So, I'm looking into a music education major and possibly a major in jazz studies if possible. I really want to be a band director, especially for a marching band, and I'm currently looking into a few colleges to plan to apply to. Right now, I'm looking at California State University Fresno, San Diego State University, and Ohio Northern University. Are these good colleges for music? Are there any other that I might want to look at? My only requirements for the school is a marching band, a music education major program, and that it is located in the US.
Thinking about future music education
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ttf_stealthheartocarinaZ
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ttf_BGuttman
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Thinking about future music education
There are MANY schools that will fit your criteria.
I have two friends who graduated from Indiana State University. One is a High School Band Director, while the other is an Elementary School Music Teacher (and they are married to each other). If you want, I can pass along contact information.
I also have a colleague who teaches at University of New Hampshire. I can pass along a request to him as well.
The key here is to find the school that gives the least net cost to degree. That is total tuition less any grants or scholarships you can get. You want to minimize the amount of student loans you take on because while being a Band Director is a lot of fun and can be quite rewarding, the pay isn't that great and you will have a problem paying back a huge student loan debt.
Of course if Mom and Dad are independently wealthy, that changes things a bit...
I have two friends who graduated from Indiana State University. One is a High School Band Director, while the other is an Elementary School Music Teacher (and they are married to each other). If you want, I can pass along contact information.
I also have a colleague who teaches at University of New Hampshire. I can pass along a request to him as well.
The key here is to find the school that gives the least net cost to degree. That is total tuition less any grants or scholarships you can get. You want to minimize the amount of student loans you take on because while being a Band Director is a lot of fun and can be quite rewarding, the pay isn't that great and you will have a problem paying back a huge student loan debt.
Of course if Mom and Dad are independently wealthy, that changes things a bit...
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ttf_fsgazda
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Thinking about future music education
What state are you in? Depending on that there may be some state schools that meet your criteria (and will be much more cost effective than any out of state options).
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ttf_John Thomas
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Thinking about future music education
When to do you graduate? If it is this spring you are late to be starting this process. Auditions for admittance have already happened at most schools. One of my graduating seniors has already auditioned and been accepted to two schools and is just waiting for final scholarship offers to make his decision.
If it is next year, good for you for getting an early start.
What state are you in? You probably would want to go to school in the state you want to teach in because of teacher certification issues that could come up if going to a different state from where you go to college.
If it is next year, good for you for getting an early start.
What state are you in? You probably would want to go to school in the state you want to teach in because of teacher certification issues that could come up if going to a different state from where you go to college.
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ttf_timothy42b
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Thinking about future music education
Quote from: BGuttman on Apr 16, 2017, 04:31PM
The key here is to find the school that gives the least net cost to degree. That is total tuition less any grants or scholarships you can get. You want to minimize the amount of student loans you take on because while being a Band Director is a lot of fun and can be quite rewarding, the pay isn't that great and you will have a problem paying back a huge student loan debt.
That's one important criteria.
But I recently read a chapter in a Gladwell book with some statistics about success in college and out of it. Kids who went to highly prestigious competitive colleges but were at the lower end of the student profile (grades, board scores, but maybe could be musical accomplishment) did much worse than kids with lower scores who went to colleges where they were at the upper end of the profile.
The key here is to find the school that gives the least net cost to degree. That is total tuition less any grants or scholarships you can get. You want to minimize the amount of student loans you take on because while being a Band Director is a lot of fun and can be quite rewarding, the pay isn't that great and you will have a problem paying back a huge student loan debt.
That's one important criteria.
But I recently read a chapter in a Gladwell book with some statistics about success in college and out of it. Kids who went to highly prestigious competitive colleges but were at the lower end of the student profile (grades, board scores, but maybe could be musical accomplishment) did much worse than kids with lower scores who went to colleges where they were at the upper end of the profile.
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ttf_djdekok
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Thinking about future music education
This may sound simplistic, but go to a school in the state in which you see yourself teaching after you have your degree and certificate. I still have nightmares about all the documentation/extra courses/appeals I had to provide when I wanted to acquire teaching certification in Pennsylvania.
As for the lateness of your decision, it wouldn't kill you to work/perform/save some money for a year between high school and college. It'll give you a good chance to listen to non-musicians and parents of kids in music programs to see how they really feel about their local program.
As for the lateness of your decision, it wouldn't kill you to work/perform/save some money for a year between high school and college. It'll give you a good chance to listen to non-musicians and parents of kids in music programs to see how they really feel about their local program.
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ttf_JohnL
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Thinking about future music education
Quote from: djdekok on Apr 17, 2017, 01:12PMThis may sound simplistic, but go to a school in the state in which you see yourself teaching after you have your degree and certificate. I still have nightmares about all the documentation/extra courses/appeals I had to provide when I wanted to acquire teaching certification in Pennsylvania.It also helps to do your student teaching in the area where you want to work (and live) after graduation. It gives you a chance to start making contacts in the local music ed community.
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ttf_JBledsoe
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Thinking about future music education
Quote from: stealthheartocarinaZ on Apr 16, 2017, 03:35PMMy only requirements for the school is a marching band, a music education major program, and that it is located in the US.
The institution which you attend is less significant than the quality of the education you receive. Being a truly successful music educator takes more than a knowledge of marching techniques. You will find a quality marching band programs offering education degrees at myriad institutions across the US. Spend time thinking about the studio instruction you will receive, and the performance opportunities that will be available to you. If you want to be an effective marching band director, then you should seek a program that offers marching band, but you should also consider auditioning for a drum corp as some point. Experience in a drum is not necessary, but it certainly will give you a perspective on marching fundamentals operating at the highest levels of achievement.
You should be searching for an institution with a well respected trombone professor, and varied performance opportunities. The greater and more varied the number of experiences you have, the more effective your teaching will be in a public school setting.
The institution which you attend is less significant than the quality of the education you receive. Being a truly successful music educator takes more than a knowledge of marching techniques. You will find a quality marching band programs offering education degrees at myriad institutions across the US. Spend time thinking about the studio instruction you will receive, and the performance opportunities that will be available to you. If you want to be an effective marching band director, then you should seek a program that offers marching band, but you should also consider auditioning for a drum corp as some point. Experience in a drum is not necessary, but it certainly will give you a perspective on marching fundamentals operating at the highest levels of achievement.
You should be searching for an institution with a well respected trombone professor, and varied performance opportunities. The greater and more varied the number of experiences you have, the more effective your teaching will be in a public school setting.
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ttf_stealthheartocarinaZ
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Thinking about future music education
Quote from: John Thomas on Apr 17, 2017, 12:26PMWhen to do you graduate? If it is this spring you are late to be starting this process. Auditions for admittance have already happened at most schools. One of my graduating seniors has already auditioned and been accepted to two schools and is just waiting for final scholarship offers to make his decision.
If it is next year, good for you for getting an early start.
What state are you in? You probably would want to go to school in the state you want to teach in because of teacher certification issues that could come up if going to a different state from where you go to college.
I would prefer not to reveal my name or age on the internet, however, I will let you know, I am not graduating this year. Also, I live in California. Honestly, I don't really care where I go after high school as long as I stay in the country. I guess it's okay in California, but it would be cool to go out of state. My brother's going to Virginia in the fall for college, so I might look into his college, and I also used to live in Georgia, so I guess it'd be kind of nice to go back and start a marching band in my old area but I'm not picky about the state (except Hawaii and Alaska).
[Also, thanks
]
As of the cost, that is the least of my problems. Education is worth any price, to be completely honest. Especially since I really like the idea of attend a private university over a public, and I've heard those are WAY more pricey.
And in response to JBledsoe, I have taken that into consideration. Two of the colleges listed also have jazz performance major programs, and I like the idea of double majoring in that field if offered. I say marching band is a requirement because I really love marching and would like to continue for as long as I can. I just really want to be a music teacher in general. I guess I love marching band so much because it's where I started my music career, but either way, it's one of my main focuses.
Thanks for all your replies. Sorry it's been so long, it's been a really interesting few weeks lately...
If it is next year, good for you for getting an early start.
What state are you in? You probably would want to go to school in the state you want to teach in because of teacher certification issues that could come up if going to a different state from where you go to college.
I would prefer not to reveal my name or age on the internet, however, I will let you know, I am not graduating this year. Also, I live in California. Honestly, I don't really care where I go after high school as long as I stay in the country. I guess it's okay in California, but it would be cool to go out of state. My brother's going to Virginia in the fall for college, so I might look into his college, and I also used to live in Georgia, so I guess it'd be kind of nice to go back and start a marching band in my old area but I'm not picky about the state (except Hawaii and Alaska).
[Also, thanks
]As of the cost, that is the least of my problems. Education is worth any price, to be completely honest. Especially since I really like the idea of attend a private university over a public, and I've heard those are WAY more pricey.
And in response to JBledsoe, I have taken that into consideration. Two of the colleges listed also have jazz performance major programs, and I like the idea of double majoring in that field if offered. I say marching band is a requirement because I really love marching and would like to continue for as long as I can. I just really want to be a music teacher in general. I guess I love marching band so much because it's where I started my music career, but either way, it's one of my main focuses.
Thanks for all your replies. Sorry it's been so long, it's been a really interesting few weeks lately...
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ttf_stealthheartocarinaZ
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- Joined: Sat Mar 31, 2018 12:01 pm
Thinking about future music education
Quote from: John Thomas on Apr 17, 2017, 12:26PMWhen to do you graduate? If it is this spring you are late to be starting this process. Auditions for admittance have already happened at most schools. One of my graduating seniors has already auditioned and been accepted to two schools and is just waiting for final scholarship offers to make his decision.
If it is next year, good for you for getting an early start.
What state are you in? You probably would want to go to school in the state you want to teach in because of teacher certification issues that could come up if going to a different state from where you go to college.
I would prefer not to reveal my name or age on the internet, however, I will let you know, I am not graduating this year. Also, I live in California. Honestly, I don't really care where I go after high school as long as I stay in the country. I guess it's okay in California, but it would be cool to go out of state. My brother's going to Virginia in the fall for college, so I might look into his college, and I also used to live in Georgia, so I guess it'd be kind of nice to go back and start a marching band in my old area but I'm not picky about the state (except Hawaii and Alaska).
[Also, thanks]
As of the cost, that is the least of my problems. Education is worth any price, to be completely honest. Especially since I really like the idea of attend a private university over a public, and I've heard those are WAY more pricey.
And in response to JBledsoe, I have taken that into consideration. Two of the colleges listed also have jazz performance major programs, and I like the idea of double majoring in that field if offered. I say marching band is a requirement because I really love marching and would like to continue for as long as I can. I just really want to be a music teacher in general. I guess I love marching band so much because it's where I started my music career, but either way, it's one of my main focuses.
Thanks for all your replies. Sorry it's been so long, it's been a really interesting few weeks lately...
If it is next year, good for you for getting an early start.
What state are you in? You probably would want to go to school in the state you want to teach in because of teacher certification issues that could come up if going to a different state from where you go to college.
I would prefer not to reveal my name or age on the internet, however, I will let you know, I am not graduating this year. Also, I live in California. Honestly, I don't really care where I go after high school as long as I stay in the country. I guess it's okay in California, but it would be cool to go out of state. My brother's going to Virginia in the fall for college, so I might look into his college, and I also used to live in Georgia, so I guess it'd be kind of nice to go back and start a marching band in my old area but I'm not picky about the state (except Hawaii and Alaska).
[Also, thanks
]As of the cost, that is the least of my problems. Education is worth any price, to be completely honest. Especially since I really like the idea of attend a private university over a public, and I've heard those are WAY more pricey.
And in response to JBledsoe, I have taken that into consideration. Two of the colleges listed also have jazz performance major programs, and I like the idea of double majoring in that field if offered. I say marching band is a requirement because I really love marching and would like to continue for as long as I can. I just really want to be a music teacher in general. I guess I love marching band so much because it's where I started my music career, but either way, it's one of my main focuses.
Thanks for all your replies. Sorry it's been so long, it's been a really interesting few weeks lately...