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Re: degree dilemma

Author: bethmhil
Date: 2012-06-17 05:52

JHowell is completely correct. Your studies as an undergrad student require mastery of the skills you already have. Graduate school is where you get to go outside the box, where you can focus on other things besides your instrument (or, focus even more completely on your instrument). I have never heard of undergrad degrees that specialize in "woodwind performance"... On the other hand, I know many people who have done that exact program in their graduate degrees. There may very well be undergraduate programs that do have such degrees, but I can't tell you where to look. Alas, obtaining a degree in woodwind doubling may be something that has to wait until grad school.

JHowell also so rightly mentioned the infamous switch from music performance to education. My advice is to start out in music ed, even if you're not sure if you want to teach. At ISU, students begin music education courses by the first semester of their sophomore year. Unless you make the switch to education within the first year of school, the switch could put you behind at least a year. If you are interested in the performance degree, you could possibly double major or get a performer's certificate, depending on where you go to school.

On the plus side, music education degrees require proficiency in all the instruments-- this includes woodwind instruments. In these courses, you get to not only polish performing on the instruments, but you (hopefully) get to study with the applied faculty of the instruments and learn to teach the instruments. It's certainly not as in depth as what you would do in a woodwind performance program in grad school, but it's something to start with as an undergrad.

BMH
Illinois State University, BME and BM Performance

Post Edited (2012-06-17 05:53)

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