What is it like taking piano major in Univeristy?

[diabola]

I am going to audition for UBC piano performance soon and I am wondering if people currently studying piano major in Universities can please tell me what studying piano major in Uni. is like? how is it?
and what is a piano major student's usual daily schedule? Thank you in advance~~!

[m19834]

Well, overall, of course it depends on you as an individual, the environment of the specific School, and your main teacher (and then it's back to you and how you respond to those things).  There can be great things about it, and there can be drawbacks, too.  I would definitely recommend visiting the school and spending a little time just sitting in/observing the environment and meet a few teachers (and especially the one you would be studying with) before you go.

Some things that I liked about it were the musical life all around, as there was always an energy of music in the air and concerts going on.  When I first went to school, I was actually too shy to even talk to anybody and at first I would seek out places to be alone when I wasn't practicing, but some of the faculty there made distinct points to find me and come and talk to me (which was actually profoundly embarrassing for me at first).  Eventually this helped me to integrate a bit more with everybody, and I made a number of really great friends.  I think that I grew in some very specific ways while I was there, but that was just one part of my path, which I am starting to be able to see more clearly now, and that brings me to some of the possible drawbacks.

Some of the drawbacks can be in thinking that once you enroll and get your degree, that your work is done in some way.  That is not true.  No matter what, if you choose music as a profession, your work is always just starting in a way, and it's wise, I think, to treat your schooling as only a building block to a much longer line of work.  It would be wise to take some business courses while you are there, for example, and this is not something that I have found to be incorporated into a regular music degree.  I think it is good to treat your schooling in a way that it is actually meant to be, I think, but people can get a little lost along the way.  It is meant to "prepare" or give you "practice" for the real world, but that doesn't mean you will just pop out of your school and burst onto the music scene.  What it really means, I think, is to take every opportunity to grow and gain experience and try to draw parallels between what you are doing while in school, to what you might be doing while not in school.  Really take the opportunity to get to know yourself and how you work.  Figuring out how *you* audition and perform and practice well, for example, are useful "skills" to have.  And, that may involve some failure.  I think it's important to know that the failure is meant to happen in some way, and it must be learned from as much as from (if not more than) the successes.  In some ways, school (and especially undergrad) is the right place for that, but people don't necessarily treat it like the right place for that.  Instead, they try to be already perfect as though it is actually the real world already and by being perfect in school, it is the same as being perfect in real life.  It's not.  That is not to say that it's not useful to do the best you can, but it's very useful to take risks, too.

Well, hope that helps !  Off to practice for me !

[m19834]

I have to come back and "sum up" a little.  Basically, school is a way and a place to gain and hone the skills (and some contacts, perhaps) you need to build a career, whereas sometimes people treat it like the actual career itself or as though the schooling itself actually builds the career for you. 

[m19834]

I am going to audition for UBC piano performance soon and I am wondering if people currently studying piano major in Universities can please tell me what studying piano major in Uni. is like? how is it?
and what is a piano major student's usual daily schedule? Thank you in advance~~!

Okay.  Now more specifics, I guess  .

Actually studying the major is nice, at least it was for me.  Though, I dedicated almost all of my time to practicing, and I didn't study as much as I could have.  In some ways I regret that, in other ways I don't.  I actually made a conscious decision that my sole purpose in going to school at that time was to buy myself time to practice a lot and study with the teacher I was studying with.  I don't necessarily recommend doing it that way, exactly.

Depending on the exact school and program, the major itself will have core requirement classes, and then the school will have core requirement classes.  And, it's a lot !  That's why it takes years to complete  .  The school of music will make sure that scheduling the music courses that you need at different times is actually possible in the first place, and they will decide what times and days those are.  So, if you will be a freshman, you will have a set of courses you need to take, and they will offer them in ways that do not get in the way of the other classes you need to take (alternating days and so on).  Where I went to school, I never had a music class start before 10am, I think.

From there, I looked in the catalogue at what my core requirements for the school itself were (it's probably good to get an advisor, but I did my own advising because ... I just did), and since I practiced best (and still do) in the mornings, I would schedule the rest of my classes with that in mind.  That is kind of a neat because you can, or at least I could, work my day around my practice.

So, for awhile, I was getting to school at about 5am, practicing until about 11am or 12pm, then going to classes for a few hours each day.  Then, I would go home and teach and do homework and sometimes practice more at home.  I had more freedom in my schedule especially once I got all of my core curriculum for the University out of the way.

If you want more details, just ask !  Otherwise, I will stop flooding your thread for now  .

[diabola]

wow thank you for the very knowledgeable reply~!! 

sorry to bother you again but did you had any time to take courses from other faculties  (ie. business) when you were in Uni.? 

[m19834]

Well, yes, I did take other courses.  One of the most helpful for me was a public speaking course, which I was absolutely *petrified* to do at first, but somehow throughout the term I came to realize that I can have an easier time talking in public than I sometimes have in more intimate settings (though I *think* I am getting a bit better).  And, I realized that I really enjoy public speaking !    That is a particularly helpful kind of course for a performing career.  I also took a couple of economics courses, which I found to be very interesting and helpful.  And a bunch of other stuff, of course.

Business courses, no, but I wish I did.  I was a little bit of a non-traditional student as I had spent some time in the school of life prior to being in school full time, and I had managerial experience during that time ... hee hee, I nearly made a decent paying career out of managing a grocery store  , but thank goodness I payed attention to myself enough to change my course in life.  Anyway, I learned a bit about business during that time and through other jobs that I have had (a number of other jobs -- been working in some form since I was 11yrs old), at least in some ways.  There's always more to learn of course !!  I am pretty convinced though that those work experiences that I had prior to being in school, and what I learned through those experiences, are largely what I have survived on in the years since graduating and making a living as a musician and private piano teacher.  Other than the sheer musical skills that I learned while I practiced my tooshy off in school, I honestly don't think I would have been remotely "prepared" to face the "real world" had I not already done so in some way (a number of ways) in my life before.  The job(s) that I had before I started teaching were literally my very stepping stone into teaching.

Anyway, there was a music-business degree at the school I attended, and that major required the students to take business courses.  I have always felt like that was probably a more practical degree, though I don't know for sure !  The thing is, music is one field where the skill and some kind of street smarts can get you quite far, and a degree is not required (though I am not suggesting to not get one just because of that, nor am I suggesting that it is not helpful) in order to have a musical lifestyle and even a career.  There are a lot of amazing musicians that are in school and teaching at schools, but there are a lot of fantastic musicians who aren't, too.

[mrba1979]

Though this is not quite on topic it has to deal with a comment K made about taking business courses.  I would highly suggest if you have an extra year or two earn a degree in the medical field, and then pursue your music degree.  There are many one to two year degrees which pay well after graduation and are great for part time work while going to school for music.  I went to school for sonography and I will say the pay is better than I ever thought I would make.   

[m19834]

I would highly suggest if you have an extra year or two earn a degree in the medical field, and then pursue your music degree.

hee hee ... now I have to comment on this  .  While I am not disagreeing with the suggestion made by mrba, and it may be wise to have some other degree of a "practical" nature (I have thought, for example, of something to do with computers) alongside whatever you do with music, I want to point out that I am suggesting business courses are a wise thing to take for the purpose of pursuing a career in music ... not as a backup plan should music not work out.  I am suggesting that individuals more or less need to have some kind of business sense in order to survive in the field of music, and that most music programs seem to not include this in the regular program.

There is some element in life in general, where it's important that you truly dedicate yourself and your efforts to those things that you most want.  Music is definitely not an exception to that and it requires a lot of time and energy and general dedication to really do it well, whether you are "talented" or "not."  So, while it is wise, I think, to make sure you are going to be supporting yourself financially, don't spread your personal resources too thin as that in and of itself could shoot you in the foot.

This may be getting to be too much information at once for you, but I will say that if you were planning to continue on to graduate school, what really matters for that is having some kind of undergrad degree (actually ANY kind in ANY field), being able to pass the entrance exams, and playing well/being a good musician.  So, theoretically, you could get your undergrad degree in "anything" and as long as you would do well in your entrance exams to grad school and as long as you've got what it takes to be a musician, you could still get a graduate degree in music.  Also, if you are wanting to teach at the collegiate level, you actually technically don't even have to have a graduate degree in MUSIC.  You just have to have a graduate degree of any kind, and depending on the school (how small or big), if you have what it takes to teach music, once you are at the school as a teacher, you could be pulled in to teach music.  Now, I am not suggesting that you take those ways because there are even fewer guarantees those ways and the competition is very stiff, it's just that the field and how it can work is actually less black and white (no pun intended) than people may know.

The problem with pursuing seriously more than one thing is the issue of time and energy.  No matter what, if you want to be a musician, you must have the time and energy to devote yourself to that endeavor, and studying music in school is one way to buy yourself the time and space to pool your personal resources in that direction (that is actually one of the most valuable parts about it, imo, plus the program is hopefully designed to assist you as you dedicate yourself to the endeavor).  Plus, after all of your blood, sweat and tears, you can walk out of there with a fancy piece of paper that validates your huge life-size efforts, and proves that you know what you are doing  .

[kelly_kelly]

Is it feasible to pursue a double major in science (physics) and piano performance? Not that I would be accepted as a piano major anywhere... "sigh".

[m19834]

Is it feasible to pursue a double major in science (physics) and piano performance? Not that I would be accepted as a piano major anywhere... "sigh".

Well, most likely, if you actually ask people, especially those whom are involved with mentoring in either Major, they will say "no" and tell you to choose between them (that is also a pretty valid and warranted response from them).  That is because obviously, one major requires a bunch of work.  Two majors requires obviously even more work, though maybe not actually twice as much.  On top of that, music courses are generally a little strange in that there are a bunch of required courses that take up the same amount of time as a 4-credit course, but for which you recieve only 1 or 2 credits for (ensembles are a great example).  Sciences may be similar in that many core courses will also require some kind of supplement "lab" to go with it.  And on top of that, aside from the actual sheer school work, you will need to realistically dedicate hours of truly focused and energetic attention to your practicing of piano.

You will have core requirements for music, core requirements for physics, and core requirements for the school itself.  The good news is that the lower division stuff for either Major will probably fit somewhere into the core requirements for the University.  The University's core requirements for undergrad are meant to give you a broader base of experiences and knowledge, and they will require that you take classes from several different fields (of course this varies a bit from school to school), so if you do it right, your class picks will fill both the requirements for the school itself, as well as for both majors.  In other words, you will have a choice about what kind of science class(es) you can take to fulfill the school's core requirements to get your degree, similarly with music (though most of the time, music is just a pick out of the "arts and letters" category), and some of those will also fulfill the core requirements that you have to take to fulfill your major.  However, you have to look that up in the catalogue and/or ask your advisor (but I would recommend looking at it yourself no matter what, and trying to understand it yourself no matter what).  Most likely it will take you some extra time to try to do both.  The upper division in both areas will, most likely, not correspond too much with core requirements for the school ... but again, check on that.

From there, it's just a matter of your own personal resources in managing your time and using it efficiently, as well as your stamina.  But, I would look closely at what your motives are and what you are hoping to gain from that, because sometimes the same effect can be achieved without doing the exact same thing as double-majoring.  For example, Majoring in one and minoring in the other will often give you a lot in terms of undergrad requirements, if you were to go on and get more focused in graduate work (but you would want to have some kind of foresight with that, too).

In any event, whatever you do, don't sell your experience short just to jam yourself through the system !  You are there for your own growth and your own experience, and that really matters !  It is very possible for one program at one school to be not the right fit and not conducive to your own personal growth, while at another program at a different school is exactly what you need.

Okay, and now I need to practice !! 

[m19834]

Kelly,

One more thing that I just remembered.  Some/Many schools will give you an option regarding your general "type" of Bachelor's degree.  You can get either a Bachelor's of Arts or a Bachelor's of Science, and that doesn't directly affect what your Major/s is/are, per se.  So, you can actually have a Bachelor's of Science degree in Music, what that means though is that your core classes toward your general Bachelor's degree for the school, lean more heavily on the Science side than on the Arts side. 

What that means to you is that instead of being required to take two years of a 2nd language, for example, you will need to take more science courses, some of which your Physics/Science requirements would fulfill (more of your science classes would definitely fit the general school requirements with a Bachelor of Science degree vs. a Bachelor of Arts degree).  I would recommend going that route since a second language is not a requirement for music itself, but rather for the Bachelor of ARTS degree, whereas the Physics degree will require more science classes anyway, some of which will naturally count toward a Bachelor of Sceince degree for the school.  Of course, the specifics and actual possibilites of all of this depend entirely on the actual school you would attend, but most people assume they have to get a Bachelor's of Arts degree if they are studying some kind of art, and that's not necessarily true.  And, in your case, it would probably be more helpful if you can get a Bachelor's of Science degree.

[mrba1979]

Karli, your posts are always wise and well written.  It was not my intention to offer a practical fall back career.  It was simply a suggestion to allow more time for academic time dedicated to the piano.  I know what it is like to have to work a 40hr job with little to no pay and still attended class.  I think a music degree is time and money well spent.  Should my children (I have three not a figurative statement) pursue such a venue they would have my full support, blessing, and finical support.  I was just giving advice I would offer them.  Also the school I attended allowed the program I graduated from to be combined with a bachelors.  Forgive me though this is again off topic and will leave it be at this.
 

[ilikepie]

Is it feasible to pursue a double major in science (physics) and piano performance? Not that I would be accepted as a piano major anywhere... "sigh".

In UBC, it is possible. However failing a course from either one forces you to drop one major.

[amelialw]

I am going to audition for UBC piano performance soon and I am wondering if people currently studying piano major in Universities can please tell me what studying piano major in Uni. is like? how is it?
and what is a piano major student's usual daily schedule? Thank you in advance~~!

one of my closest friend's is currently taking general music studies at UBC. He plays very well but did not get into the piano performance program so i must warn you that competition for that program is very tough.

General studies students are very busy, you will exams, assigments, essays and projects so submit frequently and it is stressful. The difference between piano performance&general studies is that you will be expected to spend more time on practical work(practice).

I myself have been to and am aware that UBC holds orientations (general& for specific depts) a few times a year, so you should attend 1 and find out for yourself what it is like. I was previously in canada myself but returned to singapore to study since i was offered a scholarship here but will still return to canada to study in the future.

[m19834]

Karli, your posts are always wise and well written.  It was not my intention to offer a practical fall back career.  It was simply a suggestion to allow more time for academic time dedicated to the piano.  I know what it is like to have to work a 40hr job with little to no pay and still attended class.  I think a music degree is time and money well spent.  Should my children (I have three not a figurative statement) pursue such a venue they would have my full support, blessing, and finical support.  I was just giving advice I would offer them.  Also the school I attended allowed the program I graduated from to be combined with a bachelors.  Forgive me though this is again off topic and will leave it be at this.

I actually think it's probably great advice -- I am definitely not criticising !  I just wanted to make the distinction that my suggestion to take business courses was strictly for the purpose of a career in music and that I think some kind of business sense is necessary for the career.  

I know what it's like to work my way through school, too (there was a time that I was working 70 hrs a week and going to school 3/4 time ... falling asleep in classes, on the road and at one of my jobs though ... so something had to change and that turned out to be me dropping out of school for a while) !  It's something that I paid for completely on my own, all three of us kids did.  And, if I had actually plotted a course to get there, I don't know if I would have chosen the same things that I did.  In some way, I didn't really think things through and I definitely didn't have anybody giving me advice and perspective.  So, I think it's good for people whom are considering music in school to get some thoughts from others on matters as a whole, yours included !

[lostinidlewonder]

One thing I have warned all my students who decide to take on music at University is that you have to know how to learn music well. There is no acceptance to be slow in your learning method, or have extra time to complete tasks. When you study music outside of an institution you have a lot of flexibility with your time, however at a university you will have to work on their time schedule.

In universities there is also no spoon feeding or the guidance that you get from Primary or High School teachers. You will not get a note home to your parents if your grade are slipping or that you miss classes. There is no expectation for you to attend lectures, you are not told when to study, you don't get set homework which teachers go over with you every day.

I took one student who was studying his 2nd year music at university. He was desperate over the workload that was on top him. He admitted that he didn't think he had to do so much on his own and this overwhelmed him. In the end I encouraged him to defer his studies and reassess his capability to work on his own with his music.

This is an important point when studying music at a university. You should know very well how you work on your own with musical tasks, whether it be practical or theory. Too many students have been spoon fed all the way up to university then they get a shock that so much extra responsibility for their education rests on their own shoulders.

Lecturers will not always photocopy notes for you, they will often leave it in the Library for loan and you have to make the effort to go there and print it yourself. Often this means you have to wait for it to be available etc. I knew a few students who never bothered to print them out! The same goes for past exam papers, tutorial notes etc. It is all up to you to go get it. It might seem a really simple thing but when I was in university this was really different. At school teachers would provide us with everything we didn't have to look for material to learn, but at university they simply say, heres some notes go get them yourself, here are some books you should also read whether you read it or not we are not going to check but it will be important for you to read these texts because we will assume you already know it.

[richard black]

What is it like taking piano major in Univeristy?

It's kinda more cheerful-sounding than taking piano minor.
 

Sorry, couldn't resist.

As for physics and music - I did physics but spent most of my time practising piano. As a result I got a physics degree, worked as an engineer for several years and now spend most of my time playing piano for a living. The thing is that you simply cannot study physics outside an institution, but you most certainly can study music outside one.

[etcetra]

i was not a classical major but most "serious" piano majors practices anywhere between 5-7 hrs a day.  I guess that kind of focus requires some getting used to.  I think it really depends on the department and the teachers.. Some students excelled because they were under the instruction of great teachers... and others were frustrated because their teachers were confusing in their instruction.. and some of them even acquired major problems with their hands as a result.   

In the ideal circumstance you would be studying with a teacher who is challenging but encouringing at the same time, and help you along the way.. but you never know who you get  and what its like until you start school..I know a lot of people who loved every minute of it, but a good number of people hated it too.