Parents of music majors: is the degree worth it?

College Majors Music Major
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<p>My son is an academically gifted kid, with a 3.8 cum from a rigorous high school after junior year, a 2340 SAT, excellent SAT Subject Tests and AP scores, fair EC's.</p>

<p>Re: music, he has taken drum lessons and played the drums throughout school, and music has always been a leading interest ... as in the "can I have money to go to a concert" kind of way, not in the passionate, eat/drink/sleep music, practice 3 hours/day kind of way. S never distinguished himself musically -- he played in the school band without distinction, he is not all county, no garage band gigs, etc. His focus was always academics.</p>

<p>Last summer he attended the Berklee summer program. He got better, but concluded based on that experience that talent wise, he didn't stand out and music/performance was not his preferred route. Unexpectedly, two months ago, S did a flip flop. He now wants to pursue a college degree in drum performance/jazz. </p>

<p>My concern is very basic: I am really struggling with the concept of investing a large sum of money for a Bachelors in Music, should he even be accepted into a program after auditioning, versus the projected hand to mouth existence I imagine will come after graduation. </p>

<p>Do other parents of aspiring musicians have this issue? Do you struggle with the trade-off of supporting your child's dreams and paying for a degree in a field with a low probability of making a decent living? </p>

<p>The capital we have saved for college was hard to come by. I look at college as an investment in his (hopefully self-sufficient) future. I was OK with him applying to a university for a BA or BS degree while sorting out his non-musical career interests (psychology, engineering/math, industrial design, other). Now, I feel pretty heartless imposing a decision criteria in choice of college that disregards his career satisfaction and emphasizes ROI. </p>

<p>I had previously hoped that based on academics S would get some merit $$$ and possibly even stretch our college savings to cover some graduate school. As mentioned, he is not a music superstar ... I assume merit $$$ in the context of a music program is based on talent?</p>

<p>I can't seem to sort this out. Ideas?</p>

<p>PS: </p>

<p>*He is now in a local pre-college summer program to assess his music skills and audition needs. I have no idea if he is has the talent/performance chops, though I am sure he will get feedback from the summer program on that issue. </p>

<p>**He does not want to major in something practical "related to" music (sound engineering, recording, teaching, music business, etc.) ... he wants to prepare for a life of performance. </p>

<p>***While he is willing to double major to hedge his bets, from what I gather on CC, double major is really difficult to do from a practical standpoint. Son has LD and extra time needs for conventional academics, so perhaps double major not a good option.</p>

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<p>I’ve heard it over and over again. If you can see yourself doing something else besides music…go do something else. Our situation is similar to many who post here on the music majors forum. D had a flare and talent early on.She studied music since she was eight years old and by the time she was fourteen she was encouraged by teachers and professionals. Had professional recognition and work by HS. Sent to a well regarded six week program as a sophomore to decide if music was really for her(repeated the same program Junior year) . Decided that it was the ONLY thing for her. In HS she was not at the tippy-top of the So Calif talent pool, but she certainly was one of the hardest working student musicians around. After auditions, music merit scholarships offered by each program as an undergrad and grad education covered by music fellowships. So her music essentially paid for her music education. </p>

<p>An education in music costs A LOT. Tuition is only part of the equation(throw in travel, summer programs, coachings, extra lessons, etc)… so you are wise to ask this question. Would I have encouraged her if she had not had some sort of professional and financial validation before she set off for auditions? Probably not.
H is in the entertainment industry and we have many friends and neighbors who have a tough time due the vicissitudes in the music industry. So given our own personal history in the performing arts…we felt it important that we have an extraordinarily frank series of discussions on money , tuition, and work before her HS senior year. She is currently making money performing and teaching. Since grad school she has not had to supplement her income by taking work outside of her metier. More importantly even though she hardly ever has a “day off”, she loves her life.
Was it worth it? With no student debt and a happy working kid…well yes.</p>

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<p>I teach Music Education classes as an adjunct at a commuter state university in the Chicago area and even as cheap as it is to study music as a performance major at our university with lots of merit aid available, it definitely requires a strong will and passion to succeed. I found my passion for music after I graduated from college and worked my way back through a second degree in Music and then a graduate degree in Vocal Pedagogy. I wanted my boys to love music as much as I did, and they both took years of music lessons and played in high school. My oldest was in symphony orchestra for 2 years after working his way up from the string orchestra. I never was able to pass on my passion, and I feel you’re lucky to have a son who feels compelled to pursue music despite all the odds set up against him at this point. I guess the point is, he probably will figure out himself if he wants to follow through with a music degree and the process of applying is very humbling (auditions, auditions, auditions!). I would just go with it and let him learn something about himself in the process. Steer him towards programs that have strong liberal arts programs as well as music programs. I would think the University of Michigan (great marching bands!), Michigan State (great music jazz program and marching bands!), and other big 10 schools tend to have wonderfully diverse music programs with lots of gen eds that everyone spends taking together freshman year. Let him follow his passion. It’s part of him figuring out who he is, and the rest of of it will take care of itself! Lydia Snow</p>

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<p>If your son is interested in studying music at a conservatory within a major university (USC Thornton, Northwestern, Rice, U Michigan, etc.), he can get significant merit aid based on his grades/stats. My son’s roomie this past year (Thornton) was a jazz guitarist on a FULL TUITION academic scholarship, and we know a jazz bassist in the same boat, as well as several others. These scholarship kids are accepted early as well, right after auditions (they are flagged by the Admissions department). They still need to get accepted to the music school of course, but someone with your son’s grades has a great shot at academic merit money. Also USC in particular encourages dual degrees, minors, etc., although it may take 5 years. </p>

<p>He may be able to have his cake and you can eat it, too.</p>

<p>Having said that, I agree that if one can see oneself doing anything else… do something else. We knew since my son was 11 or so that there was NO OTHER way for him, no CHANCE he would fail to at least give it a go. It’s not really a choice; he was born that way. :)</p>

<p>I also say, as someone fortunate to make a living in the arts, I wouldn’t have had a leg to stand on if I didn’t encourage him to pursue is passion.</p>

<p>ETA: I just want to add that, at Thornton at least, the MUSIC merit money available is not very substantial. But here at least, musicians can get academic scholarships.</p>

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<p>I second what Jazz/Shreddermom just said (look at schools like USC that give bonus merit aid for great grades), along with what musicamusica said (if they can think of majoring in anything else, then do it). I’ve recited this story a few times, and many who read these forums a lot know the details, but my daughter did have strong stats in HS (you son’s stats are stellar) as well as a few strong music accolades, and she also attended Berklee’s 5-week program before her senior year. She got accepted to Berklee, but she didn’t believe in herself enough to pursue music 100% and did try to study pre-med at another school (w/ merit aid) for a year. By the end of her freshman year she ONLY wanted to study music and that’s all she could put her heart into and she ended up transferring. Because her heart was 100% in it and she did have some base talent and a strong work ethic, she did end up getting a scholarship (in music) and transferred to Berklee. I’m only telling you this because in the end, if you son believes in himself and has a strong work ethic (and his grades certainly hint at that), and he has been exposed to truly talented musicians so he knows what it takes, it may be a valid path for him. There are so many paths to take in the music industry besides being the main star performer. One of the most challenging majors technically can be music production and engineering, and not everyone passes the muster to get accepted to that. Other folks become musicians that go on to study music business and support other acts, bands and performers. Good luck on this journey … it’s been said before, but choosing a college is a process, and you don’t have to pick just one answer for the 4 years of undergrad.</p>

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<p>Thank you all for sharing the journeys of your students, and the advice “if you can see yourself doing anything else, do it” sounds right. I am also encouraged that if his audition passes muster, the door to academic scholarships is not closed. Thanks for weighing in.</p>

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<p>My D loves music and is a talented singer and self-taught guitarist. She also writes and composes her own songs.</p>

<p>My friends told me to send her to Tisch or Hartt (her stats were not as impressive as your son’s) but she has a different passion. She wants to use her music to teach autistic children so she is in an education program with a music concentration (vocal). For her, it’s a win win situation. She’ll be able to sing and play guitar in class and she can, hopefully, make a difference in people’s lives.</p>

<p>Music is such a hard road. For every Madonna or Lady Gaga or Bon Jovi, there are thousands of kids working at Barnes and Noble or Starbucks waiting for their big break.</p>

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<p>This is a really fascinating topic to me. I live in fear every day now, that if you ask me this question in 4 years, I will have to answer “no it was not worth it”. But I have a degree in Chemistry, and I remember none of it, and was not able to help D with her Chemistry homework a few years ago. Was it worth it? </p>

<p>I wish I could remember that interesting article in the New Yorker recently that talked about two schools of thought regarding a college education. Should it be a practical training for a specific career, or a liberal arts education allowing the student to grow and develop in general ways? I can certainly see that when money is tight, the more practical approach might be favored.</p>

<p>However, we attended college orientation a few weeks ago and had a presentation by someone from the university career center. She presented the statistic that of all the emplyers contacting the university to find job applicants, 77% indicated that they did not care what the specific major was. They were primarily looking for graduates that had a little job experience, team-work skills, demonstrated responsibility, leadership etc, in other words all the usual skills that you would want in an employee. With that in mind, the university made a big point of encouraging students to think about joining extracurricular clubs and oranizations to get that experience, or to consider a part-time job, or an intensip.</p>

<p>Maybe these things will be tough for a music major to fit in, but it seems that with some time management and creativity, some of these basic survivial skills could be acquired outside the classroom or rehearsal room. It seems like good advice for anyone, especially those not headed for professional schools.</p>

<p>Hope there can be more discussion on this.</p>

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<p>Funny, when you said “a little job experience, team-work skills, demonstrated responsibility, leadership etc…” I thought you were going somewhere else–</p>

<p>My son is gaining practice in all these areas just by booking and playing gigs with his band inside and outside of school, accompanying other musicians/vocalists in and outside of school, composing and recording songs with others, and interning at a recording studio, etc.</p>

<p>I majored in Poli Sci. As I already said, I work in one of the arts. Nothing to do with my major. Yet I don’t regret anything about my college experience.</p>

<p>But you’re right… I’m going to check back in on this thread in a few years and see if I agree with myself.</p>

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<p>A music degree is a bachelor’s like any other degree, and a music major is entitled to apply to any job that requires a bachelor’s, like any other graduate.</p>

<p>Employment still isn’t strictly tied to major, the way people think it is, with the exception of certain vocational tracks, such as accounting or nursing.</p>

<p>I have read, and often cited, the statistic (from a few years ago) that music majors, as a group, have the highest acceptance rate at medical school: 66%.</p>

<p>And how many people who study psychology or engineering experience the kind of joy your son will have playing drums? Music is hard work, but the rewards are many.</p>

<p>People can make music in all kinds of ways, and many have a “day job” as well. You don’t have to be Lady GaGa (or, more appropriately perhaps, Yo Yo Ma or Al Green: Gaga does not have a BM!) to feel that a music major was worthwhile. Musicians are increasingly entrepreneurial and make their own opportunities. There is also teaching, music therapy, and other possibilities. Our daughter is a composer but has interned with a booking agency, recording company, and an orchestra, and I think she will be very employable.</p>

<p>There are different ways of following a musical path after high school. The most basic decision is BA versus BM. It sounds like your son has found the “passion” to pursue a more focused BM, and I think this is wonderful.</p>

<p>Financially, I will just caution you that most stand-alone conservatories are tough, even with merit aid, which usually is a fraction of the cost. If money is a factor, then it would be smart for your son to include applications to his state university or privates w/music schools that are good with scholarships. Your son should apply to whatever school he wants, including Berklee for instance, but it is good for him to know in advance that money may be an issue.</p>

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<p>I guess you have to let kids chart their own course … I have several friends whose kids went to college or even graduate school for xyz and then decided to do something completely different.</p>

<p>What bothers me is how little most musicians earn compared to what it costs to live … it seems like such a hard life. I asked my son’s drum teacher … a Berklee grad who was on the road with his band for several years after school how long it was that he ate rice and beans, and when he could afford meat … and he told me the band was on FOOD STAMPS! </p>

<p>I actually have the college money saved, but how do you rationalize investing $200K plus for an education that prepares your kid to be on food stamps?! Hopefully the state school option with merit aid will work out. Thanks again all who weighed in.</p>

<p>(PS - Berklee grad now teaches music in a private school and does lessons on the side).</p>

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<p>If your son did a flip flop to music 2 months ago, he could easily do a flip flop back to academics. Encourage him to double major. I know you said he has a LD and double majoring is tough, however, he doesn’t need to get summa cum laude as an undergraduate in order to figure out his path. See if music performance was totally out of the picture, what field would he pursue and go from there. He will then be able to get a merit scholarship for academics and a talent scholarship as well. My daughter, despite getting alot of accolades about her talent, chose to major in science while pursuing opera independently - I think her life was way more intense then double majoring. She came to the conclusion in junior year that opera was her chosen path. She will be attending grad school in the fall and still insists that she doesn’t regret a second of the time she spent getting her B.S. degree and having a normal college life. It was the best of both worlds for her. Like they said above, if you can think of anything else to do, do it…however I would add continue to pursue your talent simultaneously. Only time and lots of exposure as he matures will help him figure out his future. Good luck to him and you…it takes a village to raise a musician these days.</p>

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<p>helpmerhonda-- you mentioned that your son excels academically but was not inclined to practice. (as you said in the “3 hours a day kind of way”) For music merit aid will be up against kids who not only have natural talent but practice considerably more than 3 hours a day. I think auditions can be something of a shock to parents as well as kids. Has he any idea as to where he stands against other drummers nationally? I say nationally, because that’s who your son will be competing against for the tough spots. Another reason to go after a double major at a music school (or pursue it on the side)within your state university system…in case he might have some serious catching up to do.</p>

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<p>I was in exactly the same boat three years ago. Because my jazz drummer son was also very successful academically, I had a really hard time with the concept that he would study only music…and then what? Fortunately, he also knew enough about himself to realize that a standalone conservatory without a close- or shared campus college was not for him. He definitely wanted access to liberal arts, even if he was enrolled in a Con. That way, he knew the options for “more than” music did exist in the unlikely event he changed course. So, while he did audition at one “standalone” conservatory, he ultimately had the option to attend NU, Columbia, Oberlin and a few others, but chose Oberlin. He has found the liberal arts requirements at Oberlin to be a perfect complement to the music, and toyed with the idea of a dual degree. I think he will ultimately have a well-rounded music education, and could potentially pursue a different kind of graduate degree with his bachelors. He also did get a nice merit aid package there. It made ME feel better to have my son pursue his education on a liberal arts campus with many options if he changed his mind (which he hasn’t). I suspect, since your son is smart and has changed his mind once already (which, by the way is completely normal) he might want to consider campuses with myriad educational options, whether it be dual degree or the ability to change departments.</p>

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<p>We had much the same thoughts as SJTH. DD went to Rice for her BM degree. But there are a lot of other classes required and if she had changed her mind part way through, she could change majors and stay at the school. They even had a way to drop to a BA in music after one year. In the end, her degree is from Rice. The fact that is a BM is secondary. </p>

<p>She and her teacher had the serious discussion in her Junior year about what she really wanted in life. That discussion solidified her determination to continue to pursue performance. She knows it is a long road, but she is willing to work on it. So yes, it was worth it to us. We gave her the best possible start to be successful in her choice.</p>

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<p>I am going to play devils advocate here. If he doesn’t have the discipline to practice now even though he has said he wants to major in it, then what makes you think he will practice and have a productive time as a music major.</p>

<p>I know where you are coming from. My brother started taking drum set lessons in eighth grade and in ninth grade decided that he wanted to be a music major. My parents were willing even though others suggested that it was late in the game to be considering a major with the prospect of only four years of serious lessons under your belt leading into auditions (which as an instrumentalist is not that much). However over the past two years my brother has practiced 5-7 hours EVERY DAY. (believe me you count the hours when it’s drum set). He has proven to my parents that he is worth the investment because his practice habits show dedication to the art (not merely an enjoyment). </p>

<p>I have no idea the level of your sons talent but it seems to me that if he doesn’t have the dedication or desire to practice all day every day then a music MAJOR is not for him.</p>

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<p>I’m not qualified to answer your questions from an academic standpoint, but I’m going to answer on a emotional standpoint.</p>

<p>Like you alluded to, the chances of him getting a performance job that will provide a good wage are slim. But as others have suggested, there are few degrees that are going to guarantee anything. Like the others, I never directly worked in the field of my degree. However I am not disappointed in what I majored in at all. </p>

<p>If a degree and subsequent career in music is what he want’s, I can’t see taking that opportunity away from him just because it might not work out. My biggest regrets haven’t been what I did, they are what I didn’t do.</p>

<p>When you hear of $200k figures, that’s usually “sticker price” for top colleges, or includes many years of grad school, or includes theoretical “opportunity costs”. Real life net (after financial aid and scholarships) figures are typically much lower, and there is an “opportunity costs” regardless of what our students do - there’s certainly a “lost opportunity” when we don’t chase our dreams. In my son’s case, by the time he gets his BM, after scholarships, I will have spent about $32k and he will have about $20k in student loans (over 4 years). </p>

<p>Let him pursue his dreams, he may makes some mistakes along the way, but he will recover from those mistakes and will have no regrets. And remember, if he is serious about this, most of the burdon (the audition) is on him. </p>

<p>If he does what he needs to do to get into a program that suits his needs, then he has earned that opportunity. If he doesn’t succeed in getting into an appropriate program, then it probably wasn’t meant to be and you and him should discuss alternatives.</p>

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<p>Okay, I agree that the “life of the mind” is in many ways or should be paramount in selecting an undergrad course of study. And I know that one’s career destination is often disconnected from the undergrad degree. At the same time, you sacrificed a lot to create a safety net for your child, and I suspect you feel that it’s not a particularly “safe” one (not that any of us can actually buy security…but you know what I mean.)</p>

<p>However, with the sudden shift to music and the lack of practicing, being the harda** that I am, I might in your shoes do something along the lines of saving HALF your college fund for grad school or a second degree and offering HALF up front for the music undergrad degree. </p>

<p>That would still be a viable situation, but it would mean selecting schools that offered substantial academic scholarship, plus the taking of some loans on his part, and a prodigious need to work at a reasonably high earning summer job.
The reason I would do that is not to be mean, but to ensure that he had some skin in the game and chose wisely and did everything in his power to secure scholarships and ensure his audition was outstanding. In other words, I might use that strategy to test his commitment level and endurance.</p>

<p>By reserving the funding for grad school (not all types of masters programs are funded) you’ve then opened up a lot of different options for the future. He may well use it to continue to pursue percussion, but by then, you’ll know he’s really really made the commitment. </p>

<p>Of course, the other way to look at it is that the school fund is a gift, and true gifts have no strings. In that case, he’s free to do as he pleases so long as his eyes are wide open.</p>

<p>I must have had a thousand conversations with my son about what a hard living he would have ahead of him in his field (music technology – yes, practical degree, but still not a cakewalk career wise). But as an employee with my company this summer, I’ve certainly found that his training makes him an excellent team player with many transferable skills, technical skills, and superior communication/presentational skills. I think many employers realize that musicians are often quite polished and professional in conduct compared with many. It seems to go with the territory.</p>

<p>One last thought – if he’s been highly academic in nature, you may find that he returns to that via grad school. There are many highly “academic” aspects of music, and solid opportunities for tenure track – competitive, but what isn’t ;)</p>

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<p>Just a reminder though. Be sure he has some safeties in his college list, ones that do not require an audition and that are financially safeties too. With his academics it should not be too hard. We found with DD that some of the state schools with music programs also did not have as selective an audition and gave a lot of academic money too. Some reducing the OOS cost to instate or less.</p>

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<p>visit the schools with double degree possibilities - Oberlin, USC, NU, Tufts. Oberlin can be generous with con scholarships.
academic musicology, by the way, is very impacted - the job market could be described as “catastrophic” - yes, there are a handful of jobs, but you have to go to the tippy top grad schools, publish articles, go to conferences, and have a lot of luck with the match between your dissertation topic and the job openings that year; some of the jobs have over a hundred applications…and then you have to get tenure. I don’t know that going the performance route is any less sure a thing than academics these days.</p>