Every Time You Write Parallel Fifths, Bach Kills a Kitten

Today's blog post marks the start in a five-part series. I will be writing a blog detailing the particular challenges for each major I advise (Cinema, Dance, Fashion Merchandising, Music, and Theatre). We begin with Music.

There are few programs more alluring than any type of degree in music. After all, I don't think I've ever had a student tell me that they avoid listening to music. Music is a part of our daily lives...it's ingrained in our culture. We're inundated with music from the time we're born and music shapes our life experiences.

Most of us are pressured (in one way or another) to study some form of musical instrument when we are children--I can personally recall dreadfully painful piano lessons at the age of 8 (all because my mother thought I had long fingers and so would naturally be suited to piano greatness). I went through a number of instruments before I figured out a few very important things about myself: 1) I had no musical ability whatsoever, and 2) I couldn't abide the sound of improperly struck notes (I have what musical people call a "good ear"). These two things combined to ensure that I never wanted to hear myself practice and would promptly give up the instrument as soon as I started playing.

Most of us have bands and orchestras in our high schools (if we can move beyond the early stages of musical learning). Bands and orchestras rarely practice for more than an hour or two a week--if you add in practicing for private lessons, you may be working your way up to playing your instrument four to five hours a week. Great (you think)! I'll study music in college! I love music, I love playing! All this stuff is easy! I won't have a lot of "academic" classes and college life will be sweet!

So you decide to audition for a local music program. If that program is anything like that of my school (VCU), the audition itself is intense. You need to have at least two solo pieces from the western canon prepared (and a solo improv piece if you're a jazz musician), you'll also have a keyboard skills test (basic competency on the piano is a must for most musicians), an interview with music faculty, AND a music theory and aural skills test (we'll talk about theory in just a little bit). Are you getting a sense of how rigorous this is yet? You cannot fake these skills...you cannot fumble your way through on charm. You have to know the material. Oh, and don't forget that the adjudicators WILL be looking at your high school transcripts to determine if your grades are high enough to get in.

If you survive the audition without acquiring a bleeding ulcer, and you get accepted to the music program, you're about to start a trial by fire. Every music student takes lessons in their primary instrument (hour and half lessons once a week). For those lessons, you will be required to practice three to four hours A DAY. You will have an instrument "Master Class" that you will need to prepare specific pieces for (oh, and that class doesn't have any credits so you'll be working your ass off and taking up valuable time in your schedule for a grade that won't affect your gpa). You will also have another round of auditions once classes start for large and small ensembles (Large Ensembles: Orchestra, University Band, Chorus, etc. Small Ensembles: Small Jazz, Jazz Orchestra 2, Woodwind Ensemble, String Quartet, etc.) You will meet with each of your ensembles at least another hour and a half a week...plus roughly two hours of practice time a day. **Now, I'm not very good at math, but I can already tell that you have quadrupled or quintupled your daily practice time from high school...and we're not done yet!** You're also going to have a Keyboard Skills class (your level will be determined by that placement test you took at your audition)--so add in some more practice time. You have to complete three levels of Keyboard proficiency in order to register for your Junior Recital, so this isn't something you can blow off!

And did I mention Music Theory? Music Theory is probably the most dreaded class in our Music program. It's a four credit class that meets every day of the week. If you had any kind of theory training from your private teachers before college, you're going to be in far better shape than if you didn't. Here at VCU, we combine Music Theory (how music works) with Aural Skills (sight reading and sight singing). There are actually four levels to our Music Theory courses (MHIS 145, 146, 245, 246) and if a student is not rock solid in their understanding of the information covered in the first class (generally any grade below a B), they will be hopelessly lost as they progress to further courses.

And we can't forget your actual "academic" classes! Yes, you have those too. Your first year, you should expect to have (at least): the two-semester freshman english class, math, and possibly a social science.

Music students regularly carry 17-18 credits (not including 2 non-credited classes), and that does not include rehearsal time. Students often feel incredibly tired and "burned-out" well before the end of their first semester. I have had a lot of students come to me and tell me that, after a few months of this schedule, they no longer enjoy picking up their instrument to practice.

Some students thrive in this rigorous environment, but it is vitally important that you be as informed as possible about the program you are entering before you take the leap. A number of Music programs are vigorously "classical" in their structure (like VCU)--talk to students in the department and find out what your program is like. If you are interested in stepping outside of Music and exploring other options, consider a school that has a BA in Music option (but know that you will likely NOT be able to get a Masters in Music Performance--that degree is reserved strictly for people who have completed a Bachelor of Music). If you are interested in Music Production, find out about the course offerings: how much time will you actually be able to spend in a music studio and what degree is offered? (some schools that offer this degree, like Full Sail, only offer an Associates). Are the schools you are looking at well-connected in the music industry? If you are looking at a career in classical music, are there alums of the program actually working in the field?

The best preparation you can make for a degree in music is to be as informed as possible, and as prepared as possible. And then be as flexible as possible when you get thrown a curveball.