Aspiring Piano Player

[stevewangchi]

First, I want to thank those who will be taking the time to hear me out.  I've been playing piano since I was 19 (now almost 20) .  I practice vigorously and learn a lot of songs when I'm not at school, and I've managed to play progressions of all the major minor chords along with their inversions by muscle memory + any riff with time.  My theory is okay. I've taken theory classes in the past that required me to sight sing, notate, and read patterns. I could probably only read and play only in 3 keys without trying, but my ear has exponentially improved when I got picked up for a top 40's coverband with weekly farmers market gigs.  My bandleader is mentoring me and although he has had 10+ years of experience without lessons, his ears and sense of rhythm were deteriorating( also developing arthritis). So I'm seeking approaches that I may follow in my situation. I recently found the courage to tell my family about me wanting to pursue a career in music and most likely pedagogy, but I want to be able to show them what I'm capable of.  I feel I've wasted nearly 2 years in school studying business to accommodate my family.  I've done my research in regards to music majors and stumbled upon a lot of "failures" coming out with a degree.  I'm very organized in terms of practice.  I organize theory/sight reading sessions/ear training, drills, rehearsal for the band, and my own songs that I'd learn.  What I'm asking is, how long and what would it take to become a credible instructor.  I do receive financial aid and grants for college.  I find online textbooks, so I usually have $5000 dollars for my disposal for the school year and work part time on the sessions I'm not receiving aid.  so do I seek an instructor that may or may not milk/drag the lessons. Or take piano courses at school that last a whole semester (Community college).  I don't have a lot of guidance since the idea of being cashflow for my family is imposed on me.  I've learned to just pursue music regardless.  I've considered music producing as another option, but I like dedicating to the piano.  I need direction.  I feel I don't need a business degree to open a music school.  I have all these thoughts/dreams and instead of focusing on the business end, I'd rather have that time to practice/gig.  I've gotten over that fact that there are 4 year olds playing chopin and I just want to explore my options.  I don't see myself as a late starter and I've made connections with many talented musicians in the industry and had the opportunity to attend events like the namm, so I wouldn't say there's obscurity in my approach to playing.  Thanks again.  I need different perspectives.  Things seem to be falling in place in regards to music, but there's still that part of me that want to make my parents proud. They only fear my failure.  Especially since my brother dropped out of high school to be a musician( he's actually a very successful singer/songwriter) and the other kids in the family got the 9-5s.
Southern California
you've probably seen many similar accounts of my situation

[indianajo]

Well, good luck.
I personally feel musical instrument performance degrees are more about pushing how fast you can learn things, than about playing well.  As the top paid pianist these days started paying gigs at age 11 (Lang Lang) I'm not sure what a piano performance degree really buys you.  I myself am now playing pieces I hear on master's recitals over at the city music college, and I stopped piano lessons age 14.  But I don't learn pieces nearly as fast as the music school graduates.  I think the speed of learning is natural, not something the schools really teach, so I probably would have flunked out of instrument performance college at some point.
OTOH, if you're going to start a music school yourself, having a business degree helps you deal with all the regulations you have to comply with (especially in S California) and maybe fill out your tax form yourself in the early years, saving $$$$.  A performance degree equips you to work in somebody else's business for much less of the take.  You'll find very quickly you can hire competent performance major graduates, cheaper than you can hire a business manager.  
Starting and finishing something is a skill that all beady eyed bank loan officers look at carefully, so if you wanted a loan to buy the first pro level grand piano, or pay the remodeling crew to make this ugly cheap rental space suitable for artsy customers,  think that through.  After all, you are halfway there to the business degree.  OTOH, if you were winning contests one after the other age 16, then maybe you have a piano performance career in your future.  I think gigging with a pop band is more surely remunerative than the classical music route, but traveling on the road in a van with 5-10 guys, 4 to a room,  is a tough life, one you may get tired of at some point.  Carol Wunderland has no options but the road: she dropped out of high school to persue public performance. You do have some normal employment options, as long as you finish something you can show a bank loan officer or a employment office interviewer.  

[bernadette60614]

How do you envision your career?  Do you see yourself performing at a concert level or opening a piano studio right out of school?  I can't advise you about the progression as a concert artist (where I suspect a degree is standard now), but as someone who has selected a piano teacher/studio, I look for credentials and personality.  I live in one of the largest cities in the U.S. with three well known music schools and there are many graduates with give lessons. And, they tend to give lessons in students' homes at $30.00 per half hour.  Sounds like a great living, until you deduct taxes, expenses and wear and tear traveling from home to home.  A lesser number have studios, but those aren't ones I would consider...being able to play and being to teach do not necessarily go hand in hand.

I would suggest checking out the biographies of teachers in your town or a city in which you'd like to live in the future. That will give you a sense of their progression, their qualifications and some perception of their success.