Performance Degree?

[passion4tuba]

I'm a junior in highschool and I plan on attending college and majoring in performance. I have been told by my director and my lesson teacher that this is a pointless degree and means nothing. I really thought such a degree would give one an advantage in the professional/gig world, is this assumption incorrect? Also what colleges in Texas would be best for musical education, for performance or otherwise?

[tubaguy9]

I know I once was talking to Mr. Morris of TTU, and he pretty much say that it was useless. This is what I can interpret from what he said, and your food for thought:

The Music Performance degree is pretty much useless. What it allows you to do, is to just play the horn for gigs. Sort of like just going to New York, and playing for money. That, or if you are lucky, trying out for a syphony orchestra or something like it. Just don't do the Tuba Performance.

Instead, he had reccomended the following:

Get a Music Education degree. That way, if you try out, don't make it, and want to keep the music part useful, you can teach, on the side, too.
B.T.W. A Music Education degree allows you to do just as much performance as the Music Performance, but also allows you to teach on the side.

Just sort of my $1.00 worth (I thought it was a bit lengthy...)

[W]

well, I don't know what they're trying to say. Ya, ultimately the piece of paper doesn't mean anything. But the advantage of majoring in music performance is to be able to focus on your instrument AND your musicianship. People don't want someone that can just play fast and loud. They want a good musician. So to do a performance degree is good to help you to become the best musician you can be so you can put a lot of your focus on your technique and your understanding in music. This will depend on the school you go to, of course.

I don't know where your teachers are coming from so I don't want to say "they don't know what they're talking about" but what I have said I'm sure most people would agree with. Some think music history and theory isn't important enough to learn to play tuba, but the pro tuba players in L.A. that I know of would disagree with that mind-set.

[tubarepair]

No offense to Nr. Morris, but don't get a Music Ed. Degree to fall back on. We don't need any more band directors who are doing it because they couldn't cut it as a performer - we need band directors who are doing it because they truly want to teach.

A bachelors degree in any field will open a lot doors. Don't waste your time on a music ed degree when there are a bunch of more well-rounded degrees you could get.

What about a business degree and a whole lot of performance/theory classes on the side? You'll likely know early-on if if you have what it takes to be a performer. Hard work, dedication and a willingness to live near the poverty level among the traits necessary, otherwise do not apply.

DLH

[Dean]

Yes I agree performance is "useless."

But, it doesn't have to be education. It can be music business, music technology (producing, sound, etc).

[The Impaler]

In an audition situation, the panel doesn't care what kind of degree you have. If you're fast food management major and play better than everyone else that day, you get the gig - sometimes, lol.

Another point: at most schools, the difference between the music ed. and music perf. degrees is just the absence of the ed. courses. Yes, that gives you more time to practice, whatever, but the time involved isn't that much greater than your other core classes and you might as well have the ed. degree to make you a more marketable professional.

That all being said, there's tons of places in Texas to do what you want to do. If you want to stay at home, you'll do well if you get into UNT, and UT-Arlington is also fine. Texas Tech and WTAMU (my alma mater) are both great schools as well. Down south, UofH and Rice, also very good. You're lucky to be where you are, lots of choices.

If you want to do just performance, go to a conservatory. Otherwise, become a more marketable musician and still be a great performer.

[djwesp]

Only 35% of College Graduates get a job in their degree field (although this stat is probably a lot different for the music fields)

Is a performance degree limiting? Probably not as much as it seems (but not as versatile as an education degree, obviously)


I honestly feel the best decision I made was leaving Music Education to finish my Music Performance Degree. I found myself doing poorly in my classes because it was something I didn't want to be doing, I like the amount of electives you can take in a Performance setting (with emphasis on language and other interests), but my masters and doctorate will probably be in another music field just to open up more opportunities.

From what I can tell the BA in Performance is almost completely useless for use in the Music Field. It isn't useless however, paired with graduate degrees.

[Tabor]

Music degrees are horrible if you're thinking of it as a tool toward a career. The bang for the buck is just bad business. None of them open many doors. If you really want to be a great performer and you want the options given with a teaching degree, do both. Double major.

I have done the performance degree thing, and I am now teaching in a public school for the majority of my income. I can tell you that a bachelors degree in performance will open one door only -the graduate admissions door, if you're looking to go to graduate school. Other than that, it is completely useless except for the "cheap" private lesson rate with the scholarships you can get etc..

A teaching degree will open only two doors. You can go to graduate school, or teach in schools. Performing as a job is a door only opened by the ability to perform very well. The people I've known who were truly amazing performers were hired before they finished any degree.

It took performing for a living to realize that I might want to pass on some of what I've learned. Teaching as a degree to "fall back on" isn't just a plan for people who can't cut it, but for those who enjoy their art and want two options instead of one, but why cut out the most valuable classes for performance?

When I decided to become a teacher, it took me many boring "hoops" type education courses to obtain the certificate -and nobody gives anyone any type of scholarship for that! My advice is, if you love music and don't hate teaching others, double major.

[Chen]

If you have rich parents, don't worry about the performance v. education thing. Just do whichever you want.

[KevinMadden]

I was a Performance / Education double Major here at Ithaca. I never really wanted to teach, I wanted to play (a bit naively optimistic i know, but whatev). through Freshman year everything was great, but as soon as sophomore year came around and there got to be more education based classes and an ever increasing load of secondary instruments I ultimately would get so fed up with music school in general and not even want to play my tuba at the end of the day ( if I got the chance, I had to spend it playing hard to get ready for the next lesson, and couldn't just play something easy to relax) I decided to drop down to just the performance, with the approval of the Dave (the tuba prof) and the Dean (qoute: if you don't want to teach, we wont want to see you teaching) I've taken a Minor in something that interests me, (english) and we'll see what happens in 3 years. Granted, you don't need a degree for this, but there's always the military bands.

[tubafatness]

I'm sort of in the same predicament, ( a senior wanting to major in music.) I have heard for many years now that a tuba performance degree is mostly useless, so I've decided not to go for one. I can understand the logic in that school of thought, as there are a small few jobs out there that require a degree in performance. There are more jobs than that for an educator, or a music history teacher, or a composition teacher. For that reason I've decided to pursue a degree in composition and theory; I've realized that I'll have to get a doctorate to even teach the subject, but I'm willing to go that far. Luckily all of the schools I'm applying to and considering for bachelor's have studios and teachers that treat all music majors to the same standards, and I'm also wanting to keep my playing chops as high as they can be, because I still want to be a performer someday, (sorry for the ridiculously long sentence!) But, I also want to be a professor someday and a degree or two in composition/theory will greatly help. Just my two, (or three,) cents.
Aaron Hynds

[windshieldbug]

Many good viewpoints thusfar. My own experience was starting a music ed degree, and getting into student teaching before I realized that I wasn't cut out for all the "non-musical" things that went along with with it... like having a marching band, whose purpose was to support the athletic department, and selling things, which purpose was to support the band trip.

When I realized how little music I'd be teaching, I reconsidered. But I finished the music degree, and then went back for a graduate assistantship, so I could use the tuition waiver to take business classes. As a friend of my teacher's counceled, "It only takes A degree. As long as you know what they want, and can prove it, who CARES what it's in?" Fortunately, my teacher treated all of the students in his studio the same, so I also got another year to study, work, play, and managed to get a ROPA gig, in no small part due to his ability to teach.

My recommendation would be to get an education degree only if you are driven to teach, and a performance degree only if you are driven to play. Driven meaning that you would be willing to flip burgers if it takes that to persue your dream. Make sure you go to school with the RIGHT teacher. And get a "practical" degree or double major in it if you have higher standards while you wait.

[threedognate]

tubarepair wrote:

No offense to Nr. Morris, but don't get a Music Ed. Degree to fall back on. We don't need any more band directors who are doing it because they couldn't cut it as a performer - we need band directors who are doing it because they truly want to teach.

Exactly!!! Teaching is a professional endeavor. Why don't you hear people saying "well, I guess I could fall back on a performance career if the teaching thing doesn't work out"? We've developed this idea that anyone can teach. Each day many anyones prove that this is not the case. Just as learning to play an instrument requires diligent and disciplined study and practice, so does learning to teach. If you decide that you want to teach, throw yourself into the profession and become the best teacher you can be.

[MikeMilnarik]

In the words of Yoda...

"There is no TRY, only DO!"

Decide what you LOVE to do, make it happen, and don't look back. THAT is the degree you should get. NEVER give up on what's important to YOU, and you will be successful in whatever area that is.

Mike Milnarik
--
Innovata Brass
Brass Sect
TubaStudio.com

[MikeMason]

I'd like to chime in one thing here.If you're pursuing your performing dream and mounting up tens of thousands of student loan debt, you're going to be in for a frustrating future.If you're not good enough on your horn to go to school for free,you really have no business being a performance major.Student loan debt is non-bankruptable.You will have it forever,until it's paid off,no matter what your financial situation.It will limit your ability to make life choices you might prefer later.You will always have to factor making that big,mandaory payment into every decision you make.Just say no to big student loan debt...free advice,worth the price......

[fpoon]

"There is no TRY, only DO!"

I beleive the line is "Do or do not, there is no try"...

And Yoda is full of it. You gotta try stuff out and get knocked down every once in a while.

As a current college student looking ahead to "happy" employment, I can tell you in some fields the degree means something, but in a lot it doesn't. I'm a history major who will very likely end up working in IT.

A performance degree (at least at my school) is usually doubled with music ed., so don't think one of the other. Or you could double with anything else, business included. But realize college isn't job training - for music or anything. It's an education. It's an oppurtunity to find out who you are away from the folks, and pretty much go wild for a bit.

If you have a performance degree from (insert awesome music school here) and out simply outplayed at an audition by Joe Blow with a biology degree from (insert "crappy" school here), Joe gets the job. Don't base 4 (or 5, 6, etc.) of paying tuition on having an awesome audition.

[MikeMilnarik]

Sorry if I mis-quoted Yoda. If I did, then it's MY quote.

"There is no TRY, only DO!"

I feel that skill and determination are two of the most important aspects of being successful in any area. Don't overlook the fact that there are many other important aspects in becoming a successful musician, not just winning an audition.

Mike Milnarik
--
Innovata Brass
Brass Sect
TubaStudio.com

[CrappyEuph]

Mike said,

If you're not good enough on your horn to go to school for free,you really have no business being a performance major.

Ouch. Is that really true? I can see your point, but with all due respect, I think that sometimes the "right" school isn't necessarily the "cheap" school. For instance, in Dr. Bowman's euphonium studio at North Texas, I don't think a single one of the graduate students goes to school for free. Many of us have loans. A few of the undergrads go to school for free, but that's due to academic scholarships, not music ones. I am sure there are colleges where many of us could have full rides, but we have chosen not to go that route in favor of what we perceive to be a better education. Perhaps that is what was meant by the quote above?

- Jamie

[windshieldbug]

The market for "serious music" in the U.S. is quickly going the way of the market for the buggy whip.

You, sir, be the one to tell that to our service bands, which, by the way, is a viable option for even euphonium players...

[The Impaler]

The best advice for young students looking into colleges for these reasons is this: make your own decision based on your own research. All of us here have our own experiences, and will share them ad nauseum, but you shouldn't base a decision of this magnitude on what a bunch of tuba/euphers think about it. You'll make out just fine if you want to. Good luck!