Posted by Jay Bertolet on March 04, 1999 at 22:13:12:
In Reply to: Majoring in Music posted by S.P. on March 04, 1999 at 21:09:57:
What a great question! I'm sure that people are going to post a wide variety of opinions on this subject so I'll relay my personal experiences. The only caveat I'll offer about my, or any other's, advice is that there are many roads to success but usually no shortcuts. Usually the kinds of things you would expect to have to do to be successful are the things that are necessary.
I have always felt that to be a performer in music, you have to be a performance major. At the colleges I attended, every one of my classmates that decided to major in other fields (Music Education, etc.) ended up pursuing a career in the field they majored in. Mostly, these folks decided to major in a field other than performance as a "fall back position". None of them ended up as performers. I think that students often forget the purpose of college. It seems to me that you pay a college to train you for your chosen career. So, why would you train for a career you don't want to pursue? Does it matter if you can secure a job in a career you're never going to be happy in? The first thing to do is to decide what career path you want to pursue. Then you have to choose the right college that will train you most effectively and give you the best chance of success in your chosen career. After that, its all up to you.
You will notice that there is alot of risk involved in what I'm suggesting. The reality is that there are very few jobs, lots of qualified players, and luck plays a part in winning or losing a job. I've talked to professional players, who also teach, that follow the philosophy of "discourage all your students from pursuing performance careers, you'll be doing them a big favor". I've noticed, in my experiences as an instructor, that it is very difficult to accurately determine if a given student will "make it" as a performer. That's why I almost never tell a student not to pursue a career in music. I had teachers tell me I wouldn't make it and here I am. I think the best advice any teacher can give to the student is to follow your heart, do with your life exactly what you desire and strive to make your dreams come true. Don't ever be stuck with "what if"...My opinion, for what its worth.