Hi, I’m 17 and I’m a junior in high school. Since i was young I always wanted to be an engineer or an astronomer, particularly for NASA. I also started a love for the arts at a young age, as since I was 7 I’ve gone to a Broadway musical every year for my birthday. I live in northern NJ. I’ve thought for awhile now that I’ll stick to engineering, but I’ve always been super involved in choir in high school. I missed freshmen year, but I am currently in 4 choirs at my school. I am a strong alto with my highest note being a C6, and lowest a D3. I’m here because I’ve recently had a career crisis. Some months ago I auditioned and got into NJSMA region 1 choir. I beat out a decent amount of people for a spot. I had about 2 1/2 weeks of rehearsal, and we just had our concert. Through region choir, I realized truly how much I love music, especially choir. I’m so deeply in love with it that when I realized that I started crying (I don’t get emotional often, but when I do, I break down). I learned so much at region choir and came to see my love for music, as during a day long 8 hour rehearsal, I never got bored or tired. Not once. Not even when I wasn’t singing. And this region choir and our really great conductor made me think about being a conductor, as a career. Doing the kind of stuff she does, as she teaches at a college and travels across the US annually to conduct and perform in choirs. That is literally my dream. I’ve talked to my parents about pursuing music, and they’re fairly ok with it (I have sort of natural talent with numerous instruments and I’ve been told I have a very good ear/pitch). The problem is, I won’t allow myself to pursue music. As much as I know my life won’t be complete without it, I’m terrified of not making enough money in the field. Engineering would allow me so much more money so I could do things like see Broadway shows and various bands’ concerts. Also, more respect is allotted to the Engineering major. And the other problem is, I would never want to be a high school choral director, I can’t stand the atmosphere. I would want to be something like a college level conductor. This seems completely out of reach to me. I want to major in vocal performance or choral conducting so bad, but I don’t know where I’d do with it. I don’t know how I’d make any money. Plus, the military wants me for engineering. And once again there’s so much more money involved in it. I enjoy engineering and science, but my heart lies in music and I don’t know what to do. Westminster Choir College would be the dream but I don’t know much about it. Any thoughts/advice would be much appreciated, thanks!
Hi. I have been an electrical/software for 25 years. My S is looking to be a music major.
Hi, @rok1701. The good news is that you have lots of options! There are many ways to pursue engineering and music if you wish. There are dual degree options, music as a minor, music passion fulfilled by electives and ECs, or pursue your greatest passion solely for now. The Peabody article on dual degrees may help you think through this further. http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/conservatory/admissions/tips/doubledegree.html
Engineering and music are different, but there are many threads on this forum that challenge the myths that music is lesser in some way. One question I have is do you have as much passion for engineering as music, or is your interest in engineering more driven by job security? Also, is the military paying for your school and do they have any limitations on your major? Someone on the forum more familiar with voice and conducting will likely offer you some things to think through from that perspective as well - like what do you need to be doing to assess your chances and prepare for music school.
FYI, my husband and I are both engineers. D1 is about to graduate in ChemE with a Spanish minor. She started also pursuing a music minor, but dropped when she realized she could graduate in three years without it. That said, she still took multiple music classes and played in a string ensemble and pit orchestra as she felt it helped give her a break from engineering - I.e. use the other side of her brain! D2 is a freshman dual degree in horn performance and engineering. Even with a ton of AP credit she is likely looking at more than four years and she is incredibly busy, but she absolutely loves it. Time will tell if she sticks it out, but for now she is so passionate about both interests that she does not want to choose and so is finding a way to do both. And in case you’re wondering, we gave her our blessing to pursue her passions and dreams. Lots of folks have asked us if we’d let her pursue only music. Answer - absolutely. She will be most fulfilled - and most driven to succeed - if she is pursuing her passion.
You seem to be thoughtfully considering lots of angles. Good luck to you on your journey to sort things out!
There are many musical engineers. Why don’t you look for colleges and universities with both engineering and music majors. If you start out pursuing both. you can drop the major that isn’t a good fit. Son only chose colleges where double majors were possible and eventually decided that music would be his primary and decided not to pursue the other undergrad major. Also, even if the engineering college doesn’t have music, they may have a nearby college with a music school that has reciprocity. At son’s school, 2 students in his bass studio were actually engineering students at the nearby engineering school. They didn’t stay the whole 4 years but did play in the orchestra for a couple of semesters.
The nice thing about choral music is that there are a plethora of options for the avocational singer. Start thinking about large universities that have good engineering programs along with choral opportunities for non majors. And while you may major in engineering you could also pursue private voice lessons. And after school you would have the choice of pursuing opportunities in both or either fields.