Posted by Jay Bertolet on December 22, 1999 at 12:25:13:
In Reply to: Majoring in Music posted by J on December 22, 1999 at 03:15:19:
The previous comments were good advice but I want to add a couple of thoughts.
First of all, who says you have to finish in 4 years? I took 5 years to finish my undergraduate and I purposely did that so I would have an extra year with a great teacher and be able to play in all the ensembles I wanted to play in. I'll never forget the first semester I was at college and my advisor was helping me register for the courses required. I had filled out registrations for both Band and Orchestra and he quickly told me that I had to pick one or the other because there wasn't room in my schedule for both and Class Piano. I laughed in his face and insisted he sign me up for the ensembles and forget about Class Piano. It was hilarious too because he was very insistent that freshman never make orchestra and I was simply going to have to change it later. My thinking, and what I later did, was to take the course in the summer or to test out of the course requirement. I guess the main point I'm trying to make is that you should take the courses that will best prepare you for what you have planned for after college. Getting the degree and getting trained for a career aren't necessarily the same goal. The only thing to watch out for when you take 5 or more years to finish the degree is that financial aid is based on you finishing your degree in 4 1/2 years so any grants you are getting may run out before those final semesters.
I really agree with the sentiment about exposing yourself to college life in those early semesters. The college experience is a very rich one and you should leave yourself enough time to experience it. Enjoy!