Study Music at a University?

[loverockkid]

Is there any one hear that could tell what opportunities there are for you if I do study music?Cant imagine there are to meny bit if you could help me out of just give me some info that would be awsome thank you.

[nsureit]

To repeat a prior post, I have an MA Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts, and I'm in the insurance business... Unless you are willing to teach to supplement your gigging income, you won't have a great income stream...unless you're just wickedly talented AND lucky.

[River]

This is not a serious answer - I defer to those with such an education for that. But this rings with some truth:

Q: How do you get a musician to get off of your porch?
A: Pay him for the pizza!
Q:How do you earn $1 million singing Jazz?
A:Start with $2 million!

[Nicole Rose]

my first guitar teacher had a masters in music with guitar as his first instrument. then after graduating he went all over quebec looking for the best guitarists and learned their techniques from them. he's probably one of the top 5 guitarists in quebec. he taught three nights a week, and did arrangements for the pop and rock "stars" of quebec. he made a fair living at it. when you're that good you can charge a fair whack for lessons and for arrangments and stuff.

but you have to enjoy teaching because that's the staple of your income.

[River]

Originally Posted by nicole rose

but you have to enjoy teaching because that's the staple of your income.

+1

[C Squared]

You have to be very talented and very lucky to land a steady gig that pays as a performer. However you can make steady income teaching, arranging, and composing.

[nsureit]

Originally Posted by River

This is not a serious answer - I defer to those with such an education for that. But this rings with some truth:
Q: How do you get a musician to get off of your porch?
A: Pay him for the pizza!
Q:How do you earn $1 million singing Jazz?
A:Start with $2 million!

Sadly, much truth to that joke. Of all my college music major classmates, many of whom were extremely talented, only about 3 in 10 remain in the music business...mostly teachers. I am very proud of them for sticking to it. When I got out of grad school in 1978, I taught in a public school district...take home pay was $700 per month. Had to gig until 2:00AM every night and coach the girls soccer team to make ends meet...20 hour work days. Job lasted only a couple of years - 'nuff said. Sometimes I regret that I didn't endure and try to make it, but my wife and kids needed more support than the music world could offer at that time. One of my daughters is about finished with law school, and my little girl will soon be a forensic biochemist with the medical examiner. Not sure I could have gotten them to this point as a working musician (no talent!).

[basschick22]

Here's some more advice...check out what's happening to the school music programs in and around your region. Since most people have suggested teaching (and I've a Bachelor's in Music Ed.), it's important to know what's going on within the school systems.

My personal opinion:
If I had college to do over again, I'd get some kind of business-related degree.

[st.bede]

get into engineering....and suffer like the rest of us....of course if you love music then learning it should be fun and allow yourself to grow musically...a BA does open doors but, the doors that it opens are not necessarly in music..

if you love it you will be complied to do it and suffer...that is just karma

[st.bede]

Originally Posted by basschick22

I'd get some kind of business-related degree.

that is just not right....

IMHO the only thing we really have is our spirt (meant in a Greek sense not a religious sense) and learning should expand your thoughts, your insights, your ability to see phenomena from many angles, from many view points...that breaths life into you....

what is money...when you do not have enough then it is everything but, when you have enough it is nothing....

no one can really live with out a dynamic thought life, to strengthen that is to be able to confront what is and to over come it

[River]

I agree wholeheartedly with St. Bede. My flippant comments relate only to the expectations for financial reward based on choice of course of study.

[Big John]

I have a good friend in Illinois that graduated with honors from G.I.T. He taught during the week and gigged on weekends for his income. If you plan on staying single, it's not a bad living. He was giving 80 half-hour lessons per week, with a 100-name waitlist. The guy was a great teacher. With the lessons and gigs, he was pulling in about $7k a month, but he had no life outside of music. Nowadays he runs a very successful bicycle shop, is married with two kids, gigs once every other month, and has zero students...and he's the happiest he's ever been.

[loverockkid]

Crap most of you responses kinda scared me....Im not to sure what i will do.....i love music but i do plan on haveing a family...OOO What IF I Married a rich girl!!!!!! hahahahah...no but for real..i really need to sit down and thinK what the hell im going to do with my life.....):

[coldsteal2]

I guess you could use it to become a Music Teacher

[st.bede]

Originally Posted by loverockkid

Crap most of you responses kinda scared me....Im not to sure what i will do.....i love music but i do plan on haveing a family...OOO What IF I Married a rich girl!!!!!! hahahahah...no but for real..i really need to sit down and thinK what the hell im going to do with my life.....):

I did not mean too harsh you....there is money out there doing music...just is not easy and, all lot of people are scum....

just getting a B.A. will open doors.... just not so much in music persay....a lot of jobs just ask if you have a B.A. and that is really it....yes, there is a stigma sometimes about being a musician but, then again many people are jealious...

it is more about getting through college then about what you do or not do when you are there...(I have never been to a job interview where they asked me what my GPA was....)

so IMHO get your degree in either...what comes naturaly to you (ie: easy) or what you really enjoy....

and along the way try to learn to think for yourself (maybe by utlizing the college enviroment to learn how multiplicitous the world really is)...I do not in any way mean that diminutively...it is just not that common now days and it has always been hard to accomplish

[loverockkid]

Originally Posted by st.bede

I did not mean too harsh you....there is money out there doing music...just is not easy and, all lot of people are scum....

just getting a B.A. will open doors.... just not so much in music persay....a lot of jobs just ask if you have a B.A. and that is really it....yes, there is a stigma sometimes about being a musician but, then again many people are jealious...

it is more about getting through college then about what you do or not do when you are there...(I have never been to a job interview where they asked me what my GPA was....)

so IMHO get your degree in either...what comes naturaly to you (ie: easy) or what you really enjoy....

and along the way try to learn to think for yourself (maybe by utlizing the college enviroment to learn how multiplicitous the world really is)...I do not in any way mean that diminutively...it is just not that common now days and it has always been hard to accomplish

Thank you that helped me alot.

[Pwozzie]

IMO, select a different major and minor in music. ALWAYS have a backup

[UKyank]

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I have a good friend in Illinois that graduated with honors from G.I.T. He taught during the week and gigged on weekends for his income. If you plan on staying single, it's not a bad living. He was giving 80 half-hour lessons per week, with a 100-name waitlist. The guy was a great teacher. With the lessons and gigs, he was pulling in about $7k a month, but he had no life outside of music. Nowadays he runs a very successful bicycle shop, is married with two kids, gigs once every other month, and has zero students...and he's the happiest he's ever been.

His name isn't Ivan Block is it? I've been trying to track him down for years.

[Stowburst]

If you go and study Music It will open some doors..the main reason I would go is becasue there will be other people like you who love music and you might meet some guys and get in a band and get somthing going? Who knows?

[loverockkid]

Originally Posted by Stowburst

If you go and study Music It will open some doors..the main reason I would go is becasue there will be other people like you who love music and you might meet some guys and get in a band and get somthing going? Who knows?

THATS IT!!!!!! thats what i mean you would have good friends also in the music bizzzzzz......mmmm thats a great way to make a band sure.....thats fun ....Now i need to figerout if im going to major or minor in music now.This part of my life in comeing at me hard thanks for all the help so far MY GUITAR BROTHERS!!!!!!!

[Pwozzie]

Originally Posted by loverockkid

THATS IT!!!!!! thats what i mean you would have good friends also in the music bizzzzzz......mmmm thats a great way to make a band sure.....thats fun ....Now i need to figerout if im going to major or minor in music now.This part of my life in comeing at me hard thanks for all the help so far MY GUITAR BROTHERS!!!!!!!

If you're good, or you know you're going to be really really really really REALLY f'n amazing then major. If you have doubts, then have a backup. TRUST ME.

[LoKi]

Originally Posted by loverockkid

Is there any one hear that could tell what opportunities there are for you if I do study music?Cant imagine there are to meny bit if you could help me out of just give me some info that would be awsome thank you.

Depending on if you take Composition or Performance, there can be many opportunities. My GF has a degree in Composition from UofC, and also took production/engineering at Columbia Academy and she's got a couple cool jobs. She works in the recording department at L&M, produces musicians and records, works for the Cantos Foundation for Music and writes and records her own stuff as well.

Her friend just finished her Masters and has a job with the Opera. She has written some peices for them and does some sort of production/promotion I think.

Her sister has her degree in Performance and is trying to get a seat in a Philharmonic somewhere. She plays oboe and is really good, so I think it'll happen. That's a pretty decent paying career as a musician.

That's all Classical music though. Another friend of mine has his degree in Performance Jazz, and is a brilliant musician. He does session work and works at L&M in the guitar department.