A music/piano minor?

[theshepherddd]

Hi guys, I am going to college next year. And I plan on majoring in math/engineering, while pursuing my music/piano minor. Is it a good idea? Will I be overwhelmed by too much schoolwork? Also, my highest-level pieces are HG2 by Liszt, Nocturne Op9 No2 and Fantasie Impromptu by Chopin, and Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven, so will I be qualified for music minor, or even scholarship? I am going to a liberal-art college. Thanks!

[lloyd_cdb]

I went to a liberal arts school, double majored in math/econ. I was going to minor in music but one of the requirements was that I had to participate in chorus. The time I spent play/practicing piano was irrelevant to the minor. I still did all the courses and played every semester while managing a social life. If it's something you want to do, you'll make time. You won't need to declare it for 2 years anyway. Figure it out during that time.

EDIT: no idea on the scholarship, and I doubt there are requirements of skill level for a music minor at any liberal arts school. It's typically more about music theory and, in typical liberal arts fashion, a broad array of topics. We didn't have a piano minor so I don't know if that's any different. Our core requirements were music technology, music theory, and musics of the world + electives. There was no requisite skill level of anything.

[4greatkeyboards]

I did what you are considering. Majored in Physics and Math but spent most of my time in the music school building. Major instrument was (and is) piano minor was trumpet. I am 65 years old.

I found it way easier to make money as a scientist & engineer, went that way, and made a good life. But I never stopped my piano work.

Now I find that piano ('keyboards' as I am into midi performance stuff) was the ONLY skill I ever had that never stopped growing. It is the unifying force in all my life.

Also, as I became successful, I found that what I really wanted to do was get some time at the keyboard, after the day or week of business pressures.

[iansinclair]

I did what you are considering. Majored in Physics and Math but spent most of my time in the music school building. Major instrument was (and is) piano minor was trumpet. I am 65 years old.

I found it way easier to make money as a scientist & engineer, went that way, and made a good life. But I never stopped my piano work.

Now I find that piano ('keyboards' as I am into midi performance stuff) was the ONLY skill I ever had that never stopped growing. It is the unifying force in all my life.

Also, as I became successful, I found that what I really wanted to do was get some time at the keyboard, after the day or week of business pressures.

Sounds like me.  Except that my college instrument was organ, and I was fortunate enough in having a job as a choir master/organist for most of my life (which you can't raise a family on), as well as a "day job" as an engineer.

[louispodesta]

Here we go again about the mystic of a DEGREE!  If you want to study under a particular teacher, then sign up for a course with that pianist.  The same holds true for studying theory/composition.

There is no law that says you have to be a music major or minor, in order to study that particular discipline.  Further,  most colleges allow any one to audit or take any course they want to on a pass/fail basis.  That way, there is no way it can possibly mess up your GPA.

The bottom line to all of this is that college is pressure, a lot of pressure.   And, the last thing you need to get in the way of your major course of study is more pressure.

Have fun with your music, and don't incur any more grief, bureaucratically, then is absolutely necessary.