Music vs piano major

BassDad
Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:56:02 +0000

A BM in performance is a pre-professional degree that has the intent of preparing the recipient to either continue performance studies in grad school or to go out and start auditioning for jobs. The usual balance is two-thirds to three-fourths music-related courses and the rest in other areas. Typically the requirements will include ensemble participation and usually one or more solo recitals. There is usually time for only one instrument (and I include voice in that broad category), although some people manage to work in lessons on a secondary instrument or a second style of playing (e.g. classical and jazz.)

The BA degree treats music as a liberal art rather than an applied art. The ratio is almost reversed with perhaps a third of the classes related to music and the rest comprising the remainder of a typical liberal arts curriculum. In the case of music history and theory, some schools do not require the student to sing or play an instrument at all. The holder of a BA degree would probably have some catching up to do if their intent is to move into a performance program for grad school or start auditioning for music jobs. Having had more of the core curriculum, they may be better positioned than the BM holder to move into non-musical areas in grad school or to continue with musicology.