<p>Randomusername1 - Here’s a conversation you might want to have with your parents. </p>
<p>University undergraduate degrees are typically far too expensive and the outcome far too unpredictable to treat as “strictly vocational training.” What you learn in most university settings/undergraduate degrees is how to learn; how to solve problems; how to collate, interpret/analyze data and situations and respond to same. At the same time, you learn how to conduct yourself and interact with peers.</p>
<p>Most employers are not highly concerned with what your undergrad major is/was unless you’re seeking a specific, STEM-related career such as engineering, in which case there is not the necessity of grad school to successfully enter the marketplace.</p>
<p>Your university experience is at the same time an investment in both the present and future intrinsic quality of your life. You have to live inside your head the rest of your life! </p>
<p>In your case, since you love music, why on earth would your parents begrudge you the opportunity to pursue both A) a STEM major with an ENG degree and B) a specialized major in a field you love that also provides/hones highly transferable skills (students in music technology develop an exponential facility in software, hardware trouble shooting, etc.).</p>
<p>Your strength in physics and love of music give you a perfect opportunity to combine your education in a way that meets both goals (skill training and intrinsic quality of life) via a dual degree – so in essence, the price of one more year.</p>
<p>Rokr93 gave you a great list of places to look at for dual degree.
We are most specifically familiar with University of Michigan, which has a very competitive “ENG” stream of its PAT (Performing Arts Technology) program (accepts 4 students a year.) If you’d like to investigate, check it out at [UM</a> School of Music, Theatre & Dance](<a href=“http://www.music.umich.edu%5DUM”>http://www.music.umich.edu) and look under Performing Arts Technology Curriculum D.</p>
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<li>On another note, some exposure to computer science is preferable in the case of the UMich program, but not mandatory. You will be required to take C++ and EECS. You would probably want to expose yourself next year to the basics of object-oriented programming to get a good grounding as it is a rigorous level at UMich.</li>
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<p>Lastly, at the end of the day, what your parents WANT is not entirely germane, even if they’re contributing financially. You need to research and respond to their fears with facts and confidence in your future, but you also need to assert the direction in which your future lies and be prepared to accept the consequences of that. I personally know numerous engineers who do not enjoy their careers (but do enjoy the money.) I also know several music school grads who regret not pursuing a more sustainable/less unpredictable vocation. But I also know exceptionally happy physics, engineering and music graduates who have “created” a life and career creatively that they find enjoyable and rewarding.</p>
<p>I once had a reasonably well-played composer say the following to me during a visit to a school of music:
“Everyone said ‘How will you make a living as a composer’ when I went to school and yet I’ve made a very decent living between my commissions, TV/Film work, teaching and performing. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”</p>
<p>He was glad he did not do as his parents and friends advised ;)</p>
If you have the capability to do both, I feel it would be most fiscally advantageous in terms of future earning power. A music technology degree does not really directly qualify you for the different types of opportunities that a higher-order understanding of physics/psycho-acoustics/systems/EECS/CS would.</p>