Next to a Performance Major...

College Majors Music Major
21

<p>myau, my D is going to attend Miami Ohio as a double major violin performance and linguistics. That's what's on her application, but she really isn't sure about the linguistics - might switch to foreign languages or creative writing or something she hasn't discovered yet. Their BA is not performanced based, but she might eventually switch to that or to a music minor. The violin teacher assured us that doubling was possible with performance and most other majors. Linguistics seems to be one of the harder ones, as it has more course requirements. But we chose Miami ultimately because of the varied options for an "undecided" student. And the chance to continue music study regardless. (Private lessons there cost $85 per semester for non-major/minors.)</p>

<p>She also applied to Furman as a double major - BA music plus something else. They have a design-your-own major, and said linguistics is a popular one. Furman doesn't have a music minor, and said their BA was similar, and easy to double with.</p>

<p>She also applied to Emory (waitlisted) - they have lots of double options, including linguistics.</p>

<p>She also applied to St. Olaf. They have linguistics. She applied only for that, but auditioned for music as an EC (for scholarship) and won a scholarship - so I felt certain she'd get into their music major program!</p>

<p>The other schools on her list (she was admitted to all but Emory) were Denison and Allegheny. Denison doesn't have a huge languages dept, so she decided against it. And Allegheny doesn't allow a double major within the same discipline, and they have music and languages both in "humanities." So she also eliminated it.</p>

<p>Other schools that fit her criteria of having a language program and the potential to participate and/or major or minor in music, but that she didn't apply to ultimately for other reasons, included: William and Mary, Rhodes, Davidson, Lawrence, Indiana U, Wooster, Ohio Wesleyan, Bard (requires music majors to double major! and has strong language program), etc.</p>

<p>Our initial list of schools to explore has something like 85 colleges on it. Our criteria was that it have music available as an EC to non-majors, and have languages. We didn't explore which required auditions, though, since D wanted to audition anyway for scholarships. Schools like St. Olaf or Denison, who both gave her scholarships as a non-major - we took it for granted that if she chose to become a music major there, she wouldn't have any trouble getting in.</p>

22

<p>No one here has mentioned music scholarship...Musicology or Ethnomusicology
as a path.
D entered college as a Performance major (Flute).As required,she also took the theory,ear training,music history classes. While she loved the studio,practice,etc,she was chaffing under the ensemble reqs, and questioning whether she wanted to spend her life in an orchestra.During her 1st semester soph year, a Professor in Musicology said to her, "have you ever considered a life in music history research" and a bell went off in her head.She ,with guidance from the dept and her flute studio teacher, switched over to the BA in Music,still stayed in the studio and found a path in Musicolgy/Womens Studies.Shes now finishing her 2nd year of Grad School, loves what shes doing.Has narrowed her focus for her dissertation,discovered she loved TA'ing (whereas she wouldnt have dreamed of teaching high school or lower grades).It may not be any more lucrative a career path than performing,nor may there be any more jobs available.But its something to consider,especially if you love research,and an academic setting.
Also, no one has mentioned music librarianship.D has a small p/t job in the music library at her University,and its another way to make aliving and still keep music in your life.</p>

23

<p>Good suggestions, cathymee. Every once in awhile I browse the "help wanted" section of the Juilliard website (to see what staff changes are coming). They often cite an arts background as a desirable criterian. And if you read their staff bios, many do have music degrees.</p>

<p>Currently they are looking for a chamber music manager, preferring someone with a music degree. Under the current staff profiles (via "Juilliard Journal"), they show the Media Cataloger/Librarian has a degree in voice. Watching these two places (Journal bios and job ads) has given me some great insight into what people can do with their music degrees.</p>

24

<p>Great ideas and tips, cathymee and binx!</p>

25

<p>hkstrpd- thanks for posting that article. it was a good reminder of how difficult this business really is.</p>

26

<p>Some top universities offer a BA in music that requires study of music history, theory and/or ethnomusicology, and also performance, for example, Stanford and UC Berkeley in California. My older kid, a good musician but not interested in a conservatory at the time he entered college, went to the latter and majored in music -- enjoyed it immensely, had loads of opportunities to perform, and took lessons with a great teacher; summers were spent at music festivals. He went on to graduate school in music history, but several of his friends went on to graduate programs in performance, at top conservatories. Your son may need time to grow as a musician, which such programs would allow, or may find that he wants to do something else, which would be easier to do in a BA program at a university than in a conservatory. The advantage of the larger universities is that there are more students who play well, whatever their majors, which means that the orchestras and chamber groups can be quite good. Although it is clearly possible to go on to graduate school or professional school with a BM, the paucity of non-music requirements might make it hard to develop the kinds of writing and analytical skills that are essential; and for graduate school and law school in particular, it definitely matters where you go, and how well you do, if you want to get a good job.</p>