The value of Musical education

[josh93248]

There is A LOT going on in my life right now and I can't barely begin to explain it all but suffice it to say that getting a musical education formally has weighed heavily on my mind recently.

I would like to ask everyone with experience (and even those without) what their thoughts are on the value of formal musical education and please go into detail if possible. I'm interested in personal experiences, positives, negatives, warning signs that a course will be bad, what to look for in a teacher, what the piece of paper you get at the end is worth, the value of networking and anything else you can think of.

If you want to know the basic position I am in here are my choices:

1. Stay in a course I'm not sure about but maybe could work at the Australian Institute of Music.

2. Leave AIM and prepare to try and get into the Conservatory of Melbourne which is more classical but I'd have to wait a year before being allowed to do my preferred subject, Composition. (Believe it or not but I'm much more likely to get in as a singer for first year than piano, I'm even being considered for a scholarship of a major Choir in my state, going to audition tomorrow.)

3. Ignore formal education and teach myself and also use the two private teachers I quite like (one I love actually) to learn more. This has various advantages for lifestyle and avoiding travel and bureaucracy.

[Bob]

It's expensive.

I'd question learning on your own.  I'd question formal too, but at least there's some structure and after you go through that you can come back later and work on things more.  Mainly for learning on your own, you're limited in access and there's a good chance something else in life will push what you're learning out. 

[josh93248]

I should probably mention that tertiary education in Australia is actually exceedingly generous. It may sound bizarre to some but money isn't much of a factor though it's nice to avoid building up too much debt you may never pay off, I mean you actually don't have to pay anything unless you are earning over a certain amount.

[indianajo]

I know several young artists with performance degrees (organ) that have been struggling to live on what churches pay.  Many are going back to school to get an education degree and  teacher's certificate. This gets one into the living wage band, but teachers in public school are not affluent. The only big money in music involves getting "popular" and performing on the road, going from city to city and living in motels for months at a time.  As the guitar and pop recording magazines will tell you, a music performance degree didn't help many of  the people succeeding in that career path.  
I took the music as a hobby path.  After I made the top All-State band my senior year in high school, I received dozens of brochures from music training programs at college inviting me to apply. I instead went to a science program at a local state university.  I should have taken engineering, but the scholarship I recieved would not pay if I took that course of study.  
I've had a decent "average" wage all my working life, with a few years slightly above average.  I was able to stop working age 58 and live off my investments until the social security stipend starts this year.  I'm able now to concentrate on music all I want.  I wish I was more flexible, but there are a lot of pieces out there a retiree can master.  
So don't believe all those music school brochures, is my opinion.  College itself is not the panacea it is advertised to be.  My best friend that dropped out of college and became a programmer for metalworking machines at a time when they had just been invented, has always made 2 to 4 times what I made.  Another high school friend that went straight from high school into trade work at a refinery has always done better financially that I did.  

[perfect_pitch]

I should probably mention that tertiary education in Australia is actually exceedingly generous. It may sound bizarre to some but money isn't much of a factor though it's nice to avoid building up too much debt you may never pay off, I mean you actually don't have to pay anything unless you are earning over a certain amount.

Yeah... but I doubt the education is as great as say, Juliard, or London School of Music... So you get what you pay for.

[dcstudio]

Yeah... but I doubt the education is as great as say, Juliard, or London School of Music... So you get what you pay for.

whatever, that's kind of irrelevant to his situation don't you think?

to the OP:

I have no idea what you should do...but  I think you should go in as a vocalist with piano as a secondary than switch to composition.   If you are leaning towards composition than screw trying to go piano performance...  go voice... if you are a guy you are in like Flynn.

[hardy_practice]

The value of Musical education?  Not much to others.