Best Music Degree?

[iquinn876]

What would you say is the best music degree for both jobs and an all around learning experience? (This would be a B.Mus by the way)
-Performance
-Education
-History
-Theory
-Composition

[kclee6337]

As far as jobs go i would say education. although im a performance major

[Bob]

Probably the biggest, most easily-attainable job pool in music ed, yes.

The best one would be the one that gives you more tools that help you do what's next. 

Education, you could probably stop at a bachelors and be ok.  The others, you're probably looking at going on for more schooling.  Masters at least.  Then you could teach that area at a community college, possibly a regular college/university if they don't have a doctoral standard. 

All around experience?  I'd almost say composition.  In that you could justify studying something else, like literature or poetry, to complement it.  Even music history... study regular history or German history and it's a complement.  Music ed is broad, but education focused and music focused. Other subjects aren't that important in music -- Science?  Nice, but not quite what you're learning or will be teaching unless it's acoustics.  Performance would be the narrowest on that list. 

Theory and composition are pretty closely related, at least for higher ed.  Could throw history in too possibly.

[quantum]

For jobs, education probably is a reasonable choice.  You listed RCM in your sig.  Are you in Canada?  If you want to teach public elementary/secondary you most likely will need two degrees.  Undergrad in whatever + BEd.  Pay as a public school teacher in Canada is decent though.

If you want to teach college or university as full time faculty, plan on a Doctorate as minimum.  Probably more if you want to move to the front of the line to be considered for such job.

As for learning experience, I'd say go with your passion.  I couldn't say that one branch offers a more fulfilling experience than another. 

You should start thinking soon about whether or not you wish to move on to graduate school after this.  Save yourself the frustration and select the appropriate path in your undergrad that will lead to the grad program you would like to study.

[louispodesta]

Perhaps some of my detractors can bond with me on this.  I very seriously doubt it.

The reason is that, as a pianist, who is also a philosopher, I know the meaning of the words brainwashed and propaganda.

Here is the drill, a BM requires 131 credit hours, as opposed to the normal degree, which is 120 credit hours.

Next, most graduate students (MM in Music) who do not place in a contest, end up teaching K-5 in some elementary school in order to stay alive.   They, meaning the school administrators, will hire them, way before they will ever hire you.  Because, they are the cheapest bang for the buck.

That is why most faculty advisors, which you have obviously not met, will suggest that you should "minor" in something outside the College of Music, i.e. accounting or business.  When I went to music school, the minor was flute, theory, or voice.

The point is that, if you have real talent, like John Yakamatso, (whose degrees are in langauages) then you follow the route of studying privately with the very best teachers.

Otherwise, who are you kidding.  I would advise you to get in line, but that would be a false promise.

[iquinn876]

Thank you all for your opinions. Yes, I am in Canada. I'm a ways away from uni but I have been thinking about it a lot lately. I love music and I would would love to do it for the rest of my life. I want to be happy but financially comfortable. (: Music education seems like a safe bet, but can you not reach with another music degree? My problem is I enjoy it all. :$ I love performing, teaching, composing and studying the history of music.

[Bob]

"...can you not reach" what?  A job, a career?  Making a living with music?

The world class performers I've seen either did it or went through school but it was clear what they would do the whole way. 

Agreed on the plentiful K-5 general music jobs.  There are more elementary schools.  Fewer middle.  Even fewer high schools.  Band and choir only are rare and harder to get.  Orchestra can vary.  Those teachers are harder to find so there's more demand.  There are also fewer schools with orchestras anymore.  The orchestra ed jobs I've seen sometimes are combined with another area, like gifts, computers, etc. 

Music ed is more about teaching than music really I've noticed.

Financially comfortable?  Probably not performance unless you're really, really good.  The "blue collar" performer I've heard only makes $12,000 a year off performing alone.  They have to teach or do something else to make a living.    Teaching can be ok, but the teachers who make a really decent living are doing that toward the end of their career, at least in my area. Beginning teachers get much lower pay.

From where I went, music ed was plenty, more than a four year degree.  Performance and just a plain Bachelors of Music were buying a piece of paper.  A plain BM got you into music classes, but job-wise it's worthless.  Even for classes, those people got last choice.  Performance was first. Then ed.  Then BA's if there were any.  A music minor was nice, but again, fairly worthless, except maybe just that it looked nice attached to another degree.  "Business with a music minor."  Nice but... How much is that really for music?  And it's only classes.  Actually, I'm not remembering many, if any, music minors. 

There's the "independent degree" too, if your school has that. You make your own degree.  I've seen that more for performance or masters level though.  Those students put together their own courses or independent study that fit with the independent degree they want.  That might be something like "Masters in Performance, specializing in x-style."

Schools in U.S. (that I'm aware of) won't or can't hire if you're not a certified music teacher.  No degree, no certification.... weeded out of the resume pile right away.

[iquinn876]

Reach was a typo, I meant teach. 

It's different in Canada, you need a teaching degree and another bachelors to be a school teacher, and that includes music. An independent degree sounds like it would be great! I guess a general music degree with no specialization would give you a good variety of subjects.

[quantum]

Not all university music programs require you to branch out into one of the common categories.  There are 4 year undergrad programs that allow you to mix and match to your taste.  So for example if you like to do some performance, composition and musicology (history leads in this direction) courses you can do that.  Everyone still gets the same degree at the conclusion, no matter what path you decide to carve for yourself.  

There are other schools that also frown on crossing sub-disciplines.  So for example if you wanted to study history, you study history, period.  You are discouraged or disallowed to take performance, composition, theory, musicology, etc.  Segregation into a sub-discipline until graduation is the gist of things.  


You need to keep this in mind when choosing a school.  If you are the kind of person that wants to explore and do a little bit of this and that, choosing a school that requires you to stay inside clear cut boarders may not be the best for you.  Ask a lot of questions when you are investigating potential schools.

[gregh]

This is a depressing subject whenever I think of it-- the "do what you love" school of thought that seems like such a good idea when you're a student following your dreams, but can tarnish pretty quickly on graduation.

I don't know about music or piano in the big picture, I just have some snap-shots to offer. I have a PhD in physics that I've never used. I've worked at FedEx unloading trucks, my manager had a math major. I've also worked at a retail store; that manager had a computer science major. (It wasn't until I was into an unsuccessful job search that I learned there was never a shortage of math or science majors...) I've known two workers at the coffee shop I frequent who have degrees in piano performance, one with math, one with history. I've had a trumpet teacher who returned to school and became a draftsman. I know another trumpet teacher who performs, teaches, and works at a music store-- he seems to be doing all right. I've known a guy with no music degree but a lifetime of practice in guitar and violin, he's quite good, and the band he played in actually broke even financially, until the band leader moved out of state.

I don't have any advice. I could use some myself.

[Bob]

Tarnish on graduation?  Just go back for another degree.  Problem solved.   

[quantum]

IMO, I don't think that the ability to obtain employment in one's chosen field of study is a hard-and-fast rule that determines the ratio of happiness in life to one's work.  How exactly does one define using a degree?  Must one receive monetary compensation in order to put one's education to full use?  Is there really anything shameful about expanding one's breadth of knowledge and experience in developing oneself in a multiplicity of disciplines?