3 Good Reasons To Be A Music Major (Or Not)
Sometimes parents encourage their children to become music majors, because the parents really wish they had followed their musical dreams when they were young. Sometimes parents are reluctant to allow their children to become music majors because they’re worried about the young person’s ability to make a living later. And often, parents just want their children to do what’s right for them.
How can you decide whether to become a music major in college? Here are 3 good reasons why you might want to do so.
Reason 1: You want to be a music educator.
If you have dreams of being a high-school band director – or, dare I say it, a piano teacher? – then you pretty much have to pursue higher education in music.
You’ll learn extensive music theory, music history, and music pedagogy. If you want to lead ensembles, then you’ll also learn conducting. After all, you can’t teach a subject before you master it yourself.
Reason 2: You want a music performance career – and you have real potential for achieving it.
Maybe you’ve entered – and won – an amateur competition or two. Or maybe you’ve been told by an experienced professional musician that you have real potential for a performance career. This could be your teacher, but ideally, you’ll have been told this by at least one other serious musician as well.
Realize that very, very few musicians ever make a long-term career as a concert soloist. But there are other opportunities for a professional musician, which I’ll tackle in another post. And if you want to pursue any of these performance career possibilities, the experience of majoring in music can provide you with the skills and contacts you’ll need to make your dream a reality.
Reason 3: You love to practice.
And I do mean love. Excellence in any activity can only be achieved through spending many, many hours on it. And if you don’t love what you’re doing, these hours and hours become a chore rather than a delight.
Of two people with similar natural abilities, which one is going to go farthest with a particular skill – the one who loves to do that activity, or the one to whom it’s a chore?
So, if you resist practicing until a recital looms, you might want to think long and hard about whether being a music major is for you.
You can expect to spend several hours per day in individual practice, ensemble rehearsals, and individual or group lessons. This will be the case even if you do not intend to be a performance major. Music education, conducting, and composition students simply practice other things.
So, there you have it. If you truly love music more than any other activity, if you are serious about pursuing a career in music, whether teaching or performance – then you may just have what it takes to be a music major.
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