Is double majoring worth it?

[ttf_trb420]

I am going to be thinking about college soon, and I only know two things for certain. I do not want to to use trombone as my career. But I want to play for my whole life. Which, obviously would include playing in college. I know some schools offer double majors, but is this worth it? It seems like a ton of extra work, which I fear could become overwhelming with my other major. Any insight is appreciated

[ttf_MrPillow]

Depends on what capacity you want to play in for your whole life. You don't need a degree to noodle in your living room.

[ttf_BGuttman]

I'm pretty sure you don't need to major to play in ensembles; it's just seating by audition.  There are also extra-curricular groups in some schools.

You can take lessons from the music studio as a non-major.  You may need to pay for these lessons (sometimes it's registering for a course).

Depending on what you plan to major in, your spare time may be at a premium.  Engineering and Science often have labs that require a lot of time for a few credits.  (Major in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry -- I know.)

Majoring in music doesn't usually increase the amount of time you play.  You will have to take a LOT of fundamentals courses related to structure of music, etc.  If you don't plan to use this later, it just takes resources away from subjects that might be more appropriate.

If you don't plan to become a professional musician, at most I'd minor in music (take music core courses as all your electives for your major).

In short, double majoring is a tough row to hoe and can add one or two years to your time to graduation.

[ttf_robcat2075]

And just in case the previous two posters didn't make it clear... you don't need to be a music major to be in college music ensembles or to take lessons. You just need to be good enough to play in that ensemble.

Some colleges will charge an extra fee for non-majors to take private lessons but that's a lot cheaper than going through with a doubtful-value endeavor such as a performance major.

The music history and theory classes... you can read that stuff in a book if you're really curious. (that's true of most college lecture classes, btw.  You could have read it in a book.)

[ttf_SilverBone]

You could also consider what I did: major in computer science, minor in music.  Although my school didn't officially have declared minors, I took most of the music curriculum.

Lacking a music degree hasn't stopped me from playing in many ensembles.

[ttf_schlitzbeer]

As a non major, don't expect to make the top group, as the school might have undergrad and grad students they favor. As a major, yes, it will have significant restraints on time spent on the other major. Instrument proficiency juries, class piano, theory, history, and recital attendance. It might take 5 straight years, including summers, to do music, and another major.

Take the auditions. If you get a drop/add code, play the 1st week to see if this is something you can do. Add the class to tuition after that week.

Major/non major, insure your horn, get a secure location to store it, and if it's a school locker, use your own lock.

[ttf_JohnL]

Quote from: trb420 on Jun 11, 2017, 07:00PMI do not want to to use trombone as my career.If you are certain about that, then I wouldn't encourage you to double major. There should be plenty of playing opportunities for a non-major (you can always factor that in when you're choosing a school).

[ttf_timothy42b]

If you double major, you will be required to put in the time on music even during those occasional semesters where you are just buried in work for your real career.

If you single major, you can back off a bit and manage your time wisely.

[ttf_Matt K]

As someone who has done both degrees fairly recently (graduated in music in 2012 and business in 2016), I'd suggest minoring if its an option.  If you are dedicated to learning, there are few classes your music school are likely to turn you away from. As an amateur, you are really not likely to use some of the advanced music theory classes, which often focus on advanced topics like Shenkerian analysis or of more obscure topics. My Written IV class was at least 50% studying 12-tone rows. Which if you were going onto do a masters in music would make sense to prepare you for it. But otherwise its very frustrating and probably in your case you'd end up being a better musician by being in an ensemble or taking studying that is more applicable to what you wish to perform (there are only 24 hours in a day afterall!).  But if you decide you want to study that sort of thing, we had a few minors who elected to be in my Written theory IV class.

[ttf_Exzaclee]

If you have no plans to pursue a career in any field of music, there is no real need to major in music unless you crave the challenge of a difficult degree.

The only music field that absolutely requires a degree is music education. You can't teach music at any K-12 school in most states without certification.

At the school I teach at, the differences between a major and minor are significant. Basically, a minor does half of the required course work: half the theory and aural skills requirements, half conducting, history, half the applied lessons and ensembles, and 3 semesters of piano instead of 4. None of the tech/pedagogy/elective/orchestration/comp requirements and no recitals for a minor if i remember right. Other minors (composition, historical performance, collaborative piano, jazz) are a bit more involved as they are usually tacked onto a music major and meant for a more specialized course of study (and the credits seem to get less as the classes get more involved or specialized for some reason?)

A major at my school takes 124-144 hours to complete, most minor requirements are 24 credit hours. Music majors take about 80 credit hours of music classes although most serious students take more (extra ensembles and applied lessons, extra composition/arranging/orchestration classes, etc.)

If performing, teaching and other music pursuits aren't seriously being considered for your career, a major isn't really necessary. Now, I don't think college is just about what is necessary and I do believe in education for education's sake. That said, you can minor and take extra classes in those subjects you are most interested in. And most schools (not all but most) aren't as concerned with whether you're a music major as long as you are taking applied lessons and adding value to the program. Where I teach, the best players gets the best ensembles regardless of their major.

[ttf_boneagain]

Lot of good and very sound advice about not dual-majoring here.

So I'll play devil's advocate.

You will NEVER have more time in your life to study things in depth than you have RIGHT NOW.  I remember how overwhelmingly busy I was at your age (we aged elephants are like that.)  I could not imagine getting busier.  Once I had job deadlines to beat and family to take care of, I could not believe how IDLE I had been previously 

The music history, theory (including ear training) and conducting work I had as an undergraduate served, and continues to serve, me VERY well, even though I haven't played for a living in decades.  The mental discipline I gained studying music, especially in learning how to manage a band score with more lines to follow than an orchestral score, gave me quite an edge over my peers in the computer measurement and performance arena.  I'm quite sure I spent about one quarter of the time my classmates did in a masters of administration program BECAUSE of my undergraduate MUSIC courses.  Music is often more about how you learn than what you learn. 

So, if your brain has the bandwidth for two majors, why not go for it?  Unlikely you'll have time for much else, though.  Fraternities, social gatherings, visits home... hey, at least you'd never have a dull moment!

[ttf_Exzaclee]

... and additionally, I agree as well with everything Boneagain stated above.

[ttf_Exzaclee]

... and additionally, I agree as well with everything Boneagain stated above.