Has nothing to do with production, but out of curiosity, has anyone here gotten a music-related degree? I'm a freshman in college, I started majoring in Music Business but I'm transferring to a university that doesn't offer it, so I'll probably major in music composition and minor in business.

I'm not entirely sure what I want to do with a music degree, I just know it's the only field I have an active interest in, and if nothing else, I can fall back on a business background and keep it as a hobby.

So, did anyone else go for music in college? Was it worth it? And what kinds of opportunities become available with a major in music composition?

cryophonik did.

school will only provide the time and facilities to learn. I have Bmus and Mmus. Was it worth it ? I could of learned everything on my own i suppose but it does force you to work. I also went from knowing pretty much nothing to being able to write any sort of music in any genre convincingly. I still think most music schools suck despite going to some of the best in NA and alot of teachers are teachers because they have to be but as long as you understand this and make the best of it ...

I personally wouldn't do music unless you really have an interest in classical music as classical pedagogy is still somewhat established thus there is a structured way to learn. One thing I will tell you is that going to school kills music in a way. Everything just sounds cliche and overdone and nothing surprises or excites you. There isn't a classical piece you could play that i couldn't tell you the chords, transpose it in my head, orchestrate it for any instrument set .... I suppose that is why i yearn to do electronic music again as it is actual new music.

Last edited by RichieV on Dec-03-2009 at 16:37

Yes, I did get a BA in Music Theory/Composition, but that was 20 years ago when the market was much different and there weren't the same sorts opportunities (and competition) that there is today. For example, I don't recall there being anyone in any of my courses who would have been considered a "bedroom producer" - most of them were actually performance majors. This is just my perception, but it seems that the programs and curriculum have changed drastically since then because of the diversification of students, but I haven't really paid too much attention to it, so I'm probably not the best person to give advice on job opportunities, competition, expected salary, etc.

I'll try to keep my own long and boring personal experience short here, but I essentially decided to major in music with the plan of getting a PhD and going on to teach at the collegiate level. But, when I was 3.5 years into a 4-year degree, I started taking a hard look at the job market and things looked pretty dismal. So, I decided to take a year off to reconsider - 6 years later, I went to back to school to get a BS/MS in biology and I finished my last semester of music classes along the way. I don't regret the experience one bit, but I'm much happier that I took the route I did. I played in a lot of bands, did a lot of session work, and earned a very decent income from music for much of my life, but now I like having music as a hobby to come home to after I spend 9 hours analyzing data and writing reports (and posting on TA!).

The last thing I'll add is that, of the few music classmates that I kept in touch with over the years and my numerous bandmates that were also music majors, as far as I know, none of them are working in the music industry (aside from one or two who work at music stores part-time for the discounts). So, hopefully, that doesn't sound too discouraging, but again, I stress that my experience is probably much different than what a college freshman would be facing today.

Hopefully, some of the others who have gotten more recent college experience can give you a more relevant response and maybe my response was somewhat helpful!

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to add some balance,

most of my colleagues from school all work as professional performers. I do think the caliber of school you go to makes a huge difference. There are some schools that have absolutely awful programs and professors. There are programs that have more challenging bachelors than other school masters programs.

But if you plan to go study composition. You will basically study composition from the classical to the "atonal" era. You won't look at anything new. It all depends on the schools.

Also, be very wary of very specific degrees. They are almost always schams unless it is for medicine and health care. Why music business ? Why not study business. It is something that can be applied to all business. Same with music. I would be very careful for any program dealing with popular music.

quote:

Originally posted by RichieV to add some balance, most of my colleagues from school all work as professional performers. I do think the caliber of school you go to makes a huge difference.

That's a great point. The schools I went to (major universities in Michigan) are great schools and have good music programs, but wouldn't be considered top-tier music schools or come to mind when people are mentioning music schools.

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but then again, it really isn't what the schools are teaching so much as the acceptance rate. If you have a really prestigious school , you will get the best musicians going there so they do tend to fare better. It is really hard to judge the actual value of what is taught. Most learn on their own anyways so i sometimes wonder if it isn't so much the school but the concentration of great minds that make the difference.

For composition, it is essential that the school has a strong performance program so that people can play your orchestral compositions.

So, hopefully this question doesn't hijack the thread, but I think it's relevant and worth the consideration of anyone considering an arts degree:

Do you want your favorite hobby to become your job?

That's the question that I found myself asking over and over when I was deciding whether or not to continue with my music degree, but I don't think I gave enough consideration to it before enrolling in my music program.

There's no right or wrong answer, but I've seen over the years that people tend to fall pretty squarely onto one side of the coin or the other. On one hand, you have people who love knowing that they're getting paid to do something that they're so passionate about and they've achieved their dream job. On the other hand, you have people who find that the pressure of deadlines, forced creativity, dealing with difficult clients, etc. take all the fun out of music for them.

That's something to give some serious consideration to IMO.

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No, because music as a job would almost inevitably involve performance of some kind and that does not really interest me. I want to stay a recluse dreaming up new sounds in the privacy of my bedroom or a studio if I ever manage to get one.

:-)

quote:

Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles No, because music as a job would almost inevitably involve performance of some kind and that does not really interest me. I want to stay a recluse dreaming up new sounds in the privacy of my bedroom or a studio if I ever manage to get one. :-)

Yeah, but no groupies!

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quote:

Originally posted by cryophonik Do you want your favorite hobby to become your job?

From what I've seen, most of the current crop never considered it a hobby anyway.

Recognition + money > art

quote:

Originally posted by hexadecimal From what I've seen, most of the current crop never considered it a hobby anyway. Recognition + money > art

Yeah, that's probably true for the guys who are pursuing "making it" as a performer, but that segment only includes a very tiny portion of the careers available in the music industry, and most of them didn't get there by majoring in music. The far more abundant music jobs are less glamorous, but more realizable (e.g., teaching, writing for commercials/jingles, music software development/sales/etc., etc.).

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