<p>My niece wants to go to Loyola in New Orleans and major in music business. Her long term goal is to be something like a reader in publishing (listen to recordings on the sludge pile and find the next great Christian artist).</p>
<p>Is this really viable? I am concerned about her because her mother is a widow and once the college trust fund is gone, there is very little to fall back on. Her mother will be re-entering the workforce when my niece goes to college and odds are will only stay there a few years till she can get her widow's benefits.</p>
<p>Loyola seems to have a good program, but it's looks like it's geared to the New Orleans music scene, which is pretty far from where my niece wants to end up. She says there is a Christian college in TN with a good music business program, but it's about 2x the cost of Loyola so they can't afford it.</p>
<p>Any good fall-back suggestions for using a music business degree for something other than music business?</p>
<p>It’s about what I thought, but hearing it so bluntly helps a lot. I haven’t been facing the fact that what she really wants to do is major in music appreciation. She says she’s not that interest in accounting or investment management or the other things I think of as “business.” </p>
<p>It’s hard because she’s not my child and she and her mother tend to be very touchy about advice. I don’t guess it helps me to fret since I don’t have any real influence. But at least I can start planning ahead for how I will help if it doesn’t work out.</p>
<p>Music business programs are different at different schools. Some are music degrees (so yes, you would be able to develop an ear for talent) and these programs combine classes in music theory, aural training, keyboarding, etc. with classes in business, marketing and producing. Internship opportunities can be an important component, too.</p>
<p>I think your niece should look into Belmont University. They have both music business and contempory religious music in their course offerings, I believe.</p>
<p>Belmont is the one her mom says is too expensive. Looking at the webpages for the two schools though, I don’t see it. Might be something about their financial aid policies, because the sticker price looks lower at Belmont.</p>
<p>You’ll get responses like these two from everyone. </p>
<p>Some people will say “let her follow her dreams and major in what she wants” and others will say “tell her to major in something practical.” I am obviously the 2nd type. </p>
<p>Has her mom sent anyone through college? If not she may be thinking like the first type I described and I think that’s old school. With rising tuition costs college has become a HUGE investment. One that many people are starting to say is not worth it (especially in this economy). If I am going to spend tens of thousands of dollars I better be assured that I get a good return. I don’t see that degree as a good investment at all. It just has no fallback. An accounting major who dreams of the big 4 can fall back on a wide array of jobs if they don’t get one of those jobs. </p>
<p>I guess my overall point is that I don’t see any ADVANTAGE to the degree.</p>
<p>No, my niece is an only child, and is practically a first generation college student. Her dad had an associates degree in something computer related from a private technical school and her mom has education courses but never finished. </p>
<p>It’s frustrating because early on she showed a real aptitude for math and science but her mom will only agree to let her use the trust money for something focused on their religion. Since their denomination doesn’t allow women to be ministers or to teach or supervise men, there really aren’t a lot of choices. My sister really wanted her to be a missionary or a music teacher, but my niece said no.</p>
<p>Actually, I believe there are more than 2 schools of thought and that the issue is not that black and white. There is a lot of gray area just as there are lots of careers out there that do not have clear cut paths.</p>
<p>If my D believed in the “follow her dream and major in anything school of thought”, then she would probably be only focused on musical theatre (which by the way teaches many skills that can be applied in different careers–but I digress.) Instead though, D is majoring in vocal performance (still musical theatre), but is getting a music degree (and can someday teach) and is taking a minor called the Business of Media, Entertainment and Technology (which can help prepare her for jobs in the business side of entertainment and music.)</p>
<p>Is it accounting? No. Are there guarantees that she will get a job immediately? No. But neither is there for an accoutant. And more than anything, the world is made up of more than accountants or other “practical” fields. Many highly successful people took chances and followed a path that is not set in stone.</p>
<p>It doesn’t really seem like this is the girl’s dream, the mother is just requiring the girl to go to college to do something Christian related. My question is whether the mother really has control over the trust legally or not. It might not be up to the mom.</p>
<p>What does the girl herself wish to do without ANY constraints? The original question was assuming that she is constrained to go to college, constrained to not pursue any real career due to religious reasons, and therefore constrained to major in only certain areas at certain religious schools.</p>
<p>Yes, the mother has control over the trust fund (right?), but if the daughter’s desires differ from her mother’s…and she still follows her mother’s wishes, her entire life is going to be in big trouble, not just the future of her college and career. The daughter needs to take control of her own life right now <em>regardless if that means losing the college trust fund</em>, because the longer she waits to do that, the less of a life she is likely to have in the future. </p>
<p>My parents were extremely controlling over my entire life before college - as a result, I was a social recluse because I was not allowed to do or say anything independently outside of their supervision (and even now they still criticize me, though they no longer have control). My parents originally would only let me go to college if I allowed them to maintain this control (live at home, be driven to class, and then driven right back home after class). I had no identification, no money, and no ability to travel on my own, and no friends to help, so I had no ability to simply ignore them and go on to college. So I stood my ground and refused to go to college or get a job under these conditions. For one and a half years I stayed at home doing nothing until finally they realized they couldn’t control me anymore and gave up. Unless this girl actually wants in life the same thing her mother demands of her, if she doesn’t make her own stand in her own way, any hope for happiness in her life is doomed.</p>
<p>PLEASE, enlighten me with what practical skills musical theatre will teach everyone that majors in it?</p>
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<p>Ok so she chose an impractical major, but you think she also has other things that will help. </p>
<p>(1) A degree in Music, because it could some day allow here to teach. Yes this is a great idea! With states cutting music programs out! GREAT fallback.</p>
<p>(2) You go to college to get a well rounded education. Her minor will do nothing but give her a couple of silly classes that the school proclaims will teach you the music business. What a SHAM. The only way someone learns an industry is by interning and eventually working in it. If she has to stay in class any longer or take more classes than neccessary to get her Vocal Performance and Music degrees than its a WASTE.</p>
<p>I don’t really understand what you are getting at. My two schools of thought were those who believe in practical majors and those who believe in following your dreams. You said that there was gray area and used your daughter as an example, yet she is just double majoring in two very impractical things and minoring in a ridiculous concentration…So what’s your point?</p>
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<p>This is a ridiculous statement. Of course not all accounting majors will get a job, but the prospects are VASTLY better than any of your daughters majors/minors. </p>
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<p>Took chances yes, but majoring in music, vocal performance, and minoring in whatever isn’t going to make her a broadway actress (or whatever she wants to do), 5% talent and 95% luck will get her that. I know a few people who had a dream like that, they didn’t go to college, they would laugh at me if I told them college was necessary, they moved to NY and started waiting tables and getting any kind of performance they could. Of course amazing performance arts schools are an exception to this.</p>
<p>It’s just to much of a risk, in my opinion, to spend so much money on a degree that limits you to such a narrow field where competition is so intense and the chances of getting a good return on the college investment is so small.</p>
<p>You’ve got to let people find their own path in life. If she asks for advice about where to go to college and what to major in, you can offer your wisdom, but don’t force it on her.</p>
<p>No point in arguing here, because you seem to have all the answers. Besides, I guess only time will tell who is sucessful and who is happy. Best of luck!</p>
<p>My son is interested in Music Business as well. We are looking at Belmont and Middle Tennessee (Recording Industry-Music Business). MTSU is less expensive, public school, but is 30 minutes outside of Nashville, so internships available, etc. Yeah, I’m not so excited to have him go into this major, but feel that it is better than music performance (for him). Check out MTSU, Mass Media Dept.</p>
<p>The point of going to college is so that one may obtain a degree/skill/trade that will help them eventually get a good job, better than if you didn’t earn that degree. I would love to get a journalism or broadcast/communication degree and be a sports writer, or an analyst/anchor on a sports show (preferably “baseball tonight”) but i know the odds of that are incredibly slim. i cant blow this chance and money (not to mention the opportunity cost, econ majors) chasing something that is terribly unlikely. instead im going to get an accounting degree, where i can more than likely get a job quicker than most other majors like the aforementioned broadcast degree, and see where it takes me, be that opening up my own cpa office or doing what i really want and being an FBI agent. the point is, wherever it takes me, accounting gives me a DRAMATICALLY greater chance to have a steady, comfortable income in comparison to something like broadcast, or in the OP’s niece’s case, music</p>
<p>Not to mention that an Accounting degree will not prevent someone from pursuing crazy-unlikely careers like the one you mentioned, whereas something like Music Business <em>will</em> prevent people from getting into many practical fields, while hardly improving at all their chances with their dream careers.</p>
<p>One of my professor’s today made the argument that the point of college is to learn how to be a citizen and that those who claim that it is for vocational reasons are flat out wrong and should go to a vocational school instead of a university.</p>
<p>Philosophy and Ethics. Clearly my accounting professor might disagree. </p>
<p>Really, and this is something I know you will understand Jonah, I don’t see why it can’t be both. Why can’t one learn how to be a citizen and learn a vocation at the same time? People act like it has to be one or the other.</p>
<p>learn to be a citizen?!?!?! you can do that working hard as a small business owner with no degree or something else with no degree and save yourself tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars, no to mention the opportunity cost of not working a full time job for 4-xx years! if i could be equally qualified/educated for a certain profession without going to college and sometimes grad school, i would in a second, and i dont think many wouldnt do the same</p>