So, you want to be a music major?
I am very appreciative of Nick Barthen and the Music Department Staff in the Moon Area School District for inviting me to present this past Thursday evening (11/14) on “So You Want to Be A Music Major”. I received five phone calls in the days before the event from people interested in hearing what I had to say, but could not attend the evening session. Considering there are many high school seniors trying to lock in their college choices and some are still mulling over their career choices, I wanted to share my perspective here as it might be helpful to directors and students.
In preparing for a career in music, it is important to listen differently. Expand your listening to styles of music that you may not be familiar with is vital for your growth as a musician. Learning to seek out an aural role model whose sound you want to emulate is another part of listening. For me as a tuba player, the first time I heard Sam Pilifian was inspiring.
Performances in music are great, don’t get me wrong. But that is the outgrowth of the work that precedes it – practice. Finding time to practice regularly is another part of this path regardless if you are music education, music therapy, music performance, or music business. I try to find time to practice every day – and yes, composing music takes a lot of practice (I have plenty of “practice sessions” recorded on my phone and written down in sketchbooks).
Find time to study piano, music theory, and challenge your ear training. Find a piano teacher in your area who understands your main area of concentration, and study with them to develop your skills. While you aren’t studying to become a concert pianist, you will have to prove your basic competency behind the keyboard at some point during your college career. There are a number of online platforms that can provide assistance in learning music theory (e.g. MusicTheory.net is excellent) or develop your ear training skills (e.g. TonedEar.com has options for working on intervals, chord progressions, and melodic dictation). While each of them seems somewhat independent of the other, in my own preparation of scores with ensembles I am using at least two of them at the same time as I study the piece. Ask an elementary music teacher who is leading a class full of children in singing a folk song how many of these skills they use at the same time – all of that and more (including classroom management, differentiated instruction, and vocal pedagogy).
It is important to seek resources from your directors, private teachers, and musicians that you already know. These can include repertoire, method books, and even websites and recordings. They can also extend beyond the realm of music resources and involve leadership and time management development. Two texts I recommend to students pursuing music are This Is Your Brain on Music by Daniel Levitan and The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle. Both texts are great reads and encourage you to listen differently and practice with more purpose while you are on this path.
A life in music can become a lifestyle, and that lifestyle is filled with opportunities to continually learn and perform. Part of that lifestyle is taking time to better yourself through attending workshops and masterclasses. These kinds of events offer opportunities to compare your current knowledge and experiences with other people who have the same concentration. Another part of the lifestyle is maintaining active personal musicianship. For many in the field of music that involves participating or directing a community group. For others it means starting their own group with like-minded friends and colleagues forming chamber groups that can perform in a variety of performance venues.
As you study with a private teacher, your own professional network has started to expand. The field of music is a deeply interconnected system of professionals. In addition to making professional connections, maintaining positive relationships within the field pays long term dividends. We are a group of people that places importance on human relationships that is reinforced by the sense community built in ensembles and collaborative music making opportunities. Personal references regarding your musicianship, attitude, and ability to positively contribute to a group carry significant weight and mean frequent requests for you to share your skill and insight with others. You may find your professional network is filled with many of your friends and even family. Remember that sometimes the advice and input they give us is much like a suspension: when we first hear it we might experience tension. Given time, and resolution the advice makes sense in our professional life, just as the suspension resolves to a consonant interval.
The last thing that I would encourage any student pursuing music as a career would be to build your habits. The right kind of habits can be liberating for your daily routine as a musician, just as the wrong kind of habits can be incredibly restrictive to your growth and development. The habits of listening differently, setting aside time to practice, building your competency as a musician, and seeking opportunities to learn and grow ultimately make the difference on your career path. The habits of connecting and treating people with courtesy and respect, and holding yourself to high standards of accountability help strengthen your standing as a professional. In closing, I would only share that the career path in a music career is seldom direct or straight. I am where I am in music thanks in large part to the support of my family and friends. My family and friends have helped me retain my focus throughout my career. There will be moments of questions and even possibly doubt. There will be moments that are uncertain or unexpected. The reality is that our focus on this path must be on controlling what we can actually control – our preparation, our habits, and our relationship to others. “So you want to be a music major?” Good. If you are a young musician reading this article and would like to discuss all that a life in music has to offer, please contact me here, at Messiah College, or on Twitter. I would be happy to discuss this career path with you. We need diligent musicians, patient teachers, passionate advocates, and thoughtful human beings to continue extending this art form through the next century. The path isn’t always easy, but it is incredibly worthwhile.
