music as a major

[TMurphy]

I was in your shoes a few years ago...getting ready to finish high school, not sure what I wanted. I wanted to do music, but I didn't like the financial instablility of it. That is when I decided to look into music education. Now, admittedly, there is no great fortune to be made as a music teacher, but it will allow for a steady paycheck, a good healthcare package, and a reasonably comfortable lifestyle. Speaking personally, shortly after I started studying music ed, I fell in love with it, and the whole idea of being a teacher. It might not be right for you, but just realize that that option is there, and it is another path to head down should you feel so inclined (of course, if you hate children, or hate teaching, don't even consider it.)

[timayer]

Here's another take on it. You can go to med school after majoring in music, but I'd say that it would be harder to get into music after college if majoring in a subject that lends itself to medicine. I know of a few people who have gotten into med school after majoring in music, but decided to go to music grad school instead, one of whom got into Harvard med. I don't agree completely with Bloke, with all due respect, because as a college student, I found that sometimes you can't find yourself and follow one specific yearning. You can, though, pursue more than one quite successfully. My two cents.

Tim Ayer

[Jay Bertolet]

No flames from me Joe, I think you hit it exactly right. I would have typed the same as you if you hadn't done it first.

I would offer one piece of advice to the original poster. If you think being a doctor means having a cushy lifestyle and lots of money, think again. My wife is a physician and let me tell you, I wouldn't trade her job for mine any day of the week. She makes a very modest income (I know musicians that make much more) and, considering the huge debt she incurred at medical college and the massive number of hours she devotes to running her own practice, my opinion is that being a doctor these days is a raw deal. You have to make life and death decisions, argue with insurance companies to be paid, pay huge malpractice insurance premiums because anytime somebody dies or gets sick it's your fault, and everybody feels like healthcare is a right, not a product that you have to pay for. If you're looking for money, forget the medical sciences. More trouble than it's worth.

My opinion for what it's worth...

[tubatooter1940]

Dear Tubaboy,
You are approaching a crossroads and if there is a future wife in the
near future you are wise to consider a more practical profession.
I went into music full-time at age 26 and played in a "married man's
band"until I was 39.In order to work regularly we played requests
and half of the top ten rock and country chart hits.We preferred a
"sit down gig"in a local bar to guarantee six nights work and we would
play in one joint three months to two years.After a while the bartenders,
bouncers and wait staff learned where we all lived and would drop by
unannounced to "party down".
My wife and I were one of the few couples whose marriage survived
my years as a bar picker.Most all the other couples wound up divorced
or she would get him out of music,somehow.I was a victim of top 40
overload and after landing a job as a mail carrier,did not play for 4 years.
I eased back into music because of some really great tunes I wanted to
play for my sailing buddies.
To have a financial base outside music enables one to "cherry pick" any
gigs and let musical fun be the prime directive.
If music ain't fun it ain't no good for nobody.
Have a ball,ya'll,
The Fartman

[tubaman5150]

I want to echo the sentiments of bloke and add something.
Many people pursue a music degree because they have an idea of making a living as a musician (ie teacher, composer, player....). A music degree can certainly be a means to an end, but I want to stress something. You will only get out of college what you put into it. I know that sounds like a corny old adage, so let me elaborate. I've seen many of my collegues graduate with a performance degree and expect it to be the key to a playing career. Many of which only did the required minimum amount of practice and study. Most of them only found dissapointment and mediocrity when pursuing their careers. They have almost always said that college was a waste of time or they should have went to conservatory B instead of university A....etc.
The result would have been the same. College was wasted on them because they failed to embrace all the opportunities they had there. The same is true of any degree. I believe almost anyone can have some kind of career in music if he/she wants it bad enough. You may not be rich, but certainly can make a good living at it. If it your doing it only for the dollars, you're going to wind up in a job you hate or is unfulfilling.
Just my opinion.

[Stefan Kac]

I actually think Bloke gave you some great advice. I would add this: don't view changing majors part of the way through your college career as some kind of failure. I think I read once that the average student does so 2 or 3 times. Obviously you don't want to "waffle" too much, but your feelings are very common (dare I say even prevalent) among people your age. I decided to try being a music major and ended up loving it. But I was VERY unsure when I started. In fact, I still think about possibly pursuing some kind of medical career later on down the road, and I'm really in no worse position to do so than I was four years ago. Just my thoughts.

Edit: I should add that being a music major doesn't make you better by itself. (i.e. I've met a number of non-majors who were killin', and a number of majors who were barely proficient). Didn't a computer science major win the Falcone thing a few years ago, or am I hallucinating?

[Lew]

And I believe that Pat Sheridan has a business degree.

http://www.patricksheridan.com/index.cfm

[joebob]

It sounds to me like you should not major in music because if you are concerned about making money then you should definitely not go into music. The tuba can provide someone with great personal satisfaction, but if you want lots of money, or lots of personal glory, you should do something else. However, people do change their minds and I don't believe that you have to be stuck for the rest of your life in a profession related to your college major.

Majoring in music does not mean you can't be a doctor. I have a friend who majored in music and then actually made a living ($40,000) in a full time orchestra for a couple of years before deciding that playing in an orchestra was too boring and not lucrative enough for him and so he then went to med school and is now a doctor. I have another friend who majored in music at a conservatory, who then went on to law school and is now a very wealthy lawyer. I have yet another friend who majored in music who went on to get an MBA from Harvard Business School and is now a very wealthy businessperson. I know a person who majored in Art History who also went on to get an MBA from Harvard.

There are many majors that, like music, mean very little when it comes to practical professions. It's very hard to make a living being a philosopher or historian or an art historian, yet many people major in these subjects and then go on to make lots of money doing other things. If you go to a reputable college, ie an Ivy League school, many employers don't care about your major.

[sinfonian]

TJ

A coupe of things to remember is that when you are looking for schools

• If you decide to major in Music pick a school that offers your backup major or allows you to do a minor with your music major.
  
  Or, if you decide not to major in music:
  
  Pick a school that has a good music school or department that will allow non majors to compete for spots in the top ensembles based on their ability.
  
  Sometimes a school that has a good band but does not have a outstanding or dedicated Tuba Instructor might have more need for tubas in their bands, giving you more playing time.
  
  Check out the Tuba/low brass instructor the same as you would if you were going to major in music. Find out if they accept non music majors for tuba lessons.

Hope this helps, from a tuba player that started out as an Accounting major switched to Music Eduction in Sophmore year then back to Accounting in Junior year and now works in IT.

[Carroll]

You have been given some good advice here, although it runs the gamut of choices for you. And this does (despite your plea in the original post) come down to a choice for you and your prospective spouse. I started in Mechanical Engineering and changed course after I had completed the course work and only lacked the E.I.T. exam. It was not where my heart was. I was in engineering becuase I was bright and everyone told me that is where I needed to be. I played in every ensemble there was and loved it. Then I started teaching some high school lessons and found my calling. I have no doubt I would have been a good engineer (and still may some day, HA) but as a band director, I can do more for the people I interact with daily and give them the gifts I have been given. My wife is a physician. We met in Marching Band during undergrad. She played in football band, basketball band, and concert band. She played in our community band all through medical school and residency. We still play together in community band and church orchestra. She loves music, but her heart is in serving our fellow man through medicine. Sure, she makes tons more than I do, even with my school job and a very active freelance career, but I do what moves me. You must find what moves you. There is a prominent heart doctor in Memphis (on faculty at the medical school) who pursued his musical interests AFTER completing his medical training.

[tjs]

As I read your original message I sort of had flashbacks to when I was in college and the "what to major in" decisions that I had to make at the time... I can tell you about my decision and how that has affected my life..

First, I can tell you that I've been sitting at a computer since I was 5 (yay computer geek), a piano since I was in 2nd grade, and a tuba since 8th. (I had a brief stint as a clarinet player..whew!) When it came time to pick a major in college it came down to a double major in tuba/piano or just going the easier route in Computer Science. I was really torn about what I wanted to do, however, ultimately I chose the Computer Science route.

Some pluses:
- The money and job security are great
- I was able to play in the same ensembles that the music majors played in at my school (UMASS) throughout most of my time in school
- I was able to take lessons in the department (thanks John!) for a couple of years at no cost while the studio was getting built up
- I get to play the tuba when I "want" to, not because I "have" to. (this may sound weird, but I know a lot of pros who eventually get sick of playing the same gig over and over and over...)

Some minuses:
- I've never been able to devote the amount of time I would *truly* like to devote to my instruments. It's harder too, because I'm equally devote to the piano and the tuba. Practicing one or both 2 hours a day is almost impossible. As a result I consistently struggle with the "how good could I have been if I put the time in" syndrome.
- I did not have the opportunity (e.g. time) to really take any music classes... so my formal music education (outside of what you get from years of lessons) is a little void.

Make sure you "love" or at least "really like" medicine as your "other" career, if that is the route you choose. I can't say I'm in love with my career in CS, but it does afford me a lot of things I would not otherwise be able to afford, such as a house in the greater Boston area. I have a nice 5'2 baby grand in my living room that I tell people all the time I probably wouldn't have if I was "really" a musician. Anyway, my original point was that if you're not really into your high-paying career you may find yourself longing for something more meaningful that satisfies your "soul" rather than your wallet.

I can tell you that overall, I am comfortable with my decision. If I had been a music major I would have wanted to be a performance major -- and quite frankly, I wasn't sure if I had what it took to really be successful in that arena. The alternative has been good to me from an overall lifestyle perspective, and I still remain very active in music. I play in about 3 ensembles regularly and have a brass quintet as well.

Anyway, I hope this helps add a little perspective on what one of your choices could bring you. No one can really tell you what the right thing to do is.. you really need to decide what's important to you and what you want out of life... unfortunately, it's not the easiest decision to reverse!!

Good luck!

[Lew]

... About choosing the major, I am not sure what the med school admissions officers will tell you, but the dean of my law school was more than thrilled that I have a musical background. ...

I don't remember the source, but I do remember reading somewhere that the highest percentage acceptance rate to med school was for music majors. A music undergraduate degree should not be an impediment to getting into med school, and may actually help.

[ken k]

No one can tell you to go into music as a profession. You have to want it. If you have any doubt then it is not for you. Of course being a doctor is no cake walk either, so I can't help you there. The fields of medicine and music (as well as education) are fields where you have to jump in with both feet and 100% of your desire and not worry about other things. It sounds like you are not ready to do that. I know of three doctors in my area who are very active and excellent musicians, so while they are not fulltime musicians who make their living totally on music they are active in the local scene here. (On the other hand, I know of few musicians who make house calls!)

ken k