Desicions

Hi everybody! This isn't exactly a music question- That is, it has a lot to do with music, but not music itself. I need some advice from people who have gone to college for guitar/music in general. 

I love music, but I'm not as, say, connected to it as some people I know are. So as much as I love it, I need your advice, since I love to do a lot of other stuff, like dance, sing, do art, and other stuff, since I know you probably have other hobbies too. Is music something you would choose for going to college for, or would you have chosen something else? I know this is a totally strange and difficult question, and I apologize if it is! 😂 Anyways, I'm still a kid, so I have a couple years to think about it!

-Viva 

I don't get what exactly do you want as an answer. Do you only want to know if music is something people would do in college, therefore gathering some statistics on it and nothing else, or do you want to know what draws people into college for you to make a more well informed decision?

I went to school for music. loved it. Now I teach at a college.   

I'd throw a question back to you - are you involved with any activities in these subjects, no matter how accomplished you think you are? Can you draw/paint? Do you like to dance (even on your own, free form - doesn't have to be formal)? Have you an understanding of photography/videography? Have you started to put a portfolio together? Have you any acting experience? Can you play a musical instrument or are learning one?

And since you've asked about music in particular, what do you want to do? Be a performer? A composer? A producer? A mix of any of these?

I'm guessing but I think if you're starting from scratch, music will be the most intense, most difficult because there's a lot to learn technically. Playing an instrument is an essential (to me, anyway). That'll take time. Some instruments yield early results, others like strings need a lot of up-front work to get things right before you even start playing tunes. Even singing has problems but it's probably the easiest as you already have the gear. The risk of trying to teach yourself, were that a thought, is that you can get into some awfully bad technical habits that'll be equally awful to undo later. You'll need to learn to read music for college. Piano is the most useful as you can see chords and harmony laid out before you. If you wanted to be a composer, piano and an orchestral instrument in demand among groups are useful. You'll make contacts. If you want music technology then musical demands are less relevant (but only just!). As I understand there's a lot of competition in the market place.

It's a great subject though and you'll probably have opportunity to meet with dancers/troupes, choirs, new movie-makers... 

Thing is, do you feel you have music in you?

I did a year-plus at music college - composition - and didn't like it. Ditched it. It did me more creative harm than good. The prospects were limited. I went in playing piano and viola at an elementary level. I'd also dabbled with others. I got certificated externally.

Good luck with your thoughts.

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It's a pretty easy question for me. But at first it was not a question at all because I was already a professional drummer early on. I also played guitar. But being a drummer can be a grind and I wanted something more, as you do, and my musical quests were expanding faster than my environment would allow. So college was the next logical step as I was already on the trajectory. I have never been bothered by a desire or a curiosity to be other than a musician, and I had already firmly acquired one overarching principle and that was to "get good." And I chose composition to get good in. Thinking back, being with other musicians who were so good that they had their whole futures planned out in advance, was like a dream. Concert pianist, playing in a symphony orchestra, or just teaching, being with other kids who were at their best game, walking down the hall and hearing the cacophony of two hundred years of music, all at once! I would definitely choose music school again, but I warn you, it's probably not best to go in thinking as a jack of all trades.