Where
Will My Music
Education Take Me?
Daniel
J. Wakin's article "The Julliard Effect: 10
year's later," published in the New
York Times, December
12, 2004 documents the career dramas played out year after year by
music
students enrolling in and graduating from schools of music in America. Starry-eyed freshmen
believe that everything
is possible and glamorous careers as performing artists are waiting for
them. Upon
graduation, however, the harsh realities
of the highly competitive job market dash many career dreams. Wakin's article notes that
of the 44 Julliard
graduates in 1994 at least 12 and perhaps as many as 20 have left music
performance careers. Others
among the
remaining students struggle to find enough performance opportunities to
pay
daily expenses and tuition debt. True
enough there were many successes among the graduates but it appears
that over
half of the graduates did not realize their career goals 10 years after
graduation.
The
choice of a
college and indeed the choice of a major can be a defining moment for a
student’s career. Parents
and students need
consider carefully the cost of education and the opportunities that the
education will open up. Jobs
for
performers are highly competitive and tend to not pay as well as one
would
like. In addition
the education does not
guarantee a performance position or career. Many musicians not only complete a bachelor degree but
continue their
education in graduate school as well. All of this education comes with
many thousands
of hours of practice and commitment to music and the cost of tens of
thousands
of dollars.
The
good news is
that some careers in music have great employment opportunities. For instance, in music
education there is a
nationwide demand for qualified teachers. In many states there were two or three job openings for
every graduate
from a music education program. If
you
are interested in music education, and truly desire to be a teacher
then this
is an excellent opportunity for you. You might wish to check out the opportunities at a music
school near you or contact any of us supporting this website.
The demand for
creative and artistic thinkers is also high in our economy. Come to the realization that a music
performance or liberal arts degree is more than training to
perform
faster, higher, and more musically. Instead it is an avenue to creative thinking and a new way
to understand of
the world. Consider
the university curriculum as a city comprised of many
districts, each of which represents a body of knowledge, or a
collection of
comparable skills, or a viewpoint on our world.
The
best prepared students are those that are not localized to a
district or two, but rather know how to travel throughout the
entire city. For this reason today's music
schools are seeking to graduate students
who not only perform music, but write, talk, compose, and promote music.
I
highly
recommend this book for your consideration as you contemplate your
musical
journey:
Angela
Myles
Beeching, Beyond Talent (
Oxford
:
Oxford University
Press, 2005), 344 pages, available in hardback (list $65) or paperback (list $18.95). Read review
Terry B. Ewell
Arts Administration
See videos, text, and a handout in the Bassoon Digital Professor.
Careers for Flutists (and other
musicians)
by Dr. Ed Lacy
by Doug Yeo, Bass Trombonist, Boston Symphony Orchestra
