| pinkearmufs -
I disagree. I believe that Music Education is something NOT to be regarded as a "backup". Too often, music educators at the secondary and grammar school levels are failed performers themselves, and do not bring the correct mindset when they come to the job. That's not good for the kids, and certainly not good for the future of music. Only those who truly want to be grade/secondary school teachers (those that would rather teach kids than perform) should be encouraged to pursue a Music Education degree.
The lives of an education major versus a performance major are quite different. The music education major takes a larger range of academic classes and probably learns to play several instruments, and graduates with a certification to teach at a high school or middle school or elementary school in the college's state/province/country. A performance major is thrust into hard-core tight focus on his instrument, taking courses and ensembles revolving around this instrument, and is expected to practice up to 3 times more than a music ed student. He graduates with NO certification to teach anywhere, but if he becomes well known in the field, he may be asked to interview for a professorial position.
An applicant to college must be very aware of these differences when deciding whether or not to pursue a music degree. |