http://majoringinmusic.com/prepare-to-be-a-college-music-major/
This article gives you the least amount that you can really do to be a music major. What about how much sleep we lose? How busy we are?
Any teenager going into music needs to know that they are going to be tired, hungry, and busy all the time. The skills listed in this article can be learned and taught by our professors, but preparing mentally is something that all incoming music majors need to do.
What advice do all of you have for incoming music majors? Based on personal experience, or whatever.
As I think about the things I love and don't love about my current education, I would stress to an incoming college music student to really choose a school that has the type of program for the type of music they love. I love so many things about DePauw but I do feel like it has more opportunities for master classes and performances for vocal students. I wish that I had more opportunities to experiment with different styles of music and to be able to observe professionals who are instrumentalists. I LOVE Jason Robert Brown, but I could only apply certain things that he taught because I am a violinist and not a vocalist. So, to a future music major kids, if you love musical theater look for a school with a great theater program. If you love jazz, look for a good jazz program and the same with whatever type of music you love.
ReplyDeleteMy advice would be to be ready to feel incompetent.
ReplyDeleteI don't mean this in a bad way, just as matter of fact. I think it was Dean McCoy that said to us in the first couple weeks that we should be ready to not feel good enough. I think a big part of studying music is feeling inferior in some way to your peers. Whether or not it's a good thing or a bad thing is debatable, but I think everyone experiences the sensation of not being good enough at some point in their musical studies.
However, along with that, I think we often feel successful, proud, and inspired. Being a music major is truly a rollercoaster.
My advice would be not to forget to be an actual human being. Not in the context of forgetting to shower or living off of nothing but pretzels for a week straight, but more in the intellectual context. While the pursuit of being a music major it a noble one, realizing how music fits in the context of society and your life will therefore enrich your practices.
ReplyDeleteMy advice would be, take advantage of the time and energy you have to do the things you need to do for your major, and for yourself. Also don't expect to be good at everything within your major. You will find strengths and weaknesses, but don't only focus on the things you're horrible at. Even your strengths can become stronger!
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