Is a music major out of the question?

College Majors Music Major
1

<p>I'm not real sure how this all works, but I kind of feel unprepared.
I'm a senior this year (in high school, of course), and I'm pretty interested in doing music in college. Specifically, I'm looking at leading worship for a church. </p>

<p>I've been leading worship as my youth group's drummer for almost 3 years now.
I've learned a few chords on guitar and taught myself some on my own.
I was in the school band in 5th, 6th, and 8th grades (I moved right before 7th grade so didn't sign up for band). But I didn't do marching band in high school.</p>

<p>Oh, and I can read music on a treble clef, just not by sight or anything.</p>

<p>I don't know if my lack of formal education in music should/can hold me back.
What do you guys think? And be honest. Don't be afraid to hurt my feelings. :)</p>

2

<p>Most of the "top" BM programs are audition based, so in a nutshell your lack of training, potential level of your instrumental skills could work against you.</p>

<p>Have you studied with a private teacher, or are you basically self taught?</p>

<p>Most (but not all) of those heading in this direction have had years of private instrumental study, competitive or high level ensemble play and youth orchestras, and a number of years at intensive summer programs.</p>

<p>There are a number of non audition solid programs where you could take a BA, rather than BM, hone your skills, and potentially pursue it further in grad school with an MM.</p>

<p>A couple of threads to read for general info:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/258796-so-you-want-music-major-one-family-s-experience.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/258796-so-you-want-music-major-one-family-s-experience.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>and <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/6280-suggestions-colleges-music-majors.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/6280-suggestions-colleges-music-majors.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Off the top of my head, I couldn't cite any non auditon programs for sacred/worship music, but you might want to take a peek at St. Olaf. Edit: (without knowing your faith or worship preference, it's hard to get too specific. A number of faith based colleges DO have specific worship/sacred music programs.)</p>

<p>Perhaps others here will have some specific recommendations.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

3

<p>I think you have some "catching up" to do. First..I would urge you to start taking piano lessons ASAP. Most church music folks can play the piano and organ. Your quest may not be impossible but it may take you a bit longer to get there than if you had the musical background now.</p>

<p>Most music programs for the type of thing you are describing are audition based...that means you have to play some instrument. If you chose music education, your audition would not have to be quite as competitive as it would be for music performance. But you still have to audition.</p>

<p>There are BA programs in music that you might want to look into...you could do this while studying an instrument like piano/organ. Then perhaps you could pursue the church music thing as a grad student. Just a thought.</p>

4

<p>I think that you should begin pursuing a music degree with the intention of finding a profession in music after you finish it. After all, you are gaining a highly specialized skill set that is marketable to only a few positions. </p>

<p>At most universities, music theory classes, class piano, sight-singing, ear training are available to non-majors (sometimes provided that they gain permission from admin) that could prove useful in determining whether you want to center your career around a highly-competitive market with sometimes little return on investment(financially, in any case). </p>

<p>I think that you will find that you can satisfy your musical appetite with the varied ensembles normally provided at universities while taking "real music major" classes to see if it is indeed what you wish to pursue.</p>

5

<p>A lot depends on what your goals as a church musician happen to be. There are very few church music jobs that pay a full-time living wage. The ones that do generally require advanced degrees and a lot of prior experience and they become available only when the person currently holding the position retires after many years of service or dies.</p>

<p>Some churches pay a decent hourly wage, but usually only for a handful of hours per week that includes a rehearsal and a service or two. In the area where I live, the better paying jobs of this sort go to people with at least one music degree who are supplementing the income that they receive from other jobs. For example, I know a couple of people who teach music at the high school level who are also church musicians (one of whom works at both a Christian church on Sundays as well as at a Jewish temple on Friday nights and Saturdays), another who teaches about 25 private piano students during the week, and yet another who is also the director of a very good local choir and has several private piano and flute students. The situation may be different in other parts of the country, however. I do know one fellow who sells insurance as his day job and has a tremendous amount of natural talent and lots of experience, but not a lot of formal training outside of voice lessons.</p>

<p>If you would be happy as an unpaid volunteer, there are very likely to be several churches in any given area that would be glad to have someone with the qualifications that you already seem to have - a desire to serve, some familiarity with the style of music that they prefer, a pleasant personality and the willingness to show up most weeks. The drawback in this situation (other than having to earn all of your income doing something else) is that you often have to work with others who have a lot of enthusiasm but very little knowledge of music and sometimes very little actual musical ability. If this is what you want, pursuing a music major would not be necessary, but a few elective classes in music theory, keyboard and voice are always helpful.</p>

6

<p>Look at Westminster Choir College in New Jersey. Good program. Relatively easy admit (compared to conservatories anyway). A focus on liturgical styles. Their graduates don't become classical world superstars nor do they become top auditioners for symphony positions, but many do become successful Church performers.</p>

<p>But you will need a specialized area (just like any post-secondary music school). Piano, voice, theory, or organ. Pick one and start practicing.</p>

7

<p>My son has gotten on the mailing list for a lot of Christian colleges, and many of them have programs that might fit you. For example, Cedarville University, which has sent him a ton of mail, has several music majors, including "Church Music Ministries." I don't know anything about this school, really, but you might want to look at that category of school.</p>

8

<p>Are you looking to lead the kind of contemporary worship service that is common at many evangelical Christian churches? Also, what instrument did you play in band- percussion?</p>

<p>I think it would be really tough for you to get into the kind of music programs most students & parents here are looking at. But, if you're looking to lead contemporary style worship, those schools are probably not what you're looking for anyway. </p>

<p>A leader of contemporary worship needs to be fairly versatile musically. Most contemporary worship leaders have vocal plus guitar and/or piano skills. Percussion is a definite plus; if your skill level on drum set is good, that will help you get into a program. How are your skills in improvisation? Those will be a big plus because most worship bands do a lot of improvisation.</p>

<p>Hunt mentioned Christian colleges. I don't know what part of the country you're from and whether you're willing to travel far from home, but one college to look at for Christian contemporary worship would be Spring Arbor University near Jackson, MI. Spring Arbor has a worship arts major with two potential tracks- a leadership track and a performance track. The leadership track still requires a music core but not as many music classes as the performance track. </p>

<p>Smaller Christian liberal arts schools like Spring Arbor will have less stringent entrance requirements into the music program than the more well known music programs usually discussed here. However, they are still looking for a reasonable level of accomplishment on at least one instrument and evidence of strong potential. For a worship arts major, they will be especially intererested in your level of spiritual formation as well as your leadership potential. Those qualities may help offset an initial lack of musical preparation. </p>

<p>I would highly recommend, as someone else said, that you begin studying piano. And if you can make time, take formal guitar lessons.</p>

9

<p>Hey everybody,</p>

<p>Thanks for your replies.
I live in Kansas City, MO and the main Christian college around here that I'm interested in is Southwest Baptist University, located near Springfield, MO.</p>

<p>I'm pretty good at the drum set, which is what I mostly play (I play djembe also), and also at improvisation, since drums don't even really play sheet music.</p>

<p>Also, I am interested more in contemporary-style worship. I don't know if you all are familiar with these artists, but our Youth Band does a lot of Chris Tomlin and David Crowder Band covers.</p>

<p>And, yes I played percussion in band.</p>

<p>Oh, and I took piano lessons for a month when I was 5 or 6. Ha.</p>

<p>And, lastly, I do have a (cheap) guitar at my house that I play, a drumset that I play, and a Yamaha keyboard that I rarely play.</p>

<p>Do you think learning piano (scales, keys, not necessarily Beethoven) is doable over the internet?</p>

10

<p>I know that there now are various schemes now for learning an instrument via the internet. I'm a bit old-fashioned in that I think it's probably better to learn from a teacher who can see what you're doing with finger placement, etc. You'll want to make sure to start off with correct technique.</p>

11

<p>I think you're making things much harder for yourself by trying to self-teach. If you are serious about music, you need to start hustling. Find a real live piano teacher. You need the feedback - not jsut weekly feedback on your piano lessons, but general feedback on your natural talents, abilities, and goals. </p>

<p>I have no idea how Internet piano lessons work. I'm guessing you need a keyboard that plugs into the computer, so something can give you feedback about whether your notes are correct or your rhythm is correct. The best program in the world won't tell you if your fingering is correct. Fingering is extremely important in scales. You have to make the correct fingering become a habit so that it transfers to Beethoven eventually. You don't want to learn it wrong or you'll be fighting it forever. And unless you are extremely self-motivated, it is hard to keep with it.</p>

<p>I am a piano teacher. Every year I start new students, and generally it is the teens or the adults who are blown away by how much work it is. They truly thought a 'few lessons" or even a year would be enough to make them pianists. They come to a lesson convinced they've mastered the material after a week, and are dismayed to find out they've used the wrong fingerings and their rhythms are way off and they're missing all the little nuances such as accents or dynamics. If they make those mistakes, having live feedback once a week, I really don't see how the computer could handle it.</p>

<p>I have to admit I have grave doubts about your immeditate future as a musician. Obviously I don't know you and cannot evaluate your talent or drive. Your resume doesn't show any deep commitment or ability at this point. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh; I would never tell anyone not to go after their dreams, and I won't say that to you, either. I'd love for you to come back next year and tell me how wrong I am.</p>

<p>I just feel like you have an unrealistic idea of what a music major requires.</p>

<p>There is a tendency for folks to assume Christian organizations are less picky or deserve less ability. That isn't true, but comes about because the pay scale tends to be lower, so sometimes they have to take what they can find. Most Christian musicians I know (I know a lot) are classically trained, and working other music jobs as well as church jobs. You can find less-able musicians in some smaller churches, but usually as volunteers. The competition for paying jobs is intense.</p>

<p>Church musicians have to have good voices and a knowledge of different types of Christian music. They almost always have keyboard skills. I attend a church with over 3000 people, and a "rock band" worship team. The leader is on staff full time, as well as being a travelling performing artist. He is classically trained on piano, but mainly plays guitar and sings when leading. The rest of the worship band - vocalist (or two), keyboardist, guitarist, bassist, and percussionist - are volunteers who rotate. They have to audition for this unpaid position - that's how stiff the competition is.</p>

<p>Rather than discourage you completely, I'd suggest you look for some back doors. Apply at your dream school with a different major. Then get into some of the music courses on a trial basis to see if you can handle the work and develop the skills you need.</p>

<p>A smaller church, or even missions field, would be very interested in someone with a degree in Bible, or Christian Ed, or whatever, who also came with music skills.</p>

12

<p>Well said, binx. I am a piano teacher as well who has had similar experiences with students. I have also been a college professor, and have seen students who come from high school and decide that since they enjoyed being in band or choir, why not be a music major--and then they are blown away by how much there is to learn in music theory, sightsinging, ear training, history; not to mention how much they lack in basic skills having never had a private teacher. It is a tough road for them. I also agree with kkwa--test the waters by taking a couple of music classes that allow non-majors, especially music theory and applied lessons. If you do well in those, then continue to pursue a degree. For now, I'd echo everyone by saying start piano lessons immediately and use this senior year in high school to learn everything you possibly can about music. Good luck!</p>

13

<p>Stefmin, I don't think the WCC is a realistic choice for dtran09 at this stage. It still requires an audition and draws some very competitive kids. It also has a pretty stiff piano proficiency test that is a requirement of all graduates. </p>

<p>Dtran09, I know our community college has some class piano and music theory courses and, of course, the kind of general education classes everybody has to take in college. If yours has that sort of thing, you may be wise to go that route to build up some basic musical training (and I guarantee you that there's a lot more to it than you can imagine at this point). I think you'll be able to get a better idea if that's where life is going to take you.</p>