<p>What is daily college life like for someone who majors in piano performance in a BM program? Would it be very different in a BA program with a performance emphasis? Does it matter whether one is at a conservatory, a LAC, or Big State U? </p>
<p>Just trying to get a sense of what the demands of such a degree are.</p>
<p>TIA.</p>
<p>A typical day for a piano performance major:<br>
<p>Most of the better piano performance majors that I have known have very full days (i.e school controls their days from 8 am to 11 pm with very short breaks for meals–this is in contrast to many university students who normally have 3 hours of class per day and do as much or as little study as they feel like and often have time for multiple part-time jobs or even a full-time job). The piano performance majors tend to practice longer hours than anyone else at the music school other than some violinists and cellists (okay, and the occasional violist!). As well, they tend to take their studies seriously and actually do all of the assigned out-of-class work!</p>
<p>Some of the differences amongst the types of school are:
a) University/LAC programs often have more non-music requirements than stand-alone conservatories (but this is not universally true).
b) University/LAC programs almost always have a considerably broader set of non-music electives from which to choose. At some conservatories there is a single required non-music elective for most years (e.g. a writing course in first year; and often integrated history/philosophy/literature courses for upper years).
c) There are considerable differences among schools as to the norm for the amount of daily private practice and the amount of “homework”. These differences have much less to do with the type of school and more to do with the competitiveness/quality of the school. For example, universities like NW and Rice and U Mich have much higher expectations than do some stand-alone conservatories. Often, though, conservatories tend to place more emphasis on practice time than on academic study time (obviously a generalization, so you really need to look at a school’s individual climate and requirements).</p>
<p>This is very informative. I guess there would be <em>some</em> time for fun on the weekends. Whew!</p>
<p>Violindad, I always look forward to your posts. Do you mind if I ask why you know so much about a typical piano performance major’s day when you are a violindad? Were you perhaps once a pianodad as well?
Thank you for all the good information!</p>
<p>violindad’s post is very informative.</p>
<p>I am a Piano Performance major- I’m a freshman.</p>
<p>Yes, the practicing will be a few hours a day. My professor asks for a minimum of 3 hours a day, and if I can get more, then I try to on days that I can. At home here over break, I’ve been doing probably 4-6 hours a day, trying to get some work done for next semester’s pieces so that I have a good start on my new pieces when the semester starts next week.</p>
<p>Classes- yeah, I have a 4-semester basic theory sequence and then have to choose some upper level theory electives after that, a 2-semester basic music history sequence and then some upper level electives in music history after, private piano lessons of course, 2 semesters required of lessons on any minor instrument (and can take more than that, or multiple minor instruments, if you want), attend 14 concerts a semester, 2-semester piano class called Keyboard Harmony, which is a class piano type thing for piano majors but you do more advanced stuff than non-piano majors in their class so it’s more liked a keyboard advanced theory course, conducting, 2-semester piano pedagogy and piano lit courses, at least 1 ensemble every semester, some music electives required, and then some general education courses. For the ensemble, at least 4 semesters are required in piano accompanying for piano performance majors, and then the other 4 semesters can be whatever ensemble you want (accompanying again, or a band/orchestra on another instrument or choir) and can do multiple ensembles, and if you do 2 ensembles those second 4 semesters and have accompanying as one of them, accompanying can be done for payroll at my school too.</p>
<p>At least for freshman, theory homework is probably the most you’re going to spend on written homework type things…I think typical is 1-2 hours a day for that, depending on how good you are at it/previous theory knowledge. For me, theory is my easiest class at this point. Gen eds- you’ll probably take 1 or 2 a semester, and have reading homework or essays, but these don’t take up the majority of your time. The majority of your time outside class is spent in the practice room. </p>
<p>Weekends- actually for me, weekends got to be more of catch up time on reading homework for gen eds (plus practicing, of course!!!), since I maybe spent an hour on a gen ed class a night (I had 2 non-music classes that had reading homework and essays) and then maybe an hour on theory a night, sometimes less on that because it’s easy for me.</p>
<p>Your day can run from getting up at 6 or 7 am or something and going to sleep around midnight or 1…sometimes 2 am…I had anywhere from 2.5-8 (Thursdays were horrible…that was the possible 8-hour day sometimes!) hours of class a day (which varies not only by the day of the week when everything is scheduled, but by week because sometimes things only meet every other week for a couple random things, or don’t start til halfway through the semester, or end before the last couple weeks).</p>
<p>iluvpiano’s informative post brought to mind another small difference between most conservatories and many university performance programs: at most conservatories, there is no requirement for a minor instrument, but many university programs (not all) do have such a requirement. While some conservatories will allow a minor instrument, some of the teachers forbid it and most will charge extra tuition (while at universities, the minor is included within the normal tuition).</p>
<p>lastbird: I haven’t been a pianodad, but was a pianokid myself and once was a pianoteacher. As well, my violin offspring has many pianofriends!</p>
<p>At my university (commenting on/adding to violindad’s post on this), all performance majors, regardless of what their major instrument is, are required to have a minor instrument. The 2 or 4 semesters of required minor lessons (depending on the major instrument, piano performance majors need 2 semesters of minor lessons; other instrumental performance majors need 4 on a minor instrument) are included in the degree program, and you have to pay extra when you go beyond those 2 or 4 semesters or add a second minor instrument. I am taking minor lessons on clarinet and organ next semester, so I have to pay for the second one.</p>
<p>I really appreciate hearing from you. Very informative, especially about the “minor instrument.” I had not thought of that. That would probably be a good thing to ask when exploring programs - whether or not that would be required.</p>
<p>So, can you give a rough estimate of your total number of hours per week? I imagine it varies, and you probably can’t know for sure. Also, are you in a BA or a BM program? I am wondering if, generally speaking, BM programs have fewer gen ed requirements.</p>
<p>BM programs usually have far fewer gen ed requirements, but far more music requirements than BA programs. The typical BM program is 70% to 80% music or music-related classes. Often, the remaining 20% to 30% is mostly free electives, with perhaps one writing class required first semester. The typical BA program is perhaps 30% to 40% music classes, with a good portion of the rest of the curriculum being in specified gen ed requirements (X credit hours natural sciences, Y credit hours of social sciences, Z credit hours of humanities, a couple of writing classes, a math class or two, and so on) and a few free electives.</p>
<p>What BassDad says about BA vs BM in music vs gen ed classes is about right. The general numbers I always heard when looking into programs was the BM was 2/3 music and 1/3 other and BA was opposite of that. Yes, BM will have less gen ed requirements than a BA in music.</p>
<p>I’m in a BM program for Piano Performance, but actually a double degree program too, so I’m also doing a BA in History. For the BM, there’s something like only 9 general education classes required and they are in specified academic areas pretty much, but then I have a few more that I have to take for the BA (that I wouldn’t have to take if I only did a BM) and plus my classes for my history major too.</p>
<p>Total hours per week…for my first semester that I just finished a few weeks ago, I’ll give you that information. Anywhere from a bare minimum of 20 hours of class a week (like the first couple weeks after ensembles and everything started, and last couple weeks I think) to about 25-26 class hours a week. Most weeks in between the first/last couple weeks were around a good 24-25 hours of class week (and in “class”, I’m including regular classes plus lessons, ensembles, and everything). Practicing like I said I was required to do a minimum of 3 hours a day of piano and supposed to do an hour a day on clarinet (which didn’t always happen since piano comes first). If you want, I can email you a screenshot of my iCal class schedule from last semester, and can do that with this semester’s too once I have all of it in there.</p>
<p>In that schedule, I took 4.75 course units (equivalent to 19 semester hours at my school) last semester and I’m taking 5.5 units (22 semester hours) this next semester, so I’m adding about 3-4 hours of class a week, a few more hours of practicing for the added organ lessons, and a few hours work on composition for that class that I added…otherwise everything else is the same, just being the next level of the course I was already taking (example- theory II after theory I, keyboard harmony II now after I) or replacing one gen ed with another. </p>
<p>Last semester I took: (4.75 units/19 semester hours)
MUS 181: Freshman Applied Major- Piano (0.5 unit)
MUS 100: Applied Minor- Clarinet (0.25 unit)
MUS 024: Symphonic Winds (0.25)
MUS 031: Piano Accompanying (0.25)
MUS 015X: Experience/Live Performance (0) (this is the concert attendance requirement)
MUS 103: Theory I (1 unit)
MUS 207: Keyboard Harmony I (0.5)
GW 100: Lincoln & the Civil War (1) (freshman writing gen ed class)
HIST 160: Intro to Latin American History (1)
PE 128Y: Nautilus Fitness (0 units but still required, 1st half of semester only)
PE 135Y: Weight Lifting (0, 2nd half of semester only)
Plus I accompanied some pre-college cello students for a cello professor at my school during the week and on some weekends, which was for pay (not work study though), not academic credit, and that was maybe 1-2 hours a week for the lessons and then playing for the concerts </p>
<p>Next semester, which starts next Wednesday! (5.5 units/22 semester hours)
MUS 183: Freshman Applied Major- Piano (0.5 unit)
MUS 100: Applied Minor- Clarinet (0.25)
MUS 100: Applied Minor- Organ (0.25)
MUS 024: Symphonic Winds (0.25)
MUS 031: Piano Accompanying (0.25)
MUS 015X: Experience/Live Performance (0)
MUS 208: Keyboard Harmony II (0.5)
MUS 307: Free Composition (0.5)
MUS 104: Theory II (1)
PE 139Y: Aerobics (0, 1st half of semester only)
PE 133Y: Step Aerobics (0, 2nd half of semester only)
PHIL 214: Philosophy of Education (1)
HIST 152: US Since 1877 (1)</p>
<p>Hoggirl, are you a junior or senior in high school?</p>
<p>iluvpiano:thank you SO much for taking time to expand on your previous answer. It has been MANY years since I was either a junior or senior in high school 
- I am asking on behalf of my ds who may be contemplating a performance major. </p>
<p>It’s a little hard for me to get the “units” thing, so I am glad you put in equivalent semester hours. It sounds like an awfully heavy schedule, but perhaps that is true b/c of the double major.</p>
<p>Do you feel like you have any time for “fun?”</p>
<p>I do sometimes have time to hang out with friends on the weekends, but I’m not a party person so I don’t go to anything like that. I go to lots of concerts, even beyond the concert attendance requirement, because I like to and did that in high school too (had some season tickets to the orchestra here, etc.). There’s not a lot of extra time like some majors have, so music is definitely a commitment and you have to really want to do it if you want to do well. It has to feel like the time is worth it to the student to continue with it. Yes, the double degree adds some work…I have 10 history classes required and a few extra gen ed classes for the BA that aren’t required for the BM, so that adds some work, but I’m doing it over 5 years, not 4, because I still want to be able to take some extra things (like organ lessons and eventually harpsichord too), which just wouldn’t be possible with a double degree in 4 years.</p>
<p>What year is your son in now in high school? Sorry I just assumed it was you asking for yourself, since it wasn’t mentioned that it was for your son, I didn’t think about that!</p>
<p>Yep, the units thing is just my school (and some others), but most go by semester hours (or just call those credits, where at my school, sometimes 1 unit gets called 1 credit…which is actually 4 semester hours or 4 credits at most schools), so I always put that in when I’m posting stuff about my schedule on CC. For you to compare, usually people take about 16 credits a semester if they’re taking 4-credit classes (or could be 15-18 credits), but music majors tend to have to take a little more always because we have more credits required, regardless of having the double degree adding to it. At my school, most students take 4 units, or can go up to 4.5 without having an overload, and music majors can go up to 4.75 under the BA program and up to 5.5 in the BM programs without it being an overload, whereas 5.5 is definitely an overload for non-music majors because they don’t need to take that many to graduate in 4 years.</p>
<p>Depends what your idea of “fun” is, I guess. For D3, she finds taking a 15 minute break with her chamber ensemble in the middle of a two hour practice “fun.” Heck, she even finds the two hour practice “fun” sometimes.</p>
<p>She and her friends get together for movie night, other campus activities, shopping trips, bowling, going out to dinner etc on a fairly regular basis…but not during the week usually, and not when there’s a performance or competition the next day. She finds time to go to the gym (next semester’s plan is an early morning gym visit to be followed by a couple of hours of practicing before her 11 am class - we’ll see how that one goes!) and attend some campus events. She has friends on some sports teams and goes to occasional games to support them. Some of her friends are marathon runners, so I guess those folks count that as fun, although I personally wouldn’t. Neither she nor her friends are big drinkers or partiers, so if by fun you mean frat party, that’s not how she chooses to spend her time…but I guess you could.</p>
<p>Hoggirl: iluvpiano’s weekly number of hours of classes would definitely be on the high end for a piano performance major. While most music degrees do require more credit hours/semester hours than other degrees (often 130 to 140 over four years rather than the typical 120 or 128), at 22 credit hours per semester, iluvpiano would be able to accumulate 176 credit hours in 8 semesters which would probably allow for a triple major! (I realize that she probably won’t be doing 22 credit hours each semester).</p>
<p>What I’ve typically seen is that a typical performance major’s week consists of about 12 hours of classes (4 classes X 3 hours/class), 1 hour of private lesson, 4 hours of large ensemble, and 2 hours of chamber ensemble. I hesitate to include the large and small ensemble hours with the class and private lesson hours, because generally there is little required for these ensembles outside of the scheduled meeting times, whereas the academic classes at a decent school would normally require 24 hours per week of homework beyond the 12 scheduled hours in class and the private lesson requires about 20 hours of practicing beyond the one-hour of lesson.</p>
<p>Yes, the number of hours may be high, because of taking 22 semester hours for the double degree over 5 years. Since some classes are anywhere from 1-4 semester hours, the number I take will vary, depending on certain classes that have to be taken in a given semester. If I continue to want to take extra lessons on a couple minor instruments, that’s where I add in some extra hours. You don’t have to be taking 22 semester hours every semester to graduate in 4 years. Probably 18-20 is usually enough.</p>
<p>Part of it is that I kind of want to not end up taking that high end of 22+ semester hours my last year because I want to apply to grad school, which means I’ll be busy spending extra time doing recordings to send in, and traveling to auditions, and then my senior recital, so I don’t want so many extra class hours that year. Also, I want to study abroad for a semester, and while I think they can usually make all your credits transfer back to my school for required classes I’d need if I stayed there, I don’t want to take the full 22 semester hours that semester either because I want some extra outside of class time to travel around there/sightseeing around the country. While we do have a May Term at my school to take one extra class, I can’t count on getting a bunch of gen ed classes done over the years because there’s not a lot of courses offered then and there isn’t anything for music majors then. This year, I’m doing a travel course for May Term to Bulgaria, which is a music credit, but only a music elective and doesn’t actually fulfill any required courses.</p>
<p>I don’t know if there’s any other piano performance majors on CC that would also be able to add some info/opinions/their experience to this…I’d think there would have to be some others!</p>
<p>iluvpiano: ds is currently a sophomore in high school</p>
Is it possible for a piano performance major to also play a sport in college?
Here’s a thread I started way back when my son was still in high school (he’s now a grad student at Yale School of Music.) He did play baseball the first year of college (did a Double degree at Bard) but had to give it up because the games conflicted with the performances of the ensemble he formed. Not sure how much piano performance majors perform? http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/451717-music-and-athletics.html