trying to decide

College Majors Music Major
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<p>Hey everyone :) I am a second-year music major at a CA community college. I'm nearing the time when I need to make decisions about transferring. I have read through many of the threads on here and you seem like helpful folks, so I thought I would post about my situation and see if anyone had any advice to offer.</p>

<p>I have strong interests in many areas of music: piano, vocal/choral, music history, theory, accompanying, etc. I know I want to teach music; the question is what area of music to focus on. I am having trouble deciding what exactly to major in: piano performance or music education. I have taught private piano for four years and love it! I have heard that performance is recommended more for private teachers, which is what I currently do and plan to continue. However, I also want to teach choir and music history/appreciation; music ed. would be better for choir. I really love working with younger kids, but I would like to teach choir and history/appreciation at the secondary level (so I can go more in-depth) as well as elementary. I work best one-on-one or with a small group, so I would prefer to teach piano and history/appreciation privately rather than at a school (of course, choir would have to be with a larger group).</p>

<p>My dream job: part-time accompanist position (vocal/choral), part-time private teaching and vocal coaching, one class per semester teaching music history/theory. This describes a teaching position at the secondary or post-secondary level, mainly. I would like to perform on the side but primarily focus on teaching, possibly teach K-12 while getting my master's/doctorate, and then either continue at the K-12 level or move to the college level, depending on what level of education I continue to.</p>

<p>I'm not too familiar with music programs in schools, so I'm hoping to observe music classrooms at local high schools sometime this winter, probably in January. Hopefully that will help me decide if I really want to teach in a school. Even if I decide that's not where I want to be, I don't want to close the door to that for the future.</p>

<p>It is impractical for me to do a double major in performance and music ed., so I have to choose between them. I have also considered doing a certificate in the Kodaly method (which would give me training in choral methods, though somewhat different from the ed. program) and/or piano pedagogy. That way, I can still get training in whatever areas I don't major in (Kodaly if I major in performance, pedagogy if I major in ed.).</p>

<p>Which is more likely: me teaching at a school, or me accompanying and teaching private piano? Probably the latter. As much as I would love to do both, I think the private teaching and accompanying is more realistic. Even though I don't like the prospect of hours upon hours of practice, if I was able to keep my eyes on the goal of being a better piano teacher and accompanist, and if I was able to learn repertoire that I really loved, I could probably get through it. I also would have to be careful as a performance major because I've dislocated my shoulders five times and came close to doing it several other times - it's hard to play piano with a dislocated shoulder!</p>

<p>Specific areas of interest and career possibilities:
- Piano: private teaching, group teaching, collaboration/accompanying
- Vocal/choral: choral conducting
- Classroom: elementary, focus on Kodaly method
- Music history: any level
- Theory: any level</p>

<p>I'm planning to talk with my professors about this, who have kindly offered to help in any way they can. But I'm also open to suggestions from others, and any advice offered will be considered. Thanks in advance!</p>

<p>P.S. I do like Westminster's program: I could major in music ed and minor in piano pedagogy. I really like that option! Any thoughts on that?</p>

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<p>Wow! You sound like an articulate, thoughtful person, MissMusic Teacher! You also sound like you're headed in the right direction, talking with professors, etc. Good luck!</p>

<p>Here are some very random thoughts that occurred as I read through your post.</p>

<p>1) Entry to a piano performance program will obviously depend on your current level of playing, i.e. ability to audition well. We on this board can't judge that! Be sure to have you current (former??) piano teacher honestly evaluate your options with you. If there is any concern that your level might not be acceptable for a performance degree, music ed may be the route to take (generally the performance expectations are less than for performance majors and you are already enthusiastic about the field - it's not a 2nd choice fall back for you.)</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Teaching in a public school will likely provide you with healthcare benefits. Sad to say, but that can be important and is something a young person doesn't always think about. </p></li>
<li><p>Look into local community music schools as well as publics to see what kinds of opportunities they might offer. Depending on the hours you teach, benefits may be available here also. Some offer specialized Kodaly or Orff programs - or might be interested in you if you could bring this specialization to them and offer to start a program!</p></li>
<li><p>If you open your own piano studio, it may take a while to bring the income up to speed as you build a reputation. Many starting out that way find it necessary to have a 2nd part-time job.</p></li>
<li><p>Have you considered talking with some church music directors to see what they are looking for when they hire children or youth choir directors? My experience is that they are not necessarily seeking any particular degree, rather experience and ability of the applicant. A church choir might satisfy your desire for choir work - at least in the short term.</p></li>
<li><p>Theory - how about tutoring? If you are good, I could envision a specialized review class for high school AP Theory students and music school applicants wanting practice for admissions exams. Teaching a theory class would also fit into a private piano studio schedule or community music school. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Sounds like there are many options for you - how nice to be flexible and multi-talented. Hopefully others will have more specific advice and expereince to share with you. Keep us posted!</p>

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<p>You might take a look at the collaborative.piano.blogspot. I think it is posted by an ASU student (Herberger has a great collaborative piano program). There you will find a list of all the collaborative piano programs in the US.
And for giggles check out PETA---People for the ethical treatment of accompanists. They have a facebook page.</p>

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<p>correction: the collaborative piano blogspot is not posted by an ASU alum</p>

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<p>fiddlestix makes excellent points, but let me clarify that a music education degree prepares you to teach in a public school scenario, and all that it entails. It'd not the same as one-on-one instruction, or a small group in a studio setting. Few (if any) public systems offer piano instruction, although you might be able to build a base of private students from the public classroom setting. Perhaps an ed focus in general music might work best for you if you are contemplating a music teacher career. You can also consider programs that focus on or offer pedagogy coursework, which is geared to studio, rather than classroom instruction.</p>

<p>The benefits and security aspects as a full time teacher in a public or private setting can be appealing and it can be a great career in a supportive and well funded system. It can be also be a nightmare in an underfunded system.</p>

<p>Community music schools are often a good source of steady part-time employment, but in these economic times it may be very difficult to luck into any that will offer benefits, even if you are a full-time employee.</p>

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<p>Miss Music Teacher:</p>

<p>Check out michiganstatepianopedagogy.blogspot.com.</p>

<p>Don't know much about piano pedagogy programs in colleges, but this is an interesting site I've seen before.</p>

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<p>I would have answered almost the same way as fiddlestix. Nicely said. </p>

<p>Are you referring to Westminster Choir College? If so, yes, their program is excellent, and the singers there are begging for accompanists. Based on what you are telling us that you like to do, you could really enjoy it there. Plus, Princeton is in an excellent location: halfway between Philadelphia and NYC.</p>

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<p>Hi,</p>

<p>My D is a freshman at Westminster and had a friend who is a piano major, and her roomie is a music ed major. My D is in vocal performance and has an accompianist assigned to her. She loves the warm atmosphere and the sourounding area is awesome. There was one weekend in early October when the trains were free to students and there were all kinds of Broadway special going on. I think she was in Manhattan three nights is a row and saw mutiple shows. NYC is about an hour and a half and Phili is an hour away. Good luck to you. Send me a PM if you think you might want to speak directly to my D.</p>

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<p>From reading your post, particularly your interests, it sounds like WCC fits you to a T. Unfortunately, I just spent 20 minutes responding, then the website claimed I had to log in again, and it lost the post.</p>

<p>Briefly:</p>

<p>My husband graduated from WCC, Music Ed, Piano major, voice minor. He LOVED it. Has had a great career here in Calif, as a teacher and music director, and private piano/voice teacher. He has never wanted for work, in fact, he usually has too much, especially right now. He has a mix of his full-time public school choral/instrumental/general music job and church choir/orchestra and private voice (just one or two students at present, but he has had as many as 25 piano and/or voice students at a time). When he went to grad school at NYU, his profs at Steinhardt commented that he could teach many of the classes....</p>

<p>He loved Princeton, loved the school, and felt he had the best music education possible, and he is really hoping that our D soprano chooses WCC so that we can visit often...</p>

<p>If you want to PM me, maybe we can give you some more detailed advice. Are you in SoCal? San Diego, by chance?</p>