my life. But I don't take lessons at a conservatory, and I'm not trained in certain grades or levels. I've only done my advanced rudiments theory exam.</p>

<p>I'd really love to study music in college and get better at it. The problem is, I don't know if I'm even qualified to do so, and what I would study, since I don't do classical or anything...</p>

<p>I just really need some advice. I don't know where else to turn to. I'm the only musician in my family... And don't let my lack of training fool you, I really do love this and think I have a future at it.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Here is what I would suggest for starters:</p>

<p>1) Obtain a copy of latest edition of the book “This Business of Music” by Krasilovsky, Shemel, Gross and Feinstein. Read it from cover to cover. It contains information that is essential to anyone’s decision of whether or not to pursue a career in music.</p>

<p>2) If you have not already done so, have the financial talk with your parents. You need to have a pretty good idea of the costs involved and of how much of them will be your own responsibility. In particular, you want to find out whether your parents support your choice of major and whether that decision is going to change the amount they are willing to contribute.</p>

<p>3) Tell us a bit more about yourself. It is very hard to give advice without knowing a bit more about what you want to accomplish. Are you interested in becoming a solo singer/songwriter, part of a band or a member some other type of ensemble? What style(s) of music? Acoustic, electric or some combination? Are you more interested in composition or performance, or do you want to do both? From your screen name, I take it you are Canadian. Are there any geographic restrictions on where you want to study, or could it be anywhere? From your own description, it sounds as if you are not likely to be competitive with intended performance majors for audition-based scholarship money. Many schools in the US do not provide much in the way of financial aid to international students, whether it is based on academic achievement or demonstrated financial need. Will this be a factor in your decision?</p>

3

<p>Thank you for the book recommendation, I’ll go check it out!</p>

<p>I’m interested in being a singer/songwriter, whether it be solo or as the frontman of a band. I love acoustic, pop, and rock music, and my songs fall somewhere in between… As for whether I’m interested in composition or performance, I want to study both. (I know this isn’t really narrowing it down much, sorry haha). </p>

<p>And yes, I am Canadian, and there are financial restrictions and it is a big factor. I know that schools can be very stingey when it comes to giving international financial aid, but even if I have to go to school here in Canada, I just want music to be part of my studies.</p>

4

<p>Very few Canadian music schools offer much in the way of commercial music. Instead they focus on classical and to a lesser extent jazz. One school that does offer programmes for people like you with an interest in pop/acoustic is Humber College in Toronto. The following two-paragraph description is from their website:</p>

<pre><code> Humber’s Bachelor of Applied Music - Contemporary Music program is unlike any other four-year bachelor degree in North America. By combining the latest recording technologies and entrepreneurial business strategies with performance, production, songwriting, and composition in jazz, pop, R&B, Latin and world music, graduates will be well equipped with the knowledge and skills needed for success in today’s music world.

After two years of core music courses, students will choose electives in arranging, composition, advanced improvisation, film scoring, recording/production techniques or songwriting along with courses in music business and creative development. Students who take a minimum of six music electives in Performance/Composition or Music Production will receive that profile designation.
</code></pre>

<p>Humber’s tuition is typical of Canadian schools: just under $6000 in Canadian dollars for a year. The students that I know who are doing music at Humber are very happy there. </p>

<p>The American schools that I am aware of that offer similar programmes are considerably more expensive (several times the cost). If you have incredible skills as a musician, you may qualify for merit scholarships at these schools. </p>

<p>Check out Berklee in Boston (not to be confused with Berkley in California) which focuses on contemporary/commercial music and is possibly the largest music school in the world (it claims to have over 4000 students). Two semesters there will cost you over Cdn$50 000. Its website will give you an understanding of what type of courses/programmes/education is available in that type of school. I am not making any recommendation about its suitability for you, but I do think looking at it would be helpful for someone who is making initial explorations into their educational possibilities. You may also want to look at Belmont as it also has a commercial music programme and its location in Nashville may open opportunities (and it is not primarily a country music school!).</p>

<p>Check out the College Confidential thread entitled: Music Schools that Embrace Contemporary Musicians…Suggestions Requested. It contains a post with links to other good threads which would have possible suggestions.</p>

<p>Your lack of training will not be a huge concern at a place like Humber or Berklee if you have serious musical chops. They are much more interested in whether you can perform than in how long or with whom you have studied music. However, having said that, you can only benefit from some serious private study on guitar or voice before entering a place like Humber or Berklee, so if you are not already taking private lessons with an excellent teacher who is able to build on your strengths and work on your deficiencies (every musician has some), then I would be looking for one immediately.</p>

5

<p>You may also wish to have a look at the University of Western Ontario. I do not know anything about them personally, but their web site says that they have a major in Popular Music Studies, their music department looks to be fairly large and their tuition costs are quite modest compared with what most US schools would charge.</p>

<p>With the same caveats that violindad gave, you may want to look at the Popular Music program available at the University of Southern California.</p>

6

<p>In the addition to the private lessons suggested by violindad, you might consider looking for or starting a songwriters circle, both now and once you get to college. The idea is that several people get together about once a month. Each of them makes a commitment to write a completely new song before the next meeting - no fair using something that you wrote earlier than that except at your very first meeting. After each song, everyone offers a critique that is most useful when it is brutally honest.</p>

7

<p>Here is a link to the Popular Music major at Western Ontario: [The</a> University of Western Ontario : MAJOR IN POPULAR MUSIC STUDIES](<a href=“http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2009/pg577.html]The”>http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2009/pg577.html)</p>

<p>They appear to have some very interesting courses.</p>

8

<p>Beyond the excellent advice you’ve gotten so far here’s a few threads with some suggestions for US schools that you may want to peruse for information.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/752896-music-schools-embrace-contemporary-musicians-suggestions-requested.html?highlight=contemporary[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/752896-music-schools-embrace-contemporary-musicians-suggestions-requested.html?highlight=contemporary&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/740489-contemporary-guitar-schools.html?highlight=contemporary[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/740489-contemporary-guitar-schools.html?highlight=contemporary&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/729957-does-any-school-teach-contemporary-music-music-performance-major.html?highlight=contemporary[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/729957-does-any-school-teach-contemporary-music-music-performance-major.html?highlight=contemporary&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Don’t jump the gun, I’m not saying forge ahead. I concur with what the other stringdads have suggested.</p>

<p>I offer these so you can have some idea of US options. Take the time at your convenience to look at admission/audition requirements, how each handles international/Canadian applicants, the financial policies and aid (if any) for internationals, as well as costs. </p>

<p>You can also look for past posts by SteveM and raddad for info about the Popular Music program at USC/Thorton. The poster PamalaMaeSnap has a daughter at Berklee as a songwriting major. Check for past posts there as well, and she has offered to communicate via pm if anyone has questions regarding Berklee.</p>

<p>Without knowing your level of talent and training, it’s impossible for anyone to judge whether you might be competitive in an audition process for any of the programs, so the suggestions are offered as info only.</p>