Music business?

plscatamacchia
Tue, 31 Aug 2010 01:41:16 +0000

focused on musical theatre (which by the way teaches many skills that can be applied in different careers–but I digress.)



PLEASE, enlighten me with what practical skills musical theatre will teach everyone that majors in it?



Instead though, D is majoring in vocal performance (still musical theatre), but is getting a music degree (and can someday teach) and is taking a minor called the Business of Media, Entertainment and Technology (which can help prepare her for jobs in the business side of entertainment and music.)



Ok so she chose an impractical major, but you think she also has other things that will help.

(1) A degree in Music, because it could some day allow here to teach. Yes this is a great idea! With states cutting music programs out! GREAT fallback.

(2) You go to college to get a well rounded education. Her minor will do nothing but give her a couple of silly classes that the school proclaims will teach you the music business. What a SHAM. The only way someone learns an industry is by interning and eventually working in it. If she has to stay in class any longer or take more classes than neccessary to get her Vocal Performance and Music degrees than its a WASTE.

I don’t really understand what you are getting at. My two schools of thought were those who believe in practical majors and those who believe in following your dreams. You said that there was gray area and used your daughter as an example, yet she is just double majoring in two very impractical things and minoring in a ridiculous concentration…So what’s your point?



Is it accounting? No. Are there guarantees that she will get a job immediately? No. But neither is there for an accoutant.



This is a ridiculous statement. Of course not all accounting majors will get a job, but the prospects are VASTLY better than any of your daughters majors/minors.



And more than anything, the world is made up of more than accountants or other “practical” fields. Many highly successful people took chances and followed a path that is not set in stone.



Took chances yes, but majoring in music, vocal performance, and minoring in whatever isn’t going to make her a broadway actress (or whatever she wants to do), 5% talent and 95% luck will get her that. I know a few people who had a dream like that, they didn’t go to college, they would laugh at me if I told them college was necessary, they moved to NY and started waiting tables and getting any kind of performance they could. Of course amazing performance arts schools are an exception to this.

It’s just to much of a risk, in my opinion, to spend so much money on a degree that limits you to such a narrow field where competition is so intense and the chances of getting a good return on the college investment is so small.