.

[2ba4t]

First - life priorities: will you want a wife and kids or just a partner and pension. What will you want in 30 years time - looking back?
Second - how good are you really. You must be realistic or you will be crushed. The standards are extremely high out there.
Third - will being at the back of a band/orchestra not really bore you? It becomes just a job very soon.
Four - consider that nearly all the greatest players and performers all also had another solid way of earning. Then they could enjoy music.
Fifth - thoroughly investigate how to become an excellent XXXX (whatever else you have an aptitude for). No empty qualifications - Go for a real skill that you can take anywhere - brass repair/electrics/a field of medicine/plumbing/mechanics. Then decide to take off time now to really try to make it as a tubist - for let's say 3 years. On the way, you could also be gathering credits towards your XXXX job.

This is the advice I got from John Fletcher about 50 years ago when he gave a long lift home from a concert [and I was then presumably one of the best young players.] I am so pleased that I followed another path as I observe those who went into music. It is a struggle to live a balanced family life anyway. As a musician, it is a real challenge - which however many do manage.

[TMurphy]

I have been a public school band director for about 12 years now. It is not easy. It can be thankless, there’s an awful lot of BS you have to deal with from administration, the state, parents, etc. The adults, especially the ones in charge, can really suck the joy out of the job, if you let them. In my state, at least, the pay is decent (not great, but enough that my wife and I have a nice little 3 bedroom house on a dead end street in the suburbs), but I know that I could have made a lot more money if I’d gone into IT like my brother.

I don’t regret my decision, not one single ounce. I love my job. Working with my students is an amazing experience, and I couldn’t imagine a job I would find as fulfilling. They make it all worthwhile.

And, I still get to play tuba on a regular basis. I play with a terrific brass band, and sit in with a local university wind band when they don’t have enough tuba students (for which I get paid). I’ve also been payed to play in their orchestra a few times.

All that to say, a degree in music isn’t “full time orchestra gig or bust”.

[LibraryMark]

I have been a public school band director for about 12 years now. It is not easy. It can be thankless, there’s an awful lot of BS you have to deal with from administration, the state, parents, etc. The adults, especially the ones in charge, can really suck the joy out of the job, if you let them. In my state, at least, the pay is decent (not great, but enough that my wife and I have a nice little 3 bedroom house on a dead end street in the suburbs), but I know that I could have made a lot more money if I’d gone into IT like my brother.

I don’t regret my decision, not one single ounce. I love my job. Working with my students is an amazing experience, and I couldn’t imagine a job I would find as fulfilling. They make it all worthwhile.

And, I still get to play tuba on a regular basis. I play with a terrific brass band, and sit in with a local university wind band when they don’t have enough tuba students (for which I get paid). I’ve also been payed to play in their orchestra a few times.

All that to say, a degree in music isn’t “full time orchestra gig or bust”.

I taught for a short while and was miserable almost from day one. I did like teaching little ones (so cool going from not knowing what end of the horn to blow on to a concert at Christmas where they sound pretty good) but all the other stuff just stood in the way of doing my job which I mistakenly thought was teaching students how to love and perform music. I could not tolerate it.

l recently retired from the IT world and my worst days in IT were still better than most days teaching. And yes, in IT I made a lot more money. My hat is off to anyone who can tolerate teaching and be an effective teacher in an atmosphere conspiring to work against you.

[JasonEuphonium]

Maybe I'm a bit too young to be properly responding to their thread, but whatever.

Get out. Like right now, while you still have time. Your chance of being successful is really low. Even if you are successful, you won't make a lot of money. If you are a once in a generation type of talent, like Carol Jantsch, go for it. Have you won any playing competitions against masters and doctoral level players recently while in high school? If the answer is no, then you aren't a once in a generation talent.

So...how many tuba players per year do you reckon should "go for it," then? How many HS players are, as you described, beating grad students in competitions? I'd wager that 5 in the USA would be a lofty estimate.

My point is, while a 18-or-so-year-old's playing ability should be heavily considered in their decision, setting the bar that high is absurd. Players can and often do make massive strides during their undergrad. I've personally witnessed HS players that struggled to make All State transform into pro-audition-ready musicians in four years or less of college.

Was I winning collegiate level contests in HS? Heck no. I could hardly compete against other people my age. But I'd like to think that I've made huge leaps and bounds in my musicianship since starting my undergad, and I'm less than halfway done.

I will absolutely say that no one should go into any considerable debt for the purpose of earning a music degree. But even if music school doesn't turn you into a bonafide player, or even if you decide halfway through that it's not your dream anymore...you're not stuck in a ditch! You still have a wealth of knowledge and experiences that could lead you into a non-playing career in music (administration, teaching privately, recording, repair, etc.). And even if that isn't your thing, you can always, as so-often advised, learn a trade.

[k001k47]

Maybe I'm a bit too young to be properly responding to their thread, but whatever.

Get out. Like right now, while you still have time. Your chance of being successful is really low. Even if you are successful, you won't make a lot of money. If you are a once in a generation type of talent, like Carol Jantsch, go for it. Have you won any playing competitions against masters and doctoral level players recently while in high school? If the answer is no, then you aren't a once in a generation talent.

So...how many tuba players per year do you reckon should "go for it," then? How many HS players are, as you described, beating grad students in competitions? I'd wager that 5 in the USA would be a lofty estimate.

My point is, while a 18-or-so-year-old's playing ability should be heavily considered in their decision, setting the bar that high is absurd. Players can and often do make massive strides during their undergrad. I've personally witnessed HS players that struggled to make All State transform into pro-audition-ready musicians in four years or less of college.

Was I winning collegiate level contests in HS? Heck no. I could hardly compete against other people my age. But I'd like to think that I've made huge leaps and bounds in my musicianship since starting my undergad, and I'm less than halfway done.

I will absolutely say that no one should go into any considerable debt for the purpose of earning a music degree. But even if music school doesn't turn you into a bonafide player, or even if you decide halfway through that it's not your dream anymore...you're not stuck in a ditch! You still have a wealth of knowledge and experiences that could lead you into a non-playing career in music (administration, teaching privately, recording, repair, etc.). And even if that isn't your thing, you can always, as so-often advised, learn a trade.

They're conspiring to oust any potential competition

[MaryAnn]

Dumb. You can do a lot with a degree in the arts. Tons of opportunities for music business, artistic administration, or music history. Studying music performance doesnt mean you have to be a world class performer or nothing. Practice builds self reflection, critical thinking, and the ability to perserver towards goals over multiple years time. Just try to be smart and have an ooen mind about where you want to go.

It sure doesn't seem to teach grammar or spelling.
Edit: My bad. I was having a hell of a day and my sarcasm got away from me.

[sloan]

First - as a high school senior, you are in no position to commit to a career choice.

Second - college should not be for *training* for a particular job - it should be about broadening and deepening your education and opening up possibilities that you aren't even aware of yet.

If your goal is to "play tuba for a living" - perhaps you don't need college. You need a conservatory, or a job. If you do go to college, start with a major in "music" - not "tuba playing".

There are a few jobs, like music teacher/band director, or engineer, that do require a commitment at this stage. That's one of the reasons I look with disfavor on music education and engineering as decent undergraduate options. For almost anything else, your choice of undergraduate major is
nearly irrelevant to what jobs you can compete for after college. You should study what you are interested in (and, more to the point - you should spend a MINIMUM of time on your major and make an effort to diversify your course selection as much as possible - so you have the maximum exposure to
other possibilities.

A student with decent grades in nearly ANY major can find work in almost ANY field after graduation (with the exceptions noted above).

And...reality check...a huge number of undergraduates CHANGE MAJORS at least once. If you lose interest in music, it will be nice to have options,.

Study what interests you. LEARN TO WRITE. Pick up basic computational skills. Learn to read, analyze, and synthesize (philosophy is good for that). Expose yourself to as much physics, chemistry, and biology as you can - even if they don't excite you now. Learn a foreign language. All of these will be much more important than 4 more hours of time each day in the practice room with your tuba. Avoid any course which smacks of "job training" - including "performance" degrees.

A word on "backup plans". I don't like them. If music is what turns you on - by all means get a degree in music (NOT Tuba Performance). Do NOT
get a degree in accounting because it will get you a job. Instead, spread out your remaining courses so that you have minimal familiarity with EVERYTHING. For one thing, you will find things that enhance your understanding of music. For another, you may find a hidden talent (or life long interest) that hasn't surfaced, yet. Don't waste your time in college being trained for a job that doesn't excite you - no matter how much $$ it seems to offer.

I used to teach computer science; prospective students (and parents!) would ask "what kind of job can I get after graduation". I always told them that I didn't know - because many of those jobs had not yet been invented. In my experience, the jobs that "require" job-specific training can turn into dead ends if that's all you have. It may be easier to get the first job - but it's much harder to move up the ladder. The people who succeed are mostly
those with broad-based skills.

The difficulty for high school seniors is that the 1/10 of 1 percent get the big press. The people who committed to playing the violin at 3 and made it to the top. That's a VERY high risk/moderately high reward career path.

As others have said - most high school seniors aren't particularly good at ANYTHING. So...since you are "good at" playing the tuba, that puts you in the lead. But, it's no reason to cut off all of your options by exploring ONLY that one. It's a bit like being "pretty good" at basketball. It's a good thing - but not necessarily a good guide to your future career.

Watch "Moneyball" - it makes a few relevant points.

[WC8KCY]

As for studying music, we were told years ago in school that keyboard playing is what puts bread on the table. Teaching, accompanying, aiding others' studies (conducting classes, etc), and you stand to benefit in other ways too by being a solid musician at a keyboard. Read Dizzy Gillsepie's "To Be or Not to Bop" for more ways to put the piano to work.

While we're talking keyboards, let's not overlook organ performance. There continues to be a dire shortage of organists in the USA. There are several good-paying full-time positions open RIGHT NOW for those who play this wonderful instrument. You'll be glad you paid attention during music history courses, because it all applies to organ performance, and you can really make that knowledge pay off.

Auditions? Cutthroat competition? Chances are, you'll be the only applicant.
Show up for the interview, talk intelligently, play competently, and you're hired. Congratulations, you're now a professional musician! It's that easy.

[Steginkt]

Dumb. You can do a lot with a degree in the arts. Tons of opportunities for music business, artistic administration, or music history. Studying music performance doesnt mean you have to be a world class performer or nothing. Practice builds self reflection, critical thinking, and the ability to perserver towards goals over multiple years time. Just try to be smart and have an ooen mind about where you want to go.

It sure doesn't seem to teach grammar or spelling.

I'm lucky enough to be able to articulate myself well in person, and retroactively change my spelling mistakes made by typing quickly on a small phone screen. I count myself fortunate that I don't have to prove myself to strangers on the internet to feel good about myself.

[barry grrr-ero]

There's a lot of long winded advice here, but it's not necessary to write a tome. The odds of finding a paying tuba job - one that pays ALL your bills - and being musically satisfied by that job is rather nil. Have a back-up plan (you already do). If you want to be involved in music on a daily basis, consider a teaching credential. If you think you might want to serve your country and don't mind parades and marching, consider military bands. Personally speaking, many of my most satisfying gig were ones that didn't pay at all. A good day job gives you the opportunity to pick and choose.

[Leland]

There's a lot of long winded advice here, but it's not necessary to write a tome. The odds of finding a paying tuba job - one that pays ALL your bills - and being musically satisfied by that job is rather nil. Have a back-up plan (you already do). If you want to be involved in music on a daily basis, consider a teaching credential. If you think you might want to serve your country and don't mind parades and marching, consider military bands. Personally speaking, many of my most satisfying gig were ones that didn't pay at all. A good day job gives you the opportunity to pick and choose.

Define "musically satisfying".