One of my son’s closest friends is a jazz piano major at NEC. He was a National Merit Finalist and his parents are academics, University faculty. They were really nervous about “letting” him major in music, as we all were, but looking at our kids now, I think we’ve come to realize that they’re going to be “done” in two years when they graduate. His friend is a brilliant pianist, even by elite conservatory standards, but there would be nothing to keep him from continuing on to pursue an academic career if he chooses. In fact, I think it would probably be easier for all of our kids to go get graduate degrees in other fields and pursue other careers than stick to music, especially performance.
I’ll also say this. I remember being so amazed how much these kids matured musically in high school. Now that they’re in college, the growth is exponential and not just musically. This idea that dedicating these four years solely to music, perhaps ultimately as a detour, is going to set them back just isn’t the case. I’m starting to think that although we parents think that we’re guiding our kids, we’re really just chasing after them…