Is it humanly possible for me to be a music major?

[edbogie]

'Ello! Well, this has probably been asked, but I'm kinda looking for opinions/advice on my specific situation. Sorry if this is the wrong place to post this, but I figured you guys would have some wisdom to share!

First of all, I have a burning passion for music. I love everything about it and want to learn everything there is to know. I'd LOVE to be a music major, and afterwards possibly be a band director for a school, or (in my dreams) a film score composer. I'm more than willing to work hard, I know it's not an easy road, I'm not looking for fame or money, I simply love music.

Here's the problem, err... problems:

~ I'm self taught through the internet, I've had NO formal lessons whatsoever.
~ I'm a junior in highschool, so I don't exactly have much time before I head off to school.
~ I've only played guitar for 4ish years and piano for almost two. (I'm focusing more on piano now)
~ I know very little theory, just recently starting studying it.
~ I can't sight read to save my life, I have to sit down and memorize everything note by note.
~ I don't have money to take private lessons.
~ I don't know my scales or chords.
~ I'm not that great at playing by ear.
~ I've never studied music history.

In other words, I'm lacking nearly everything I've read is necessary. So, am I just a hopeless dreamer? If I gave it my ALL, is there a chance I'd be able to train myself and cram enough information within the next couple of years to even consider auditioning for school, let alone being accepted? Or, am I chasing something that's not humanly possible?

I do have a few things going for me:

~ As stated above, I have an ever growing passion for music.
~ I can play well to some extent, or at least that's what I've been told.
~ Every piece I've ever played is still playable from memory, so, I can memorize! ...for whatever it's worth.
~ I'm homeschooled, therefor my schedule is very flexible for studying/practicing/training.
~ I'm dual-enrolling next year, so I'll be able to take college level music classes.

So... am I crazy? What am I really up against? What's the best way to go about teaching myself everything I need to know? What, specifically, do I need to know? What should I focus the most on? Any books you recommend? Sites?

I'm sorry this is so long, it's just been on my mind non-stop. I don't know if I should go all out on this and try to push for it, follow my dreams, or focus on something else that's more reasonable.

Anywho. Any advice would be highly appreciated. Thanks!

[prometheus]

Only do it because you are a slave of your passion and have no choice.

Otherwise, always go for a 'real' education. This is the advice all professionals will give. Prime example that comes to mind here being Pat Metheny. I am basically quoting him.

If you have the choice to not do it, enjoy a rich and leisurely life not doing music.

[omar_roy]

Realistically, no.  The theory and history isn't that big of a deal.  They generally start from scratch when you get into a program.

The sight reading is a BIG problem.  I'm a horrible sight reader and I suffer a lot because of it, though I'm improving very slowly.  I always seem to have more music than time to learn it.  For example, I'm given duets, chamber music, accompaniments, fairly regularly on top of the solo repertoire that I have to do.  I don't have any choice when it comes to the non-solo rep either.  I get what I get, and I have to do it.  I've been embarrassed many times by my poor sight reading skills.  I do, however, have a very good memory, but that doesn't help when i have to sit down and play a piano duet at sight or I've been given the music for a vocalist the day before.

Scales/Chords are easy to learn, and you'll be required to play scales at your audition.

An "ever growing passion" is not enough to get you through this.  I know it sounds cliche, but it has to be something that completely consumes you and infiltrates every moment of your life, and you have to know that you'd be unhappy doing anything else, even if you made a ton of money.

For example: I was a music major my freshman year of college.  Halfway through summer I decided to switch to another subject I enjoy and I changed my major to Biology on the Pre-Med Track, and I was doing very well.  I was involved with a lot of research, gave a presentation at a conference, and was getting ready to submit some literature for publication in a journal.

However, music was constantly nagging at me to come back.  I still took lessons and performed occasionally and I really missed it.  I tried to convince myself otherwise over the last summer, and stayed away from the piano completely, but as soon as I got back to school and started playing again in my spare time, I realized that I simply cannot be happy unless music is my life, and so I switched back this term and I've been playing catch-up ever since.

An option that you should consider is doing a minor in music while majoring in something else that you really enjoy.  The requirements are less demanding, and you'll still get lessons with a great teacher and a very good musical education.  If you find that you really want to switch to music, then you'll have knocked out some of the requirements by starting the minor, and if you become good enough, you can audition to get into the department.

The sad truth, though, is that even with your wishes to simply be a high school band director you'll struggle to find work.  I have friends that graduate two years ago that still haven't gotten jobs in their field and have been substitute teaching.

The bottom line is that unless you know, without question, that music is the only thing that will make you happy, then you're far better off doing something else where you can make a decent salary, and still make music on the side.

[Bob]

I'm thinking it's possible to be a music teacher.  Performer, probably not.  There are a few threads lately about whether it's too late to become a performer.  And some old ones too.

Passion is good.

Being self-taught and learning through the internet probably isn't the greatest.  A real teacher can do more for you.

Money helps too of course.

For choosing an instrument, I'd go with piano.  I think there are more options available with it. 

Some music majors don't have any piano, so you're way ahead there.  Some graduate still not really having any piano under their fingers.

More theory is always good, but you can start from scratch in college.  It will be really helpful to have scales and triads down at least.

I wouldn't worry too much about sight-reading, playing by ear, or music history.  sight-reading can be worked on and can come in time (as in after learning more theory so you take in more with a glance at the page).  You take ear training classes that can help with playing by ear, but playing by ear isn't something that's emphasized from what I've seen in traditional classical teaching.  Not everyone has music history so I wouldn't worry about that -- Just get your hands on a "Dummies" or "Idiot's" guide to music history and that will give you enough of an overview.  The rest is details. 

Passion is good.  That will impress anyone you're interviewing with.

Remember for music teaching, it's not about your performance skills so much.  It's all about the student.  For that, is your passion helping people and working with people?  It's not even so much about music really.

Being home schooled can be a huge advantage.  You've got a lot more control over your time than someone going to school.

Timewise....

If you're a junior, that's the year to be picking out what you'll use as audition music during your senior year.  Hmm.....  I believe, at least from the places I've seen... that you would have auditioned already for starting in the fall of 2011 or would be doing it very soon.  You'd need to apply to the college, the school of music, and the teacher.  It's probably too late for all that this year.

But you don't have to start in with college right away either.  You could take a year off.  Or two.  And just practice.  Or you could take some college classes and practice.  Get some general education classes out of the way.  (I didn't find gen eds that worthwhile for me in college.  More like a waste of time.)

I wouldn't be looking at doing all this yourself.  You need someone to be a guide, someone who knows all this and can take you through it.  You need a teacher.  Also, you need to talk to the admissions people at the places you want to go for music.  And talk to the music professors there you might want to study with.  Keep in mind -- There is probably a college out there that will take you.  You're money for them.  Whether you're successful after that isn't really their concern.  They're concerned about the "now."  Colleges will be looking for good grades and your passion for music.  The music ed people will be looking for passion for teaching music to others.

For being a music teacher, I think that's possible.  There are people who don't have much background who go on to become good music teachers.  Not playing a concert band or choir is a negative though -- If you want to direct one in the future, it will be a little foreign, not having been in one yourself.  Still, that can be learned and overcomed. 

After college, if you're in music ed, there are jobs.  Crappy ones.  That's why people can get jobs straight out of college.  No one else wants them and the schools have to hire someone.  So regardless of how you're prepped, you can probably still get a starter teachign job.  From there, who knows?  Background and preparation aren't the most important things in the real world.  No one -- students, parents, or principals -- cares how well you played or what you know.  They only care about... well, safety first, classroom control, whether the students enjoy being in your classroom... (Note that the most important things don't include learning.)  ... and then whether the students *appear* to be learning something.  And that something can be very little, as in 'what a quarter note is'... in high school.


I would get a teacher who can help you get into a college for music.  Pick out colleges to seriously look at.  And pick out and get working on audition music.  It's probably too late for fall of 2011.  I'd look at the following year, either taking the year off to practice or for practicing and taking some community college gen eds that would transfer over. 

For music teaching, the band directing jobs are very competitive.  The schools are setup... lots of elementaries, feeding a few middle schools, feeding even fewer but larger high schools.  So there are lots of general music/elementary jobs around.  Less middle school jobs.  And even less high school jobs.  The higher up you go, the more you live at work.  A high school band director will have all the rehearsals during the day, marching or pep band at night, music festivals, concerts, etc. etc. etc.  Plenty to prepare for.  Elementary and middle school music teachers are more able to leave by 5pm each day.  Piano and guitar would be great instruments for elementary music teaching.  You're already ahead of others that way.  Even with your background, I think you could still be competitive for jobs though -- It just depends how everything shakes out.  Passion can be a great motivator for students.

You'll need to get certification to teach too.  More classes. 

And for music ed, it's not really a four year program.  It would appear so on paper (because if they said it actually takes five years, everyone would attend the places that say it can be done in four years.  It's business.).  I would plan on something more like five years of college, at least, for music ed.

I think everyone has some kind of deficiency in some area going into music school.  People that are really prepared going in might only have worked on the things that are required to get in -- They have flashy audition pieces, but can't sight-read.  Or they lack the grades.  Or committment.  Or they have absolutely no piano background and struggle with that. 

If you want film music, I would think you'd need to attend a school on the west or east coast, probably west.  You'd want to go along the composition track for that.  That's getting out of my area, but I don't think performance skills are emphasized as much for composition (though they won't hurt at all). 

[keyboardclass]

Sounds like me in my youth!  And what am I?  A school band teacher!

[oxy60]

I vote for getting a real education from a liberal arts college. I was a music major with a conducting emphasis. 75% of my recital orchestra were not from the music department! My first trumpet came from political science, my first chair violin came from sociology and my first bassoon came from biology.

In a liberal arts environment you could be an English/Biology/etc. major with a music/gym/etc. minor; or any combination thereof.

It's the total education that's important. "B. A." from a recognized school on your C. V. will make a big difference in your job/earning prospects.

[richard black]

Music major - unlikely. But if you keep at it, read something else at uni and still keep studying music on the side, you could quite possibly get into music sideways, so to speak. Maybe for a living, maybe not, but there are plenty of people doing good stuff in the music world who are technically limited but have their niche and are happy to do it as part, rather than all, of their life. In what you're aiming for, you won't need the utmost facility on an instrument, and that's the hardest thing to acquire late in life. ('Late' being after about the age of 11, frankly, on piano and most string instruments.)

[Bob]

For being a band director, you'll need to find a school that will let you on the instrumental music track with piano or guitar.  Usually, those students are playing a band instrument.  Maybe you could play in an all-school/college type of band on a low chair with clarinet, trumpet, or euphonium though.

Whatever you do, consider what work you be looking for after you graduate.  A Bachelor of Arts might not get anything -- It's not specific.   Music education is specific, if you wanted that kind of job.  Composition is more specific but nobody's hiring based on a degree for composition (or performance).  And keep in mind, if you went for a music minor, you're still competing with everyone else who went for the full degree.  And there's a reason it's called a major in any field.  Double majors are possible with more years put in.  I remember some high school students who all wanted to triple major.  Haha.  I always thought music by itself had plenty of work available.  Some people do do business and music degrees to though.

And another angle -- Are you going to get married and have kids?  High school band directors are usually married to their jobs, not even practicing really ("band director" chops).  Whatever you're looking for a career, from what I've seen marriage by itself competes against working a lot at a career.  Having kids is really moving in a different direction than career goals too.  I don't know many, (any?) who are a really good musician and are married.  Usually something suffers.  I do know of a lot of musicians, still working ones, who are divorced though. 

I saw Omar's comment about sight-reading.  I never accompanied much during college.  If you're not on a scholarship and aren't required to, you don't have to accompany.  No one will really want you for an accompanist if you're not that great any way.  If you're lacking in areas, you'll probably be spending your time doing that instead of accompanying any way.  Not that sight-reading isn't important and that you can't improve it.  You just don't have to play in lots of ensembles, unless it's a requirement somehow. 

[aphlatminor]

The short answer is yes, you can be whatever you want to be. 

I know I'm new here, and I'm going to ruffle a lot of feathers with this post, but so be it.  I've been thinking about this post and their responses, and all I see is discouragement.  That, to me, is far more discouraging than the trials to be faced after graduation. 

This kind of discouragement stopped me when I was in college the first time.  "You won't make enough money..." or "It isn't practical..." or, or, or.

Butbutbut.  Isn't this your life to lead?  You may get into college with a major of Music and a minor in business administration and discover two months into it you are an architect.  It is better to try it and find out the hard way, than always wonder about it.  Yes?

I have known music ed majors who had two years on the cowbell and six months on the piano and decided music was their "thing".  They are now very successful and popular band directors. (One of them is blind.  Talk about not sight reading!)  I have a friend who got a composition and conducting degree from MIT (no lie), who is now a software designer. 

It is possible for each and every one of us, no matter our level or time at the piano, to be the best the world has ever seen.  We have to work hard, practice our hands off, and get a lot of good promotion, but anything is possible.

Struggle to find work?  Most school districts around here are screaming for band directors.  Competent ones.  Mature ones.  Are you willing to relocate for the sake of your job?  That opens up a lot more possibilities.

As far as "What am I really up against? What's the best way to go about teaching myself everything I need to know? What, specifically, do I need to know? What should I focus the most on? Any books you recommend? Sites?"

1.  You are up against a lot of people who will try, at every turn, to discourage you.  They will list a hundred and one reasons.  It is your CHOICE to listen to them and heed their advice or not.  You are facing many, many hours of practice, lessons, studying...so you are up against time, of which there is often short supply. 

2.  The best way to teach yourself is to get a good teacher and learn from them.  Many a bad habit is formed when one does not have proper instruction; these habits are very difficult to break and relearn.

Music is a language.  One we can all *hear* and appreciate, but not everyone can read and interpret the written "word" of it.  Get someone who can already read the language and let them teach you the grammar, font, and punctuation.  I suggest a private instructor for now, then college.  Depending on how serious you want people to take you and how hard to you want to work for their respect, that paper can go a long way to getting your foot in the door.

3.  You need to know everything you can fit in your head.  Seriously.  Know where you want to go after you have the pretty paper that says you know music.  Know your options for where you are going.  Take a map.    Know what lies upon the path between where you are know and your final destination.  How many hours of college?  How many hours of practice?  How many tears?  Failed finals?   Hairs you pulled out of your head?  You also need to have enough of a grasp of theory to go from a quarter note run to an eighth note run without thinking about it.  Instant recognization of treble and bass clef notes (3rd space up on treble is a C, second line down on  bass is an F, that kind of thing).  The ability to read a piece of music and have a general idea as to what it should sound like even if you can't pound it out on the piano with perfection the first time you try. 

Guess what?  They can teach you that theory when you get to college if you take basic and general music.  You can always bump it to education or performance at a later time.  Things like tenor clef, alto clef, transposing, transpositional instruments, conducting, you will need those later, but starting out??  Let someone teach you.  The internet can be a good resource, but there is a lot of conflicting information to be found. 

4.  Focus on your passion.  After you survive my instructions for #3, if you think it is still worth it, focus on the passion.  Additionally, work on theory on your current instruments and do not worry about picking anything else up at this point. 

5.  Sites.  Well, this is tricky. I could throw out a hundred different sites based on a hundred different areas, but only you know where your weaknesses lay. What can you already do, well?  What do you do poorly?  What do you wish you knew better? 

Start talking to colleges now.  Talk to local ones (don't expect to get into Juilliard right away) and sit down with their major instructors.  Once you find a school where you are comfortable, find out what their admission requirements are.  Is there an audition?  What is the audition for?  I ask the last one because the college I am going to requires an audition for scholarship purposes only.  If you don't want the scholarship (seems silly to not aim for it, at the very least) you do not have to audition.  I know some schools which require you to audition for entry.  Ask questions.  Ask a lot of questions.  Keep a notebook and write down the new questions as they come along, check off the ones which get answered. 

Don't let time be a factor in picking your school.  I waited 17 years after I graduated high school before I got serious about my education and direction.

Lastly...do not tell me the sky is the limit when there are footprints on the moon.

Good luck!

[musicluvr49]

Well I do think it's possible... but the question is could YOU do it?


I am also trying to be a music major, but I've been studying piano for about 9 years now, though I just became really serious about it about 3 years ago. And I still don't have perfect technique.
It will probably take a lot of hard work for you to build up your technique, in about the space of a year, because you will probably audition in the fall or winter of your senior year. BUT if you are as passionate as you say you are, and work very hard, I think it could be possible for you to reach your goal.
Good luck !