Advice on Careers

[jamie_liszt]

I am from Australia, I don't know if its a bit different in other countries like the U.S but I will try and explain my situation as best as I can (I dont know if going to year 12 is compulsory in other countries).

I have been playing piano since I was 8 years old, I am now 17. I am in my final year (year 12) at school. I know I wanted to make piano/music a future career when I was 15, I was in year 10 and finished my school certificate, I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do at the time so I didn't drop out, I continued onto the senior years (yr 11 and 12) to go for my higher school certificate and get a UAI to possibly goto University (for performance degree). I didn't want to leave like some people did at year 10 not knowing what I wanted to do, My parents, well being parents I guess told me to go on so I can do music in University. Now thats not the case, I have done alot of thinking and talking to people like school teachers, Careers advisors at school, parents and my piano teacher and I have decided I want to do private teaching to get some extra cash on playing restaurant piano , parties, weddiings etc.

Why should I go through stress of year 12 when I dont want to goto uni?

I will goto the Conservatorium of music where I live for non-tertiary subjects for some extra education but not university. I would rather build more students and practice, gets jobs at places. etc

My teachers advice was why goto uni if your not going for a reason, no use having to pay for it all, she said private teaching doesnt require teacher degrees, but schools do. I dont want schools but I will do private teaching.
Anyone got advice?

[prongated]

The piano school I currently work in is run by a guy who has been teaching since he was your age. He never went to uni to study music - he taught straight after he finished his HSC. Simply having the experience for so many years earned him a place today in the local community as one of the best teachers in the area. FYI, I think he's only done up to 8th grade AMEB piano (and possibly a diploma in music theory )

I will goto the Conservatorium of music where I live for non-tertiary subjects for some extra education but not university.

I don't quite understand this. So in other words, you'll continue taking lessons with your current teacher? May I know what this conservatorium is?


To me, it depends on your current standard of piano playing/knowledge and the kinds of pupils you want to be able to teach in the future. Almost regardless of what you are up to now, there's only so much you have learned up until now - and obviously, you can't teach what you don't really know.

Going to uni, IMO, gives you the chance to learn further - know more works, more musicology/music history etc. And if you have the chance to study overseas, you will most likely get a wonderful musical experience that you will never get by staying here in Australia.

In hindsight. it certainly is not necessary to study music at uni to become a music teacher in Australia. Just don't expect to get the sort of pupils that Elizabeth Powell or Nikolai Evrov has/had.


If you are starting up now, you may also find this thread interesting.

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,23949.0.html