Think Big

If you like working with children and being a music teacher is something you believe you would want to do / be good at then you should get a Music Education degree. However, I have known far too many people who received music education degrees, obtained a master’s in performance and then got teaching jobs as a back up. They are generally unhappy with their jobs. The world has enough bad and unhappy teachers. If you don’t want to be a music teacher you shouldn’t feel bad about getting a degree in performance. Even if music doesn’t work out for you in the end, if you worked hard and got decent grades in school you can find a good job. I know many people who have BM and MM performance degrees who are now working good jobs outside of music. I haven’t even mentioned the fact that with an undergraduate BM performance degree you can still apply to institutions such as law schools.

One should also consider the fact that many music education programs are far more intense than others. At my Alma Mater obtaining a music education degree while devoting four hours a day to practice was nearly impossible. Those who chose this route found themselves in for a very long and very busy five year (minimum) program.

Hemd then wrote the post titled “Dreams and Goals; Music Performance and Music Education.”  The following excerpt listed under the heading “Dream big, think small” sums up the thesis of his post.

There is nothing wrong with dreaming big of course, but reality suggests that a broader perspective and education will produce a more broader minded person who is better equipped to deal with diversity and ingenuity…  Dreams are natural. They are healthy and encouraged.  Confusing abstract dreams with concrete goals however, can lead to very deep and muddy waters.

I believe if one decides to pursue the field of music performance they should do so wholeheartedly.  However, one should take this decision very seriously and a choice should only be made after a lot of thought and prayer.  The field of music performance is extremely competitive and those who spend the most time and energy preparing for it are usually the ones who are the most successful.  This statement is one that I make after years of observing my friends and acquaintances who have gone on to obtain successful performing careers.

To clarify, I believe getting a degree in music education is a great decision for an aspiring performer, IF being an elementary, junior high, or high school music teacher or band director is something that you may wish to do.  However, if this is something you don’t want to do, don’t get a music education degree just as a “back-up.”

‘That last sentence leads me to the main point of this post, the idea of pursuing a “back- up” career.  Those I know who pursued back-up careers along with music performance usually ended up in their back-up career and not in music performance.  However, that statement could be construed to mean that the odds of becoming a performer are so slim that one should always have a “back-up.”  However, I do not believe that this is the case.  The idea of becoming a music performer can be a concrete goal, not an abstract idea.  However, it will never be a concrete goal if one does not think big.  That means taking concrete steps to reach a level where you can obtain a job.  The phrase “winning a job” is a misnomer because there is very little luck associated with the process.  Once you reach a certain level of playing you can obtain a job.

I believe that there is very little point in preparing for a musical career with the idea in the back of your head that it probably won’t happen.  I am not saying that going into music performance isn’t hard, and I’m definitely not saying that there isn’t a significant risk in doing so.  At your average audition there will be anywhere from 50-100 people present vying for one position.  However, if you’ve put in the appropriate amount of work, and you studied and learned from as many sources as you can, and you know that you are truly a great player this fact should not ruin your confidence.  Becoming a music performer is a concrete and achievable goal!