School: Yes or No

[darth2ba]

Is school worth it?

Do symphonies care if you have a degree or do they care more about having a musician that's proficient at his/her instrument?

Thank you in advance for your feedback!

[circusboy]

As with other artistic disciplines, your playing matters more than your degree, though I wouldn't be surprised if you couldn't get a foot in the door without a degree.

On all other counts, school is worth it. It enriches your life, may help you to find a back-up career if necessary, and allows you to join the world of educated people.

If you have the opportunity, do it.

[Homerun]

Short answer:

Go to school with the intention of learning everything you can about everything. Don't ever stop having fun. And always, always, always try to learn something new. Because you are going to pay alot of money to set yourself up for the rest of your life.

But, yeah, go.

[Tom]

As with other artistic disciplines, your playing matters more than your degree, though I wouldn't be surprised if you couldn't get a foot in the door without a degree.

This is exactly right. You've got to get past the resume round before you ever get a chance to play. Getting past the resume round means that you've got to have either the degree or the experience the committee expects in order to be seriously considered.

Read the bios of those in the symphony in your area. Read the bios of those in the major orchestras like New York, Chicago, etc. You'll find very, very, very few people (if any these days) that don't have a college degree or conservatory training. And they're the ones with gigs!

It's hard enough to get a gig WITH a degree. Why put yourself at a disadvantage out of the gate by not going?

I won't get into the value of a college experience, the value of it when you go to find a non-playing job, and so on, but they are also real considerations.

[bort]

Yes, go to school.

Maybe even double major in something non-music to have a better shot at getting a job later!

[TUBAD83]

Completely agree with circus boy and homerun. Not yes, but HELL YES! Go and have a great experience -- we need MORE college educated citizens!!

JJ

[Ben]

I studied both Chemistry and Music Performance for 5 years and graduated with a BA in Chem and BM in Tuba perf. The experience was challenging to say the least, but I learned much about life from both fields that I use every day. Educate yourself. Learn something everyday. Solve new problems. It's all part of your continuing life. I still learn every day. The broader your education, the more employable you are. Best of luck.

[darth2ba]

Thank you for the feedback. Academics have never been my "cup of tea" and it's been difficult for me to want to stay in school. I just have to keep reminding myself that it will all pay off in the long run!

[MartyNeilan]

If you think school is hard, wait until you get to the real world!

[ginnboonmiller]

I feel compelled to add that, if you only want to go to school in order to get a job in a symphony, you might want to think about how you really want to spend the next four years. Because frankly, you're not going to get a job on stage with a symphony.

Go to school to study music, though. That's a whole different thing, and worth it. If that's what you want to do. If you'd rather work in sales for the rest of your life than spend four more years in school, then follow that impulse.

I think a lot of folks my age and older and slightly younger forget - it's a lot more expensive to go to school these days, and degrees mean less now than they used to, and the job market is a lot tougher, and the standard stay-in-school approach we all heard as kids isn't necessarily the universally good advice that it used to be.

But if your main concern, as I understood your post, holds true, then don't go to school and sell your tuba. Join a baseball farm team instead. Better odds.

[otismoe]

there's always the issue of conservatory vs. college w/music program...tough choice, should you take the leap or play it safe

[tubbba]

Unless you're already some kind of prodigy, you're going to need some way to make ends meet until you get your shot at a seat in a symphony. Until your gig comes up, you're going to open more doors with a degree, than without.

And if you aren't already some kind of prodigy, exactly where do you expect to learn what you need to even become a symphony musician? You need to find that place and get *there*.

I'm guessing you're closer to *there* where you are right now, little duck.

[tclements]

I'd LOVE to talk to you about this subject. I have MANY opoinions on this, as you can imagine. It'd take too damned long to write it all down. Call me, and we'll talk. You can find me in the San Jose, CA phone book.

[darth2ba]

I'm guessing you're closer to *there* where you are right now, little duck.

Indeed. I have an awesome tuba professor/mentor! I just have to remind myself that school is worth it in the long run!

[Uncle Markie]

School is always a good idea - no education is wasted. That said, no one ever asked to see my diploma - and I've worked for pretty big names since 1967 when I started in the business.

However, if you think you want to be the music business, I advise you to get you feet wet doing some kind of music gig - summer theme park, union concert band, sign on with a touring show, etc. BEFORE you go into debt for student loans, or blow your parents' dough on an expensive education in a major you won't be using. Play some gigs - nice ones and unrewarding grind jobs - see if you actually like the life. The Disney World summer gig isn't a bad if need to find out if you are suited to showing up and playing the same thing day after day whether you like the tunes or not. The full time professionals who work there do this five days a week for years - like working on Broadway it takes certain mindset and a degree of professionalism to do. You might really dig this; you really hate it. Find out earlier than later.



As Bunny Berrigan said "I love music but I hate the music business" - most people drop out of the music business not because of talent or education, but because they are psychologically unsuited to it.

The curriculum for a music ed degree is very different from the curriculum for a "performance" degree.

You might remember that William Bell went to a teachers college - NOT a conservatory.

[pigman]

College is about what you have learned after you forget everything you have learned in college.

[darth2ba]

To pigman- I agree!

I apologize for any negative thoughts I might have presented from my original post. I love the music program I'm in and I thoroughly enjoy every lesson with my professor! The academic side of being at a college/university gets to me and frustrates me sometimes. As I posted previously, I've just got to keep reminding myself that an all-around education along with being at a music school will better me not only as a musician but also as a person.

[Brown Mule]

Darth2ba, I am retired and have rode some rough miles through life. I have found one consistent thread that has always worked throughout_____________NEVER GIVE UP,EVER. KEEP ON GOING ON. Talk to those mentors you trust and admire; They can help put things in perspective.

[tclements]

Yes ...... and no.

[ScotGJ]

I believe that it is the richness and depth of one's experiences that leads to growth and learning. Are you having deep, challenging experiences? If you don't go to school will you have a richer more complex life experience?

The more you know, the more you know. Everything you become will reflect in your music.

There is no right answer to this question. If you talk to several great musicians you will hear many different ways that they grew and developed. The only thing that they will have in common is that they all had very rich experiences, and that not one of them had a simple linear path to success.