Music at Community College - a huge waste of time?

College Majors Music Major
1

<p>Hi people,</p>

<p>I'd like some advice. I'm a mature student wanting to study music, like piano performance at university level. I'm not anywhere good enough to even make it into a conservatory right now, which I am very aware of. That doesn't matter much, as long as I get there, I won't have stinging regrets down the line. If I keep dithering on whether I should or should not go for it "at my age" I will dither my life away!</p>

<p>Am I better off studying with a private teacher than doing a program like this: </p>

<p><a href="http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/AcademicAffairs/TransferPrograms/Visual-PerfArts.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/AcademicAffairs/TransferPrograms/Visual-PerfArts.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I've been eyeing this program for a very long time, especially the "interdisciplinary" option because it's exactly what I'd like to do. Music, illustration, and acting. I need some real advice. Would doing this dilute my focus too much so that I end up with a non degree? I'm so depressed; I'm 25 and still don't have a strong idea of what I want to do for the rest of my life. </p>

<p>Please help!</p>

<p>I need to decide very, very soon...</p>

2

<p>Well, this would give you an two year degree, but the actual performance component does not look very strong. Another potential problem with a 2 year music degree is transferring it to a 4 year program- I’ve known students who had to repeat almost everything. But, perhaps there is some sort of “guaranteed” transfer with this program??
Regardless, I’d find the best possible teacher you can right now and get a realistic assessment of your abilities and potential. I certainly don’t want to be rude, but if you are looking for conservatory admission down the road, remember that you will be competing for a spot against kids who have eat/slept/ breathed piano for the greater part of their lives, and who haven’t had to hold down a job to support themselves either, as I assume you must.
I think you are making a good start, and that you’re passionate about what you want- now go and get advice from someone who can put all of the pieces together and who will advice you well. The best of luck to you, and please, keep us posted!</p>

3

<p>Thanks MezzosMama! I know the competition is TOUGH, but I can’t imagine time better spent over the next few years than doing exactly this. It’s not about getting into the best conservatory; it’s just about realizing my personal dreams. There are music programs offered at nearly every university in the country and abroad, if I work hard I know I can make it into somewhere. </p>

<p>I am not seeking to be a concert pianist; I want to write music but be able to play classical piano as a sort of background knowledge.</p>

4

<p>

Write music- as your career? Shouldn’t you major in composition then, not performance? Or double major? Or do the perf major and comp minor/concentration that some colleges offer? Or did you just mean “be able to write” like for fun or whatever? maybe I read it wrong…</p>

<p>And I, too, don’t know about how easily a 2-year degree would transfer into a 4-year performance program. I have never heard of that happening smoothly. Usually music majors just start straight into the 4-year program. Check into how this would transfer into a 4-year program. If it doesn’t transfer in, you might be better off just taking a year or 2 off and doing massive lessons and practicing to get your skills up and then applying directly to a 4-year program.</p>

<p>As the other post said, yes you’ll compete against very strong applicants right out of high school that did a lot of piano.</p>

<p>I’m a piano performance major, starting this fall. I’m not at a conservatory, but a School of Music, so it’s still a strong program.</p>

5

<p>You might want to take classes at a community college (or CUNY) that would begin to meet distribution requirements at a 4 year school, usually consisting of a course or two in each major academic discipline. </p>

<p>You could then also take private lessons, practice a lot and perform if possible, outside of school. Or, by all means, take music history at CUNY, which would be a good introduction to a music curriculum.</p>

<p>Many conservatories have adult education programs that might help your situation, if you live near one.</p>

<p>Then, having covered both musical preparation and the general studies requirements, or a chunk of them, you could apply to a conservatory or college as a music major (piano? composition?), and, who knows, in the meantime, you may find some clarity for your goals. Music can be a major and a career, but it can also, of course, be a source of lifetime enjoyment and self-expression.</p>

<p>Our tour guide at a major conservatory had just come out of a community college. She was very happy at the conservatory and had worked hard to get there. Community college was just as good a preparation as any other school, and I assumed she had done voice lessons and performance outside of school, to have gotten into the conservatory at that point.</p>

<p>The program that you linked looks great if you are just going to get an associates, but it might present some problems for a 4 year degree, as others have said.</p>

<p>Have you gone to talk to the folks at CUNY? Ask them what graduates of the program tend to do, what opportunities they have, and what obstacles present themselves.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

6

<p>@Compmom- re. your tour guide:while I am so glad that she was able to be admitted, in some states, this would have been impossible, even when seeking transfer admission to a performance major at a school within the state university system. I personally know several kids who went the “Voice Major” within the Associates Degree music program at community colleges who were unable to be admitted with credit for their two years of credit to well known colleges (with good music programs) in the state system. They had done all of the course work and received their degrees, but because of the vastly different course requirements, they had to start all over again if they wanted to get a BM degree in Vocal Performance. At the very least, one should expect to have to take summer classes and possibly stay an extra semester since some courses needed may not be offered in the time sequence needed.
This may not be the case everywhere, it is always wise to check what the requirements are for entrance as a transfer to schools one is considering and get things in writing so that, two years hence, no one can say, “Well, I don’t know who told you that or why you think it’s so…”.
compmom is very right in her advice to take those gen eds at community college! That can be a real money and time saver.</p>

7

<p>That’s a good caution. I guess I assumed she had not done any music at the community college, but had done some gen ed courses. I also assumed she had not done a full degree at the CC, but had perhaps done work that would make her time at conservatory easier. She may even have been one of those who took a sort of gap year to work on music privately and taken a few CC classes. So to clarify, I don’t think doing an associate’s in music at a cc would be that useful, and thanks for making that clearer! We just had a tour guide at a conservatory who told us that she had “come from a community college,” which could mean all kinds of things.</p>

8

<p>Hi! I started out as a community college (CC) music major, and transferred to Indiana U School of Music (which is prestigious and enormous). After the placement exams they determined I would come in as a sophomore. In retrospect, I think the placement was correct.</p>

<p>That was the right path for me. At my CC, I was a big fish in a little pond, and had some great performance opportunities. At IU, I was a little fish in a big pond, but man did I get a solid foundation in my instrument.</p>

<p>The advantages of starting at the right CC:

  • the big fish thing
  • smaller classes, with more individual attention
  • social scene easier to deal with
  • less competitive (harsh) environment – i.e. if you’re crying in the bathroom, someone will talk to you
  • less $$$!
  • easier cross-pollination, i.e. it is easier to get to know a wide variety of musicians</p>

<p>You have to choose your CC carefully, and once there, you have to choose your classes and your teachers carefully, since they vary quite a bit.</p>

<p>At Queensborough, it looks to me, from a quick look, that

  • your piano performance teacher would be Joanne Chang, whose pedigree looks solid
  • the department seems to be strong in theory and composition
  • it is a small department, so you should go in and ask to see a stack of recital and concert programs from last year, to see how much performing is going on there
  • their degree requires more liberal arts credits than my CC did; in your case, I think this is a good idea, because you’re still feeling your way to find out what you want to do with your life</p>

<p>I think it’s time for you to make an appointment at Queensborough with whoever does admission advising (the secretary will set you up with the appropriate person). If you have any music compositions that you’ve already done, take a couple with you. If you haven’t written them down, that’s okay, just be prepared to play some.</p>

<p>You also need to observe a lesson of Joanne Chang’s, or take a trial lesson with her, to see if you and she are a good match.</p>

<p>I disagree with the advice to just take lessons. I think it is very helpful to be in small and large ensembles. (Oh, and I forgot to say, when you’re evaluating Queensborough, you need to hear some of their ensembles – at this time of year, you’ll have to use recordings. They should let you listen to some when you go in.)</p>

<p>Since you are a bit unsure about all of this, I have a couple other suggestions:

  • find a mentor. At this stage of your life, that would ideally be another music student, who is a bit more advanced than you.
  • find a buddy. Someone who is also trying to figure things out. You can bounce ideas off each other, compare experiences. The buddy doesn’t absolutely need to be a music major, but it does need to be a give-and-take relationship.
  • take someone you trust with you when you visit Queensborough. Just as one would take someone along to a challenging medical appointment, to be an extra pair of eyes and ears. It’s okay to choose a relative for this role, as long as it’s someone you trust. And the person does not need to be knowledgeable about music. The person should not be too opinionated.</p>

<p>The mentor and buddy should not be too hard to find once you are enrolled in a music program. (And that’s another advantage of enrolling as opposed to just taking lessons.)</p>

<p>It’s true that 25 is over the hill for classical piano performance, but it’s just fine for many other jobs in music. I agree that for things like composition, it’s very helpful to have a good background in performance on at least one instrument.</p>

<p>Even if you don’t end up working in music, you will get smarter by studying music, and you will have a very satisfying lifelong hobby.</p>

<p>If Queensborough doesn’t turn out to be the right school for you, take a look at some other CCs.</p>

<p>You are embarking on a very exciting period of personal growth.</p>