| I'm all for the idea of young musicians exploring different disciplines, including getting degrees in those fields while studying music (I don't think the Ivy League schools are necessary the optimal place for that, though Harvard and Yale have lots of talented musicians); but I also believe there is inestimable value for performers to know more than the technique they will learn from their practitioner teachers -- to understand the broader historical and theoretical concepts in music. Music theory may well be boring, and it may well be that it isn't all of direct practical value -- neither is studying calculus, but in any of the sciences, that is part of the curriculum. AP theory, the level you get in high school, just won't be enough to pass out of the conservatory/music department requirements, which typically include 2 years of theory and aural training courses. |