 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: sarah
Date: 2001-08-12 20:35
I'm going to be a performance major at a liberal arts college and don't really know what I will be able to do after I graduate. I was first chair bass clarinet in all state three years but I am majoring in "regular" clarinet. I am unsure of my skills at this level but I am NOT interested in teaching at the high school level or below. any help?
sarah
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Author: Gretchen
Date: 2001-08-12 23:44
I'm gonna be a clarinet major at Duquesne University next year. If I were you, I'd just join an ensemble, take some lessons, and see how it goes. By the end of the semester, ask what the teacher thinks of your playing over all. if he thinks you are talented, and have a lot of potential, you could probably work hard to try and get an orchestra job.
Have you ever thought about private teaching too?
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Author: Jim
Date: 2001-08-13 04:04
Obviously, for someone not interested in teaching, the income producing potential of music performance is rather limited. Most professional musicians don't work full time in music, and need to supplement their income. Many professional orchestras are not full time employers, and many musicals now rely more on "canned" music and synthesizers than on live performances. The military takes some musicians if that life has any interest for you. You might want to speak with those in the academic counseling office, the placement office, or the music dept. when you get to college and see if there is offered a minor or concentration in a related area (a dual major is difficult or impossible for a music major) that might provide employment skills/ credentials for a "day job" while performing as often as possible.
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Author: Cathy
Date: 2001-08-13 14:42
Sarah, Have you ever considered a degree in music business or therapy? These are music majors that are offered at my school (as well as many other schools) in addition to music education and music performance degrees. Either one of these degrees would give you career options in music that are neither teaching or performing. Lots of luck ~Cathy
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-08-13 17:18
Sarah -
The competition for playing and college-level teaching jobs is ferocious, and unless you're already setting the world on fire and are up to practicing all day and all night, you can't count on making a living that way.
However, you should absolutely major in music. It's a great major, and maybe the best preparation for any career. The reason is that there's no "appreciation" involved -- just hard work and mastering a difficult and complex set of skills -- something that very few people learn in college. That's why the second most popular major for IBM hirees, after computer science, is music.
A music major will prepare you for the rest of your life just as well as any other major, and it will give you the gift of making music for the rest of your life.
When you go off to college, you never know where you'll come out. My freshman college roommate planned to get an engineering degree and ended up majoring in medieval German literature. I majored in English and became an editor and then a lawyer. My wife got her Ph.D. and taught college-level music but discovered a much better career in computers and is now a bank vice president.
You already have music as one big thing you know you're good at. College is the time for trying lots of other things out. You have infinite possibilities before you. Something will turn up, and it will almost certainly be unexpected.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Sylvain
Date: 2001-08-13 18:58
I agree 100% with Ken Shaw.
I'd like to add that doing a minor in something that you are also interested is a very good idea. It might open the door for a complete different kind of job or graduate studies in a different field.
Keep your options open, as long as you can, and have a blst being a freshman in college is one great year in ones life!
-S
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Author: allen cole
Date: 2001-08-14 03:55
First, I think it's good that you're a 'regular' clarinet major. A love for--and expertise with--the bass clarinet can only be an advantage, but you have to have your regular clarinet chops working if you're a performance major.
Teaching school is not for everyone, but private instruction is a very pleasant alternative. If you get your masters, you could teach in college. If fact, many performance people get teaching assistantships while pursuing their masters.
Remember that after getting your bachelors degree, you can pursue a postgradute certificate in another field. Many of my college classmates got these in computer programming.
Another option might be a liberal arts degree with music emphasis. One college here in Richmond offers that.
Good luck!
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