Should I Major In Songwriting/Music Production?

Hi Everyone! I’m a 16 years old and I’ll be entering 11th grade in the fall. I’ve been homeschooled since kindergarten and I’ve already taken some college classes online. I started playing piano almost two years ago and I really love it. I’m getting really good at sight-reading and I’m learning lots of theory. I practice about an hour a day. I’m considering majoring in Songwriting/Music Production because I’ve always loved music, putting little jingles together, writing poems, and computers. Music has always been a passion for me. Now on the flip side, my family doesn’t have thousands to waste on a useless degree and I want my major to be able to support me financially down the road. I’ve wondering what chances I have to get into a music school and study that kind of degree and then get into an entertainment agency down the road and write songs for them? Any insights into this would be very helpful! Thanks :slight_smile:

I haven’t gathered that there is a clear-cut career path as such.

"I’ve wondering what chances I have to get into a music school and study "

The easy part…

“and then get into an entertainment agency down the road”

…the hard part.

I know multiple very talented musicians. Some have made some money from music. Making a living is tough.

One person I know got a PhD in music and became a tenured professor and did very well, but it was a long path and required a lot of study, and landing the tenured professor job is not necessarily any easier than landing the entertainment agency job. I also used to know a very talented violin player who ended up getting a job as a secretary. This last example is probably a lot more common than the first.

“I’ve always loved … and computers.”

Quite a few computer science professionals are very good musicians also. The good news is that computer science does allow a person to get a job that ends at the end of the day (doesn’t require 12+ hours of work per day, doesn’t require working weekends), and that provides enough money to live well and buy instruments and equipment, and leaves enough time to play music.

Are you doing any songwriting right now? Do you sing them? Are you composing on the piano?

Have you done any studio production or worked with ProTools, Max etc?

I am not totally clear on what you are doing or what you are aiming for. Are you referring to being managed by an agency? It is a long way from two years of piano to an agency :slight_smile:

You mention computers. Are you doing any programming?

There are many ways to pursue music as a focus or on the side. I think you might like to read the Double Degree Dilemma essay above on the list of topics for this forum.

You can do a BM at one of the schools that offer these majors (songwriting is contemporary), a BA general music major, a double major, major/minor, double degree (music and something else). You can continue music outside the classroom but major in something else entirely.

There are programs for music production/studio production at many schools. That tends to be a technical, studio course of study geared to a specific type of job.

Computers and composing intersect quite a bit these days.

I hope you will continue to practice piano and enjoy music and in a year or so perhaps things will be clearer. It sounds like you are a hard worker.

Making a living after a music degree does not have to involve music. You can major in music and still get into many fields.

Good luck!