<p>To put it simply, I am not looking for “follow your dream!” responses that don’t consider anything other than my desire. I know that sounds cold, but I want help thinking this through. I also realize that it will be up to me in the end. I want advice from experienced people and adults.
So, with that little intro finished, should I follow what I love?
Music is what I love more than anything. I love spending my time working on, preparing, performing. It motivates me to get out of bed in the morning. But I’m not in an area where I can learn much or experience much “real” performing -I have never had a true, paid performance with professional level musicians. Everything I do is “wannabe” level. There are no high quality educational groups around here that have the rigor I want. I am in every ensemble open to me.
To top that bit off, I’m not great. I KNOW I could become great if I worked at it, but I don’t know if I can devote the time to become great while in high school -I started mid-9th grade with a teacher who could teach technique. I think I could prepare a high quality audition for college -but not at the highest, most virtuosic level.
I see how hard it is to get work as a musician. My teacher, who has a DMA in bass performance and is an amazing, amazing player. He has a command of the instrument rarely seen. He understands it and can put it in practice. But he doesn’t have a decent paying position. He is a member of three local “professional” orchestras, and teaches at a regional university as adjunct faculty, and teaches privately as well and he seems to barely get by.</p>
<p>I know I rambled quite a bit, but hopefully my summary will be more succinct:
1.) I don’t know whether I should pursue music as a career. It is difficult to get paying positions and I don’t know if I would make enough to support a family.
2.) I don’t know whether I should dive into academics to the exclusion of music or vice versa. There is no happy medium, I would have to be mediocre at both if I split my time. I am currently in the top 10% of my class but I only have a 3.72 unweighted GPA (weighted is 4.3/4.4).
3.) Finally, I don’t know whether my living should fund my playing or my playing fund my living. </p>
<p>This could just be a low point, but I am really upset by this whole situation. I had been hellbent on being a musician for the past year and a half but now I don’t know!</p>
<p>Music careers seem to be very hard to get into. And you had a very late start. It would seem like instead you should consider maybe a minor in music and joining musical groups at your college and then your community later in life. Or try and find a way to combine your interest in music with something more marketable. Maybe music and math or music and advertising, etc.</p>
<p>I think you should probably minor in music seeing as you have an obvious love for music. You could try applying to a liberal arts college where you could you focus on music and major in something else. With a liberal or an arts college there seems to be a lot of room for a totally different major. You can join music groups and clubs at the College you choose. I understand the “follow your dream” thing, honestly it’s a little unrealistic because you never know If you will come up with an opportunity to follow this dream. It’s like people who want to be actors, you’ll never know when or If your big break will come.</p>
<p>Oh dear, this sounds exactly like my youngest D. The only thing she has any Passion for is theater/acting and taking pictures. She will be a sophomore and has no idea if she even wants to go to college. Obviously my advice as a parent is to go. Maybe you need to enter as undeclared and get a feel for different areas. My cousin has a passion for music and is majoring in special ed. all ages, with a minor in music. She just returned from touring Rome with her very exclusive choir group at her college.</p>
<p>So, there are other ways to work music into your life while obtaining a degree that may make it a little easier to find a job.</p>
So don’t split your time evenly. You’ve made a step towards adulthood in choosing (though you haven’t admitted it yet) a responsible path, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up music. Minor in it or join ONE ensemble instead of all of them. Would you be happy or feel left out if you were around people who truly are great? Could you major in management or PR or something with an eye to staying in the music arena as a helper?</p>
<p>You don’t have to be “mediocre” at music - come up with a different word. Like amateur (etymology something like doing it for love), or hobbyist. </p>
<p>There are some excellent business and music programs these days. I know American University has one (and they help folks get lots of internships) as does the University of Denver. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, see all those B.A.s out there working at Starbucks these days (if they’re lucky?) Had they done something like music or drama, they’d have something better to console themselves with, and something GREAT to be doing after work.</p>
<p>Kat, I have not. I am trying to get advice from those not bitten by “the bug” so as to have a bit of temperance. But if I’m not a performer I honestly don’t know if I would enjoy it -performing (“playing”) is what I love. And I’m not THAT behind. If I worked exclusively on the instrument I feel I could be at a very high level for a high schooler. But I don’t know if I can afford to do that to the exclusion of school, family, friends, work.</p>
<p>I just want to question your assumption that you would be mediocre if you tried to pursue both. Maybe true, but maybe anything less than ‘the best’ you view as ‘mediocre’ which isn’t a good way to look at things at all. And not fair to yourself.</p>
<p>As but one example, you note your GPA which frankly is great, and you’d still not be ‘mediocre’ if you had say a 3.5 and in the top 30%. So what? That would not at all have put you in the ‘mediocre’ category. </p>
<p>Understand I’m not advocating slacking off and not trying one’s best, but many many many of us have ‘tried to have it all’ and we have had to get used to not being THE BEST at one thing but instead successful and happy at more than one thing. Life is like that, you probably won’t have just one education and one career, or just solely have to study or work your whole life. You’ll have to juggle a lot of things that are important to you (work, ECs, social life, family, hobbies). I am going to venture a guess that you could do both (especially if you allow yourself to not have to be the very top with either). Now you might argue you can’t get anywhere if you aren’t the best of the best, especially in arts careers, but I would beg to differ (apparently a lot more seems to go into a successful music career than just sheer musical ability, from all I’ve read and learned from those that know far more than me about it).</p>
<p>What about a dual major in performance and a non musical discipline? This way you can still study what you love and be prepared for a musical or non musical career.</p>
<p>starbright: that is possible that I’m being to hyberbolic. but I honestly feel that for me to be truly competitive for a school that has a good reputation with regards to their bass faculty requires me to be one of the best.
and
prefect: that would be amazing -if there was somewhere good for bassists like that that is not absurdly difficult to get into. All quality music programs are going to be competitive, and ones that happen to have high quality dual degree/major programs (Oberlin, Bard, etc.) are especially so.</p>
<p>sorry ADad, while I was writing my response you posted. And the alternatives to music that interest me are medicine, law (I know… most people are like “that’s ridiculous, if you really thought about it you would not like both…” But one of my parents is a physician, the other an attorney so I feel I know what each is like), linguistics, philosophy, and physics. (In order of interest: medicine, linguistics, physics, law, philosophy). I know this sounds like I’m reading off a list, but it really is stream of consciousness -so I’m sorry if it sounds, like my first post, rambling.
and, ADad, I don’t think I would be happy with a career like my teachers. He deserves so much more but he can’t get it because of the system.</p>
<p>Well, you can major and/or minor in anything (music, physics, philosophy, linguistics, etc.) and apply to law school. Same with medical school, but then you would have to fit the pre-med courses in around your major (would be kind of like a minor in biology).</p>
<p>Of the subjects you mention, physics has the best job and career prospects – but many do not work in physics jobs. However, they are recruited for their ability to think mathematically into well paying jobs in finance, computer software, and some types of engineering – an outlet that biology and chemistry majors (which many pre-meds do) do not have.</p>
<p>Okay so let me gently push you a bit here. I see more assumptions you are setting up. So now its not just a career in music, but a particular career in music that ONLY comes from having gotten a degree one of a subset that offer what everyone knows is a high quality music program? </p>
<p>If I read this correctly you are saying that if one does not major in music at one of a set of top music schools, one never ends up with a satisfying career in music; that everyone knows which are the best schools and they are all competitive and there are no hidden gems out there that also lead to a music career; that one must major in music and not double major or minor; that the only careers that allow one to have a wonderful life as a career musician are ones that require you to go to one of several schools. Really? Is this all really true? Or might you be painting yourself into a corner with very black and white assumptions? This is very perfectionistic thinking btw Is there a way for you to test these assumptions to see if they are valid or possibly somewhat inaccurate? </p>
<p>Challenging life problems require you to think outside the box, think expansively, look for creative solutions. Not lock into a maze of perceived dead ends based upon what might be false assumptions.</p>
<p>I have no problems with being pushed; that’s the point of this thread!
BUT I make these assumptions for a number of reasons. Advice, and experiences from/of others makes a big difference. You want a teacher that “cranks out” (figure of speech! not meant to have a negative connotation!) national orchestra audition winners. The most successful schools are the most competitive. I don’t know if there have been any major audition winners from “no-name” schools.
Also, I would LOVE to double major/degree -but once again, teachers limit the possibilities. If I go into music I would want a career that could be totally funded by one orchestral position.
and with regards to the testing: no. Just statistics/facts that I have seen where no orchestral bassists winning auditions in the past 10 years have attended no name schools.</p>
<p>Pruneface, my three children are all involved in music, to some extent. This question came up with my middle child, who will be a freshman in college this fall. He is very talented. Enough so that he considered majoring in music. He spoke at length with both of his private teachers (two different instruments), as well as other music teachers he knows. All of these fine teachers have experience as working musicians. Both of his private teachers still play professionally as well as give lessons. All of them have degrees in music, one has a PhD from the Peabody Institute. They have credibility. Their message was pretty uniform:</p>
<p>It is extremely difficult to make a living as a musician. The hours are long, and include evenings. The pay, for all but a very few musicians, is lousy. Most musicians need to also teach to cobble a living together. Every single one of them advised him to NOT major or minor in music, but to continue to play. Continue to take lessons when he can, find some groups to play with in college, join a band, participate in the marching band or jazz band or one of the many other groups on campus that are available to non music majors. In other words, at this point, to play music for the love of it, and continue to learn and improve. </p>
<p>There are a lot of majors out there that are related to music. Musical engineering, sound engineering, business with a music emphasis, etc. Music engineering is offered as a combined major between the Peabody institute and Johns Hopkins. They are looking for fabulous musicians combined with strong math skills. They have a hard time filling 10 open spots a year. </p>
<p>My son plans to audition for a campus jazz band, and one of the campus bands open to non music majors this fall. He is an undeclared major at the moment, but I’d guess that music will remain an important part of his life. </p>
<p>You don’t need to major or minor in music unless you PLAN to become a music teacher (which is a fine, wonderful profession).</p>
<p>I think you would find that musicians who are part of major orchestras almost all teach. It’s not that they couldn’t live on their salaries–if they are members of the Chicago or Boston Symphonies or New York Philharmonic or the like, anyway–but teaching can be quite lucrative as well as satisfying.</p>
<p>But what you are saying is that you will not be satisfied unless you are at the absolute pinnacle of your profession. The likelihood of that happening is probably fairly low. It’s fairly low for everyone, including Julliard grads. </p>
<p>I know professional musicians who make a nice living teaching and performing. I know musicians who scrape together a living with 5 or 6 jobs. I also know well-paid lawyers who derive significant satisfaction from playing an instrument in high-level amateur ensembles. </p>
<p>How driven are you? How talented are you? Sounds to me as if you should have a real heart-to-heart with your teacher, and start by determining what HE thinks your potential is.</p>
<p>I’m not saying I dont want to teach -that’s important to me too! i was simply saying I want a living just from performing, the other stuff is just extra enjoyment. and I really wish I had some way of knowing how talented I am, if I am at all. There is ONE other bassist around my age in my area (and its a huge area).</p>
<p>There is one music degree you can earn that will allow you to play music everyday and make a decent wage while you’re at it. That degree is a music ed degree. You’ll have a captive audience five days per week, be required to work only 10 months of the year (unless you direct a high school band, in which case you’ll have two weeks in the summer you’ll have to devote to band practice), and get benefits like insurance and a retirement package. It’s not a glamorous job, but can be extremely satisfying while allowing you to play your instrument for pay. </p>
<p>College teaching is another option that will require you to perform with other faculty members in chamber groups and perform solo recitals as well as teach talented students eager to learn. The perks are great, too. Just something to think about . . .</p>
Is there a way for you to test these assumptions to see if they are valid or possibly somewhat inaccurate? </p>