So, are you pondering, agonising or losing sleep over whether or not studying four years for a music degree is the right course of action for you?
Have you wondered whether there's any chance of even getting a job after your degree, especially in the "current economic climate"?
Do you really WANT to study music, but have parents/guardians who advise against wasting time, effort or money on a "fake" degree?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this article is for you. And if you answered no to all of them, this article is for you as well. Because, if you've reached this far, you might as well finish reading to the end, right?
Enjoy.
Have you wondered whether there's any chance of even getting a job after your degree, especially in the "current economic climate"?
Do you really WANT to study music, but have parents/guardians who advise against wasting time, effort or money on a "fake" degree?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this article is for you. And if you answered no to all of them, this article is for you as well. Because, if you've reached this far, you might as well finish reading to the end, right?
Enjoy.
List Of 10 Reasons To Study Music
1) It's Fun!
Probably the most important thing to consider when trying to decide how to spend the next 3 years of your life (minimum[!]) is whether or not you'll enjoy yourself.
A music degree is seriously fun! That's not an oxymoron – studying music at university requires a lot of focus and commitment. But alongside the expected 2-hours-a-day instrument practice and frenetic rushes to complete coursework on time, the classes are interesting and inspiring.
(...Except Keyboard Skills. That class is just terrifying.)
2) It (Probably) Gives You A Head Start When Looking For A Job (In Music) Afterwards!
I'm not entirely sure whether this is the case or not (I expect it depends on what job you're pursuing). However, I can't imagine it would ever do any harm to have a music degree when attempting to follow a career in music.
3) Socialise With Other Musical People!
Classmates, lecturers, university guests... the opportunities to meet and talk to other people who are passionate about music are practically unlimited! The mutual encouragement and support that classmates give each other are invaluable. And, who knows? The guy who sat next to you in that Composition lecture or the girl who you met for coffee to discuss the latest Harmony assignment may end up being the next "big thing" on the music scene! How awesome is that?
4) Performance Experience!
When you're studying a music degree, there are myriad opportunities for participating and performing in music concerts. As well as joining various university-run ensembles, students are offered the chance to set up and perform in their own concerts.
For example, two of my classmates have written a symphony, Our Nature, which will be performed on Saturday in a local town hall. Another two classmates organised and performed in a concert last Friday. Universities offer loads of support in this area. Make use of it.
5) Learn About Music Theory, History And Composition In Parallel With Each Other!
For example, this semester the courses on Music Harmony, Music Composition and Music History all focused on nineteenth-century music – and the lecturers of each course continually referenced each other. When we were learning about Art Songs in Composition, we were encouraged to use our knowledge of Romantic Lieder that we had acquired in Music History the week before. Likewise, our attempts at harmonising in a nineteenth-century style (learning how to use Diminished 7th chords or Neapolitan 6ths, for instance) in Harmony classes contributed to our ability to analyse and understand the music that was discussed in Music History.
This approach to learning about music creates a broader understanding of how the different elements of the subject fit together.
6) Free Instrument Tuition!
Do you know how much a private instrument tutor charges these days? Neither did I, so I looked into it. In Aberdeen, a qualified music tutor can charge up tothirty pounds an hour. Say you were to skip ten lessons for holidays. That would still come to £1260 a year! It's insane!
Music students are given this high-quality instrument tuition for nothing! Nada! Completely no extra cost! Now, that's insane.
Sure, the tuition is compulsory and really hard work (you're expected to practise at least two hours a day), and the tutors can be frightening or strict, but for the chance to receive this awesome training, I think a little bit of hard work is totally worth it!
7) Opportunities To Meet And Learn From People In The Music Scene!
Universities are great places to meet professionals in your field of study. There is an endless stream of musicians and experts in and around the music department: from guest speakers in seminars to musicians in university concerts to the lecturers themselves. For instance, the Edinburgh Quartet often features in the University of Aberdeen concert seasons and occasionally participates in Harmony lectures to help us harmonise for string quartets. And my current Composition lecturer is Paul Mealor, who composedWherever You Are – the piece that was sung and made famous by The Military Wives!
8) Learn The Official Format For Writing About Music!
With the amount of research and essay writing required when studying a music course, this will naturally get ingrained into your subconscious while you're not looking. Knowing how to discuss music correctly is essential if you want to be taken seriously when you write about it.
I'm by no means any good at it yet, but compared to the essay that I wrote when I first entered the course, my writing style has improved dramatically – and I still have two more years of studying to go!
9) Free Entry Into Music Concerts!
I've no idea how many Classical concerts I've attended this year because the flyer stated that they were "free for music students." On a limited budget, free concerts are a godsend for any music lover – and they're a great way to discover and learn about music that you'd never heard before. One (free) concert I attended last semester featured a symphony written by an Aberdonian farmer/composer which incorporated animal sounds, coughing and machine gun noises! It was completely crazy, but also really fun and unusual – I would never have even considered attending such a concert before joining this course!
10) It's LOADS of fun!
...Did I mention that already?
1) It's Fun!
Probably the most important thing to consider when trying to decide how to spend the next 3 years of your life (minimum[!]) is whether or not you'll enjoy yourself.
A music degree is seriously fun! That's not an oxymoron – studying music at university requires a lot of focus and commitment. But alongside the expected 2-hours-a-day instrument practice and frenetic rushes to complete coursework on time, the classes are interesting and inspiring.
(...Except Keyboard Skills. That class is just terrifying.)
2) It (Probably) Gives You A Head Start When Looking For A Job (In Music) Afterwards!
I'm not entirely sure whether this is the case or not (I expect it depends on what job you're pursuing). However, I can't imagine it would ever do any harm to have a music degree when attempting to follow a career in music.
3) Socialise With Other Musical People!
Classmates, lecturers, university guests... the opportunities to meet and talk to other people who are passionate about music are practically unlimited! The mutual encouragement and support that classmates give each other are invaluable. And, who knows? The guy who sat next to you in that Composition lecture or the girl who you met for coffee to discuss the latest Harmony assignment may end up being the next "big thing" on the music scene! How awesome is that?
4) Performance Experience!
When you're studying a music degree, there are myriad opportunities for participating and performing in music concerts. As well as joining various university-run ensembles, students are offered the chance to set up and perform in their own concerts.
For example, two of my classmates have written a symphony, Our Nature, which will be performed on Saturday in a local town hall. Another two classmates organised and performed in a concert last Friday. Universities offer loads of support in this area. Make use of it.
5) Learn About Music Theory, History And Composition In Parallel With Each Other!
For example, this semester the courses on Music Harmony, Music Composition and Music History all focused on nineteenth-century music – and the lecturers of each course continually referenced each other. When we were learning about Art Songs in Composition, we were encouraged to use our knowledge of Romantic Lieder that we had acquired in Music History the week before. Likewise, our attempts at harmonising in a nineteenth-century style (learning how to use Diminished 7th chords or Neapolitan 6ths, for instance) in Harmony classes contributed to our ability to analyse and understand the music that was discussed in Music History.
This approach to learning about music creates a broader understanding of how the different elements of the subject fit together.
6) Free Instrument Tuition!
Do you know how much a private instrument tutor charges these days? Neither did I, so I looked into it. In Aberdeen, a qualified music tutor can charge up tothirty pounds an hour. Say you were to skip ten lessons for holidays. That would still come to £1260 a year! It's insane!
Music students are given this high-quality instrument tuition for nothing! Nada! Completely no extra cost! Now, that's insane.
Sure, the tuition is compulsory and really hard work (you're expected to practise at least two hours a day), and the tutors can be frightening or strict, but for the chance to receive this awesome training, I think a little bit of hard work is totally worth it!
7) Opportunities To Meet And Learn From People In The Music Scene!
Universities are great places to meet professionals in your field of study. There is an endless stream of musicians and experts in and around the music department: from guest speakers in seminars to musicians in university concerts to the lecturers themselves. For instance, the Edinburgh Quartet often features in the University of Aberdeen concert seasons and occasionally participates in Harmony lectures to help us harmonise for string quartets. And my current Composition lecturer is Paul Mealor, who composedWherever You Are – the piece that was sung and made famous by The Military Wives!
8) Learn The Official Format For Writing About Music!
With the amount of research and essay writing required when studying a music course, this will naturally get ingrained into your subconscious while you're not looking. Knowing how to discuss music correctly is essential if you want to be taken seriously when you write about it.
I'm by no means any good at it yet, but compared to the essay that I wrote when I first entered the course, my writing style has improved dramatically – and I still have two more years of studying to go!
9) Free Entry Into Music Concerts!
I've no idea how many Classical concerts I've attended this year because the flyer stated that they were "free for music students." On a limited budget, free concerts are a godsend for any music lover – and they're a great way to discover and learn about music that you'd never heard before. One (free) concert I attended last semester featured a symphony written by an Aberdonian farmer/composer which incorporated animal sounds, coughing and machine gun noises! It was completely crazy, but also really fun and unusual – I would never have even considered attending such a concert before joining this course!
10) It's LOADS of fun!
...Did I mention that already?