<p>D is considering music education major starting next year, after completing a very strong HS music (vocal) program. She has received positive feedback from several preliminary auditions so far. We don't have a lot of expeirience in the music field, what are the job prospects for this major, and performance prospects? What are good undergraduate programs in the midwest?</p>
<p>I’ll let people with more expertise on music ed weigh in, but the first thing you should be aware of is that music application deadlines are usually much earlier than regular college admissions deadlines - typically December 1.</p>
<p>Depending on where you are located, your state flagship might be the best choice for music education.</p>
<p>I second stradmom’s advice—look to you in state options for music education. As far as performance opportunities, in the shrinking classical market, their are too many variables to list. Much depends on the market that your student graduates in(grad school!), how her instrument has developed, the connections that she has made, how hard she works (hopefully REALLY hard!) and whether or not she is burdened as a graduate with too much debt. Even out of an excellent grad school, the vocalists who make a full time living from music alone are few and far between. It can be done, but it aint easy.</p>
<p>As a music ed teacher, there are 3 main areas: Choral, Orchestra, Band. If she can learn some instruments so she could teach Orchestra or Band, that would increase her marketability.</p>
<p>Schools with good voice programs are (not sure of their music ed programs, but they usually have them):</p>
<p>In the Midwest, Univ of Wis, Madison, and Univ of Mich, Ann Arbor have good music programs. Lawrence in Appleton, WI is also a great music school.</p>
<p>Others are Univ of IN, Bloomington; Depauw in Greencastle, IN; Oberlin in OH; Cincinnati Univ; St. Olaf, Northfield, MN.</p>
<p>Taylor and Anderson in IN may also be worth looking at.</p>
<p>Music Ed is really not a performance degree. One university says the outlook for Music Ed is average:
<a href=“http://www.ashland.edu/content/sidebar/music-education-career-outlook[/url]”>http://www.ashland.edu/content/sidebar/music-education-career-outlook</a></p>
<p>If she as any aptitude for Math or Science, being able to teach one of those areas would make her a very marketable teacher at the high school level (for example, bargain for 1/2 music, 1/2 math classes)</p>
<p>I believe that the job prospects for teaching music are decent, but maybe not great due to school budget cutbacks in many states. Hopefully they will improve as our economy improves.</p>
<p>For performing music for a living wage income, they are probably less that decent. The typical performer has to cobble together multiple income streams to make a living wage, which of course requires some entrapaneurial effort.</p>