Author: QuickStart Clarinet
Date: 2018-09-17 19:08
Being a music major is certainly challenging, but it is definitely one of the most rewarding degrees in my opinion (a music major). If you enjoy practicing and playing a ton, majoring in music will be mostly a good time for you.
Performance vs. Education
I think it is best to be able to get a music education degree when possible because you can always become a great performer regardless of degree, though you may need to work a bit harder to gain the respect of colleagues and even teachers at times. However, if you only have a performance degree it will be much more difficult to get the certifications and credibility required to work as a teacher in a public school.
Making Money
As has been said by others there is an abundance of different ways that musicians can make money, and as you go through a music degree you will hopefully be exposed to several different options and find what you are most passionate about.
Getting a Teaching Job
There are a lot of public school/K-12 music education opportunities, and if that's what you would like to do it should be relatively easy to get a job like that. If you want to teach at a University that will be more difficult and also require a very high level of performing as well as being a good teacher. As for private lessons, these are a great way to make a fairly adequate salary. The hourly rate is much better than many jobs in many other fields, but the trick is to get enough students consistently. It takes quite a bit of work and networking to work up to 20 hours a week of teaching.
Currently I have about 10 students, but may only teach a couple hours a week because of cancellations, rescheduling, every other week lessons, etc. I would recommend having at least 30 students if you want to make a real salary from teaching.
Alternative Income
The value of majoring in music is that you gain a real expertise in your area, and if you can be creative about leveraging this the possibilities are endless. For example, I have created an online course, and am working on selling that as a way to make "passive" income. Becoming an "expert" and getting a degree in any field can have a ton of value if you know what to do with it.
I hope that helps!
Josh Goo
QuickStart Clarinet Founder
www.quickstartclarinet.com
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