Majoring in music and...

musicprnt
Mon, 18 Apr 2016 18:10:56 +0000

It depends on what you needs in music are, you could do a dual degree (piano BM/BS or BA in something else), of you could do what a lot of kids do, they go to a school that they like that also offers music to kids who aren’t majoring in it. The ivy league and some of the elite LAC’s have strong music programs, yet they don’t offer performance degrees (BM) as such. The level of playing at schools with a school of music may be a problem, some of them don’t let non majors play with majors (for example, for piano, I was thinking chamber music, if they don’t let non majors play with majors, it could mean the level of playing may not be that good). Do you think you may want to pursue music someday as a career option, or do you simply love to play and want to keep playing (and there are always options, if you are good enough, to change your mind). It sounds to me from your post that you like music but don’t necessarily think you want to focus on it, so a conservatory or even a BM in a university music school may not be what you want. A BM requires a lot of theory and ear training and the like, and you may not want that…again, I think you should be thinking about what you are looking for. Dual degrees are in some ways a great “hedge” , in case music ends up not being your thing (for example, friend of mine went to IU, dual degree in performance and math, decided he wasn’t going to cut it, and finished his math degree, dropped the BM), but they have their own rigors, can take 5 years, and can be pretty intense, whereas playing music while pursuing a BA/BS in something else may work better for you.