<p>I would like to major in music ed and minor in jazz, or double major in music ed/ jazz performance. Even though I have picked music ed major my parents are still wary. They say I may not be able to get a job, and if I do, I won’t make enough money to support a family. I’m a junior in high school, so I wouldn’t even be looking for jobs for about 9 years (after grad school). </p>
<p>What do you think about this?</p>
<p>Some music ed schools have very good placement percentages for their music ed grads. I assume that you are talking about teaching music in schools (rather than privately).</p>
<p>One would hope that the current cutbacks which are disproportionately affecting arts education will long be over in 9 years when you graduate.</p>
<p>As for salary, most teachers with families do manage to support them although often with the support of their spouse’s income. Perhaps your parents mean that you might not be able to support a family in the style to which they would like you to be accustomed. </p>
<p>Ultimately, the choice is yours because you will live with the career and with the income. </p>
<p>If you intend to become a private music teacher, then supporting a family could indeed be difficult. Most private music teachers earn considerably less than school teachers.</p>
<p>Yes I would teach in school, give private lessons, and hopefully gig. And, yes my girlfriend/wife would hopefully continue to work.</p>
<p>A prior discussion:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/951023-100-job-placement-music-ed-majors-really.html?highlight=placement[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/951023-100-job-placement-music-ed-majors-really.html?highlight=placement</a></p>
<p>My mother used to tell my son that the difference between a musician and a pizza is that a pizza could (conceivably) feed four people.</p>
<p>Full disclaimer: son was a performance/ed dual major who opted out of the ed portion a few credits shy of completion to follow his first love, performance. While “marginally” employed as a performing musician, my observation is that his peers with the ed degrees had significantly more stable options.</p>