Re: discouraged


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Posted by Jay Bertolet on September 04, 2000 at 07:03:31:

In Reply to: discouraged posted by anonymous on September 04, 2000 at 03:14:11:

Don't be so quick to jump ship!

In spite of the discussion in the earlier thread "Hypothetical Question", there are some of us who still believe a performance degree is worthwhile. I have two and they have served me well. Mostly, I think the difference is in your mentality concerning how you use your degree after college. Many go to college thinking that obtaining a degree is like getting a ticket into the job market. It just isn't so. If you pursue a performance degree with the idea that you just have to show it to people to get a job, you will be disappointed.

I took two performance degrees because I wanted to learn the skills necessary to be a performer. Others have said that just taking private lessons will accomplish the same thing but I disagree. The competition for chairs surrounding a good studio and the ensemble experience to be had in good college ensembles is invaluable in helping you to become a better musician. And good musicians get jobs.

Is a performance degree going to help you get a job doing anything other than playing? Nope. Not unless you take the opportunity to learn other skills while pursuing the degree. A typical university performance degree requires a large number of credits outside of the specialization and if you structure those with a specific trade in mind, you probably could become proficient at something else even though you won't have the shingle to show for it.

But it always comes back to the question of why are you pursuing a performance degree? What I tell my students is that they must have a need to perform for this to be a viable option. If you don't absolutely feel empty not performing, maybe it isn't for you. For me, I really could never envision myself doing anything else so performance was the only option. That is the kind of committment level it takes. Just remember that being a performance major is not an easy thing. There is much to learn, in addition to building your chops and learning excerpts, that we don't talk about much. But becoming proficient at Music History and Theory and Ear Training is no easy feat. But these things are necessary to become a good musician.

Work hard to get what you must have and forget what others say. After all, you are making the choices for your life so what do you really want?

My opinion for what its worth...


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