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Hi everyone!

I am a newbie here on tubenet, so I'd like to apologize if I am in anyway breaking any rules. That being said, I was hoping to get some advice and insight towards my current situation...

I am currently a sociocultural anthropology major (about to go into my final year of undergrad) in Southern California. Coming out of high school, I had every intention of majoring in tuba performance and had built a pretty decent portfolio of tuba playing (all-southern/all-state groups, youth groups, etc.);however, due to some family issues I was forced to stay at home and attend a local community college. Somewhat discouraged by the situation at home, I decided to try something else and eventually picked up interest in anthropology. After the issues at home cleared up, I was able to transfer to UCLA as an anthropology major. Although I'm not a music major, I have certainly kept up with a decent amount of playing at my community college and at UCLA, while also practicing on my own whenever possible.

As I approach my final year as an undergraduate, I am playing again with the idea of pursuing music as a career. After discussing the idea with a number of friends in music departments all over the country (UNT, UNLV, UCLA, UoH, UT, Texas Tech, etc.,) as well as a couple of music teachers, all have expressed confidence for my success as a performer should I choose to pursue a career in music. My question is, would a degree in music performance be necessary? Do I need a music degree in either undergrad or grad school to play professionally? I understand that going to school not only enhances playing ability but also helps to build connections and provides opportunities to play. I just can't see networking, building a name for myself, and getting better in general without going back to school (which I would love to do after finishing this degree!). The other thing is, even if I wanted to go to grad school as a tuba performance major I would most probably need an undergrad degree in music as well... though I've heard that this isn't always the case. Is it even possible to go to grad school in music without an undergrad in music?

I doubt anybody would be in a situation such as my own, but I would love to hear from anyone at all. I don't want to give up on a dream if I still have a chance to pursue it.

Thanks everybody!

Don't need a degree at all.

Reptilian wrote:Don't need a degree at all.

How do you figure? I know that it simply comes down to talent in terms of landing a position at an orchestra but it seems to me that getting there on my own without any instruction from teachers/players is much much harder. How else outside of school would one learn? Lessons from local tuba teachers?

By all means take the lessons, play and have a good time. Find a list of open jobs (any kind of music job, anywhere) and give it good analysis before you commit to a music degree as a vocational plan.

While I'm no expert on academics or on the world of music gigs in Southern Cal, here's my opinion:

Getting the degree provides a valid certificate to future employers that you know how to buckle down and get projects done on time. At the end of the day, a degree is either a 'Bachelor of Science' or a 'Bachelor of the Arts'. The rest of the title on a degree means very little unless you're looking into a specialized field where schools have their degree programs accredited to meet the standards in that field.

• Sidebar - Engineering is one such field, but even graduates of an accredited program cannot legally call themselves 'Engineers' until they're certified by the state board for engineers in the state where they practice the profession. Interestingly enough, an engineering degree is not the only path to getting certified, though it certainly helps. Attending classes at a non-accredited school is generally considered a waste of $ in these fields (law & engineering to name a couple)

If you've already got (or are now completing) a BA/BS in Anthro, then the BA level degree in music performance is almost irrelevant. Any 'job' you may pursue is going to judge you by your audition and your personality.

They may also judge you by your references before allowing the audition. How to get those references: You can get lessons at a local college simply by enrolling as a continuing ed student. You can probably also get lessons from that same instructor on the side without enrolling at all as long as you're willing to make it worth his time to do private lessons. That professor/instructor's recommendation will probably be all you need to get in the door at any audition which requires a 'music' degree.

Good luck to you in making a decision.

NCSUSousa wrote:While I'm no expert on academics or on the world of music gigs in Southern Cal, here's my opinion:

Getting the degree provides a valid certificate to future employers that you know how to buckle down and get projects done on time. At the end of the day, a degree is either a 'Bachelor of Science' or a 'Bachelor of the Arts'. The rest of the title on a degree means very little unless you're looking into a specialized field where schools have their degree programs accredited to meet the standards in that field.

• Sidebar - Engineering is one such field, but even graduates of an accredited program cannot legally call themselves 'Engineers' until they're certified by the state board for engineers in the state where they practice the profession. Interestingly enough, an engineering degree is not the only path to getting certified, though it certainly helps. Attending classes at a non-accredited school is generally considered a waste of $ in these fields (law & engineering to name a couple)

If you've already got (or are now completing) a BA/BS in Anthro, then the BA level degree in music performance is almost irrelevant. Any 'job' you may pursue is going to judge you by your audition and your personality.

They may also judge you by your references before allowing the audition. How to get those references: You can get lessons at a local college simply by enrolling as a continuing ed student. You can probably also get lessons from that same instructor on the side without enrolling at all as long as you're willing to make it worth his time to do private lessons. That professor/instructor's recommendation will probably be all you need to get in the door at any audition which requires a 'music' degree.

Good luck to you in making a decision.

That makes a lot of sense... my worry is that local professors will be too busy giving lessons for students in their actual schools to be able to afford any extra lessons. I also worry that if I were to try to get a grad degree in music, schools wouldn't take me without having an undergrad degree in music perf/ed. So what it seems like you're saying is that as long as I can get a good private teacher to help open doors for me, there is no need to go back to school or even grad school?

No thoughts of PhD in ethnomusicology?

TubaBob wrote:No thoughts of PhD in ethnomusicology?

I haven't considered it really... but it could be a possibility if I can't get into a grad program without a music degree. I took a "classical music of india" course and it was pretty mindblowing

pauvog1 wrote:There is nothing wrong with taking some lessons and even a couple auditions and seeing where it will take you. You don't know if you don't try. Just be cautious about taking on a ton of debt for the grad degree. Remember a degree doesn't guarantee employment.

Look into all options when selecting a school. Do they offer any "unique opportunities", minors, internships, or double major opportunities that interest you? Those skills may help you land a job somewhere else in the "industry". Just a thought, take it for what it's worth. Best of luck in whatever you choose to do!

Actually, a couple of friends and I were planning a trip to Texas so we could do this exactly; drive around the big music schools in Texas and try to get some lessons with the tuba professors there (as of now we are thinkin UNT, UoH, Sam Houston, Rice, and Texas Tech). We have a bunch of friends living in Texas going to these schools too so it doubles for a chance to vacation a bit too I'm definitely going to try to make this happen and get some opinions from these professors too..