| To answer violadad's questions, it is my experience that what is typically covered in the first two semesters of college-level theory is useful for pretty much everyone. After that, the material gets a bit more esoteric and is more useful for musicologists, conductors and composers than it would be for performers. There are certainly exceptions for people who want to specialize in particular periods or particular forms of music but, for the general performance major, the latter portions of the required theory courses are kind of like making an aspiring accountant take a second year of calculus. Great mental discipline, highly useful for anyone who wants to become a theoretical economist, but something that someone making a living by preparing corporate tax returns is not going to be using or even thinking about after completing the required classes.
I have a harder time blowing off the music history aspect of things. I think all performers should have a strong appreciation for the music of other times and places, even if they are not going to specialize in them. |