My son wants to major in Music Technology. I think he is better off with a major in business and minor in music. He is a talented guitar player and really has no other interests aside from music. Any thoughts?
I would suggest posting this in the excellent music forum here on CC, under “majors” below this forum on the CC main page. You might want to read the essay on the top entitled “Double Degree Dilemma.”
Why does your son want to do music technology rather than guitar? Is music tech. a genuine interest or a back up plan? What kind of guitar does he play?
If he loves music, perhaps he can apply to conservatory or a music school within a university and try to get in for a BM in guitar. There are also programs (again, see the essay, particularly the last example) where he could do both guitar and music technology.
Some musicians go to grad school for business. Music requires some entrepreneurship these days, and most conservatories offer a class or two in this. Some music schools have a music business degree as well.
For undergrad years, he could do what he loves. A degree in music is as good as any other bachelors for jobs requiring a bachelors, and offers access to professional and grad schools, including med, law and business.
The music forum really deals with parental worries about financial security and you might find the forum helpful.
ps Also music technology can mean many things, from programs where most time is spent in the studio honing practical skills to a program like Brown’s where it is one of the three major focus areas for a liberal arts music major
@eandesmom , can you provide any insight?
Thank you compmom for your advice. I will look at that forum as well. He is an electric guitar player who has performed throughout his high school years and even before that. I find that there are so many talented musicians out there and I am not sure that music performance would be a good career choice for him. I believe that technology is the wave of the future and am not sure what types of jobs kids get with a music technology degree. Will let you know what I find out.
Music technology? Could be recording engineering, or something of that kind.
What colleges is your son looking at?
If he wants to be a music tech major, I’m not sure business will be his cup of tea.
He does not know what he wants to do. He is a junior currently but is completely stressed because he loves music, spends all his free time playing music, talking music theory etc. but feels that a music career will cause him to be broke all his life. We are in NJ and he is thinking about Rowan, Monmouth University, Monclair, Rutgers, William Patterson, West Chester U. of Pa. Need to keep cost down. GPA around 3.8 but poor test taker and probably will not get more that 1000 on SAT.
At some places, he will still need to audition on the guitar…and that will carry some weight IF the music technology program is in the music department. Will he apply to Rider/Westminster? That’s where the music program is in NJ.
With a 1000 SAT score, he isn’t going to be a direct admit to a business program either. I would encourage him to also take the ACT. Some kids just do better on the ACT than SAT.
I wish I could,find the articles that are published on the Peabody Conservatory website. They talk about different students and their interests…and why or why not choose music as a major.
Hoping someone else can find them.
Here you go…read the first several posts in this thread:
Thank you thumper1. I read the link you posted about double degree dilemma. It is very informative.
I hope you read all of the articles. There is excellent perspective on different kinds of kids. And also where they can go with a music degree…or not.
One other thing to consider is that if his interests are in music to the depth that you describe is to allow him to take a gap year or few and have him find his place in the NY/NJ music scene and make his contacts with other musicians to try forming bands.
Is he flexible about the kinds/genres of music he plays or does he insist on sticking with one? Also, has he already attempted to/succeeded in creating and sustaining bands for a period of time…especially in terms of finding venues to play at and getting paid gigs*?
- One bit of advice I keep hearing from friends who have been at this for a decade or more, DON'T EVER ACCEPT PAY TO PLAY GIGS on the hopes of "greater exposure". It's largely a scam by bars/restaurants/music venues to get naive bands/musicians to play without paying them. Worse, if you/your band becomes known in the local scene for accepting pay to play, other venues will take full advantage and some musicians who are successful in getting paid gigs will be wary to collaborate/play with you/your band.
Our oldest majored in music technology with a business minor.
He gigged a lot in college and got some lovely exposure (never paying to play mind you) with some strong local and not so local groups including a summer as a roadie.
I will be honest. It is not a field you go into for the money but for the love of the work. After saving up for a year ours is off following his dream. Which is a mobile recording studio that he’s built and taken with him! He does a fair amount of recording work on his own, works on call for a fairly major sound editing studio and…has 3 catering jobs that covers the difference. He’s amazingly well connected and all thanks to his college, and we do have hopes of full time work in the new year at the recording studio (where thankfully he can store all his pricey gear for his mobile studio!).
He’s pretty fulfilled and happy but it’s not an easy road. Which he knew going into it and wouldn’t change a thing. He would love to be able to write and play in addition to recording work but for now is focused on paying the bills.
Feel free to pm me with any questions. At the end of the day he’s happy, has an amazing work ethic and a piece of paper I believe will suit him well no matter what he does.
The essay by David Lane was available for years on the Peabody site and we recently put it on the music major forum because David has retired. It is really helpful. Again, the music major forum will be very helpful.
Music technology comes in many flavors and labels. Recording technology is a studio program, and leads to work in a studio. Some composition is now focused on technology. You have to look at each program.
But at the same time, many music parents will implore you to let him start off doing what he loves. Undergrad education does not have to be as purely vocational as people think, and a BM in music is equivalent to a BA or BS in terms of qualifying for grad or professional school, or for jobs requiring a bachelors.
I know many people who make a living in music, but it is true it is not always just doing music. In school your son can branch out to technology, outreach, teaching, and he could intern at music non-profits to gain skills that transfer to other fields.
It really can work out. And once at a school like Berklee, he can also branch out in terms of double majors or switching majors. Nothing is written in stone.
I hope he will read the threads on the music forum about the myth of poverty for musicians, David Lane’s articles, and post some questions himself- or you can. There are countless threads on music technology- just do a search. I understand the need for return on investment with expensive schools and loans, but majoring in music, including electric guitar, is still a good way to go if that is what he loves. It is hard to let life happen but premature planning and overthinking can sometimes prevent opportunities, I think.
Also, here is a link to a site with a long list of schools that do not require SAT’s or ACT. http://fairtest.org/university/optional Many of them are excellent schools.
There are many schools to look at for him. Hartt at U. of Hartford has guitar and music tech. (( forget what they call it). Columbia College Chicago. UMass Lowell. Berklee. Belmont. Frost in Florida.
UMass Lowell has both guitar and tech.
He could also attend a school and continue guitar lessons and performance. He should be aware that majoring in music means theory, aural skills, some piano, music history and so on. Many paths, and Lane’s essay covers many of them. There are musicians who major in something else entirely and still go on to work in music, but it sounds like your son would really love majoring in music and focusing on guitar.
Music BM programs have auditions. He can apply to some of those and some non-audition BA programs and see where he lands.
Have him check out the Studio Production or Studio Composition majors at SUNY Purchase. If he puts together a good portfolio and has good grades, the test scores won’t be make or break there. You could also check out St. Rose-pricey, but fairly generous with aid for talented applicants.
Honestly, I think a tech major is just as valid as business in the music industry, if not more. Every piece of recorded music you hear, from movies to ads to video games has technicians behind the scenes making it all work. Where my husband works as an illustrator, (gaming company), there is a department of about 10 musicians/technicians making a very nice living-benefits and everything! Most of them are in gigging bands as well. And as thumper said, if he is obsessed with making music, a business degree will probably be hell for him.
I will read all of them thumper1–thanks
indeestudios’ post goes to show what I was trying to say about the different terms and labels for these programs, so you have to really look at websites carefully (and those threads on the music forum will list some schools too)
music technology, music industry, recording technology, studio production and more…
FYI…for what it’s worth! http://www.collegemagazine.com/top-10-schools-music-technology/