Majoring in music won’t lead to a stable career.
Music school is a waste of time.
Can’t youtube teach you the same thing?
How are you going to make money? A living? Support yourself?
*laughter*
These are all things that I have heard and experienced when I told people that I wanted to go to college to pursue a degree in music. It’s not the most encouraging thing to hear as a dreaming and newly graduated 18 year old. However, back in 2016 when I auditioned at Belmont University to pursue a Bachelors of Music, I had by my side the most supportive parents. Instead of these negative remarks, my parents said “You want to major in music? Fantastic. Let’s schedule you an audition.” Now, it is 2020 and I have one semester and an internship to go to complete my Bachelor’s of Music in Music Therapy. And let me tell you. These four years have been the most valuable years of learning and experience in my life. I have listed my top 5 reasons on why YOU should not only allow, but ENCOURAGE your student to go to college for music.
1. A degree in music can lead to MANY different careers
Music Performance (Commerical or Classical)
Music Education
Audio Technology and Recording
Music Business
Music Therapy *
Music Composition
Songwriting
Music Theory
Pedagogy
Musical Theatre
Church Music
And many more!
So much for that “what are you going to do with a music degree” question. As you can see, there are SO MANY OPTIONS!
*what I’m getting my degree in! See our blog “What is Music Therapy?” coming June 15th
2. A degree in music reaches far beyond what any single teacher or youtube video could provide.
A degree in music encompasses a variety of things, all of which expand a students knowledge, understanding, and comprehension of music. Courses that every music major takes include
Music Theory (1 - 4)
Aural Skills (1-4)
Music History
Digital Musicianship
Private lessons (on primary instrument)
Secondary instrument lessons
Ensembles
Basic Conducting
Plus many more major-specific courses
Trust me when I say that YouTube will NEVER get you to understand music theory 4 like a great professor can.
3. Contrary to belief, music school is extremely challenging.
I don’t include this point to scare you. Instead, I include it to emphasize that getting a music degree is no walk in the park and will challenge your student like never before. Because music school has pushed me to my limits, I have learned extremely valuable life lessons including time management, boundaries, and how to manage anxiety. Additionally, because of the challenging nature of this degree, the payoff after mastering a music theory concept or finally being able to hit that note that seemed impossible before, is beyond any other feeling I have ever experienced.
4. Creativity and discipline are extremely marketable traits cultivated in music study
Your student is going to constantly be exercising their creativity while also learning how to be disciplined in completing music coursework, using time management skills, and learning how to best work with other musicians and professors. After receiving their degree, if your student decides to take a path outside of music, the skills that they learned while receiving their degree in music are extremely important and required in other fields. Your child will not walk away with just a better singing voice and sight reading abilities. They will walk away with an entire toolkit of skills, experiences, and stories that will make them the best candidate for almost any job.
5. If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life
It’s cheesy, but it’s true. Odds are, if your student is majoring in music, it’s because they LOVE it. When they’re working towards that music degree, I can guarantee you that they will work as hard as possible because they are finally doing what they love. No more feelings of “I’m wasting my time on Calculus.” Instead, it’ll be “I’m finally getting to explore my instrument!” It will never feel like work because it is what they love and they are finally getting to spend ALL of their time doing it. It’s the best feeling ever.
While a degree in business or engineering may feel like a safer choice for your music-loving child, it will never fulfill them like a degree in music can.
“Life seems to go on without effort when I am filled with music.” – George Eliot
Universities with great music programs:
Belmont University - Nashville, Tennessee *
University of North Texas (UNT) - Denton, Texas
Dallas Baptist University - Dallas, Texas
Berklee College of Music - Boston, Massachusetts
The Juilliard School - New York, New York
*Dannielle’s current college. Studio owner Sarah Darby’s alma mater
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