Switching from music ed to music performance

[Bassbonechandler]

Hello all,

I am currently a junior music education student at Indiana State Univeirsty. My plans are to master in music performance and get my doctorate as well. I really really would like to study at IU with Dr. Pollard. I'm getting this feeling that music ed isn't really what I want to do for the rest of my undergrad. I'm behind as well and wouldn't be graduating on time with music ed. I wanted to know people's thoughts about switching to music performance instead of majoring in music ed. I really enjoy practicing and everyone tells me I have a great drive for constantly wanting to improve my own ability.

[AndrewMeronek]

Both degrees are a lot of work. I recommend that if you're going performance, make sure you get some business-saavy training in addition to the musically intense stuff. It's hard to make a living by just being a good musician, and good marketing/organizational/legal skills come in surprisingly handy.

[Burgerbob]

I did the same thing in undergrad. Today, I happily play! I also teach, just not in a full-time classroom setting... Which is fine with me.

[Bassbonechandler]

When did you switch burgerbob? I've talked to upperclassmen and my professors and they basically say it's all up to me in the end.

[Burgerbob]

My sophomore year I dropped the Ed classes.

[BrassedOn]

If you don't want to teach, then you kind of know the answer. Regardless, it's up to you.

If you are on scholarship, you may be restricted to the original degree plan. Ask.

To be pragmatic:
If you intend to teach music in K-12, or consider that as a backup, supplemental income, a way to get a little substitute teaching work, then you need the music ed. degree and in most cases the teaching certificate for your state.

A performance degree is sufficient, but is not necessarily required, for other kinds of work that could earn you cash:

• teach private lessons, teach group lessons. Sometimes a music lesson business will only take on people with music degrees, not other kinds of degrees regardless of high ability. But I have never heard of such businesses only taking Ed majors or only performance majors degreed individuals. A few in NYC require master's.
  coach marching band
  be a classroom aid
  gig in any style you're competent
  being a barista! Actually, trombone players make terrible baristas.

The performance BA is also sufficient in some cases if you decide to get a MA in Music Ed or conducting. Depends on the program.

If you go the performance degree route, there are things you can do to strengthen your future.

• take more conducting courses, arranging courses, choral whatever, piano, and such, wherever your talent and interest lay.
  Work on your doubles, whether horns, keys, guitar, or electronic wind instrument. On a low paying job, bone is often the first horn cut.
  Play in as many ensembles as you can, play on others' recitals, play the musical theatre shows, volunteer church gigs that make you play alto clef, etc...
  take courses in business like accounting, web development, etc. to exercise your business brain. If you're on a music scholarship, these may not be approved and paid for.

As far as getting an MA or Doc in performance, you might consider adding the more relevant intermediate goal of being a great, employable, actively gigging player. The higher degrees might get you a college instructor, adjunct, or professor job some day. But if you have no resume as a performer or composer or conductor, you won't be competitive.

If I were to go back in time, I would have started my degree on scholarship in a field other than music, and used my money and tons more free time to take private lessons with great players and teachers, and focus on being active in the gig world right away.

FWIW

[Bassbonechandler]

My ultimate goal is teaching trombone at a college level. I'd also really like to play in an orchestra as well. Eventually.

[cmcslide]

Either degree will get you into a good masters program. Some great players today started out by getting a bachelor's in music ed (George Curran is one example). The education degree doesn't have to lead to a career in education; you might find a school teaching position while applying for good college jobs, for example, or get a college teaching job based partially on being able to teach an education class to fill your teaching load. In the end, the decision really is up to you.

[Jimkinkella]

It’s been a while since I’ve been in school, but I think my sentiments still stand.
Fwiw these are opinions.

Don't worry about graduating in time. I never felt like I could afford it, I always felt like I should power through, and it was a big mistake. I still regret it decades later.

I know a number of people that got their ed degree then used it either as a support to a performance career or as part of a progression on to primarily playing. Lead players with major orchestras and some smoking jazz players. A couple of them have been / had been teachers from elementary through college.
There's some good info in the ed classes
If it's not for you, it's not for you, but some consideration should be made to future teaching inspirations.

Is teaching the major consideration, or is providing information as an instructor that makes their living as a professional?

Gotta do what's right for you, but realize there a a bunch of different ways to crack a nut and a bunch of different nuts available for cracking.

[Matt K]

You might want to consider picking up a minor in something that gives you another skill set. The education world is saturated to some degree so it isn't a guaranteed way to work while you're in between college and getting a full time gig. And there are even skills along the way you can acquire that will enhance you ability to get into the positions you mentioned that aren't music education. A minor in business, for example, is not particularly arduous but in all of the curricula I've seen for business - they take the most pertinent ones and make that the minor. Basic accounting is a super useful skill to have as an administrator, for example, and is going to set you apart from someone else who does not have it if you do get on the faculty somewhere. (Not to mention that there are now degrees I see popping up in hybrids of music and business.)

Granted, you mentioned not graduating on time b/c of the music ed thing, which I coudl also interpret as you having fallen behind on credit hours but on the other hand it also could be due to the student teaching semester so I can see it going both ways. In either case, while you're paying for it (or having it paid on your behalf) --- that's a really good time to pick up other skills that can really help you in the long term.

[BrassedOn]

To echo the benefits of ed major, yes you’ll gain a pedagogical background and understand teaching techniques and learning theory that will in for your teaching. And consider what other courses you might want to teach like theory history or music ed.

[Redthunder]

Do you have any interest in teaching besides college? How much time and energy have you invested into your skill set as an educator? I ask because I often see plenty of college students asking the same question because they don't feel an interest in education, or suspect it isn't "for them", but haven't really spent the time required to feel good about teaching. Think about it this way: would you enjoy the trombone as much if you never practiced the way you do? Maybe you have spent a good deal trying, I don't know, but I know that many degree programs can only do so much to actually give you hands on experience. Also just like playing trombone, there's only so much you can do from talking about it. The best way to learn how to do it yourself is to actually DO it.

Teaching becomes a lot more rewarding and fun once you've learned how to do it well. If you're on the fence, maybe you should consider if you've really given it a fair shake. It doesn't have to come at an expense to all of your other goals professionally or musically - in fact they'll probably just reinforce each other. Also I've always found it quite peculiar that to teach college a background in education isn't required - as if once students turn 18 - all of the psychology and practical knowledge about how people learn somehow disappears. If your plan is to teach in any capacity, it's not enough to be a good trombone player. You need to learn how to be a GREAT communicator for all types of people, otherwise you'll be doing your future students a disservice.

[SimmonsTrombone]

When I was in college, the performance majors got the top trombone teachers, ed majors the secondary ones.

[Redthunder]

When I was in college, the performance majors got the top trombone teachers, ed majors the secondary ones.

Some places still do this - and it's a lousy practice.

And people wonder why music education fails to produce results in many places.