music or school??

You shouldn't feel at all stupid about it. You're smart enough to be thinking about it and asking and that shows a lot of brains.

Ultimately you want to be able to be happy with your life, what you are and what you do. A lot of people get into music and aren't happy at all because they don't get to where they want to be. I'm speaking financially here. As I wrote in the last newsletter, there are lots of ways to make a decent living in music, "decent" meaning a normal working wage where you don't have to worry about things. Most people need the skills they get from education in order to make it work.

Don't ever stop asking questions!

Peace

thanks guys i really appreciate it...the fact that your answers are basically unanimous makes me feel stupid for asking in the first place! I guess my biggest concern was whether or not I should be spending time preparing for my backup instead of going for my #1 first.

The only stupid question is the one that didn't get asked.

A :-)

thanks guys i really appreciate it...the fact that your answers are basically unanimous makes me feel stupid for asking in the first place! I guess my biggest concern was whether or not I should be spending time preparing for my backup instead of going for my #1 first.

If you scroll down this forum, you will see several of your peers asking the same thing, some as young as 14. So it's not a silly question at all.

As David mentioned, there is nothing wrong with getting a degree in something related to music, business, marketing, or technical.

Good luck!

Laz

As David mentioned, there is nothing wrong with getting a degree in something related to music, business, marketing, or technical.
There's any number of studies (a big one quite recently) that unless you want a career in something that specifically requires it (engineering etc), it really doesn't matter what degree you've got - that fact that you have one is enough. :)

thx again guys....really helpful

HOW ABOUT FOCUSING STUDIES IN MUSIC, PICK UP A MINOR IN MUSIC. LEARN MUSIC THEORY, DIFFERENT INSTRUMENTS BESIDES GUITAR AND BETTER DEVELOP YOUR MUSIC SKILLS WHILE EARNING YOUR DEGREE. I DID IT, NOT SURE WHERE IT WILL TAKE ME BUT THE EXTRA CLASSES EACH SEMESTER IS WELL WORTH IT.

If music is your first love, then get a music degree.

Back that up with a second degree, preferrably a full major, in business.

The second degree isn't your "back up plan." It's part of your plan -- to make money in the field of music.

TADA! Now you have spent your time learning and perfecting your art -- and hopefully having some fun doing so as well without having to focus on making a full time living from it AND you have a degree that will allow you to work on the business side of your art which is where most people making a real living around music work.

Wow, what memories. I dropped out after 3 years. There was supposed to be this band of a friend of mine that was getting together and could use me, and in a much bigger city. Sounded GREAT. I ended up working fast food/bakery/restaurant/pizza delivery jobs for the next 8 years, saving the money to get back to school. After returning to school, I joined a band and cut my first album. Go figure...

Advice? I'd say stay in school. But if you aren't happy, or more important, feel like you are wasting your time, then split. You can always go back. Just don't get married or have any kids while you're out there finding yourself!

Incidently, I got a BS in Food and Nutrition Science, work as an Environmental Chemist, and record music on my own. Did I ever make the big time? Hey, I'm only 48. There's still time. And besides, what is the "Big Time" anyway, and why is it so important? Am I happy with the music I'm doing. Absolutely! A legend in my own mind. :lol:

I would encourage you to talk with your school advisor and the people you know who are doing what you want to be doing. I wouldn't advise you to drop out of school unless you had a great offer from a band and/or label. Use your time while you are in school to network and be a musician now: Use your school's studio to record your material, book and play gigs on and off campus, learn how to advertise, and ALWAYS carry your guitar around with you because musicians and potential fans will talk with you.

If you have other passions, explore them now. Follow all routes that excite you and you will find the right (and unavoidable) journey for you.

Susan Palmer
Seattle University Guitar Instructor
Author of, "The Guitar Lesson Companion"
Free Guitar Lessons: http://www.youtube.com/leadcatpress

I did three years at Oxford studying philosophy, politics and economics. It might not seem at all related to music, and the amount of work prevented me from pursuing music as much I had before that, but I learned so much. Networking with people and finding out how business (any business) is done is such a transferable skill, as were my tutorials (often an hour just me and the tutor discussing his specialist subject and me trying to keep up or out do him, lol). Growing up in a pretty rough working class area, I had never been exposed to this sort of stuff, and I had never been exposed to priviliged kids who, for the most part, were the most enthusiastic, hard-working and motivated people my own age I've ever met. Really helped me to raise my game, and it gives me a solid base of potential supporters outside my area.

I'd say stay in school, unless you get a nice record deal, lol. There are tons of opportunities to purue music (e.g. doing sound or recording choirs or other performances you might not normally work, learning from musicians outside your usual field, playing open mic nights and gigging with a band), and lots to learn that will help you indirectly (e.g. what level of motivatoin is required to succeed, how to interact with dferent people, etc). Plus, no matter how ready you think you are now, just think where your music head could be a couple of years from now, and how much material you'll have by then if you keep writing.

extra time isnt going to make your music any worse, so if anything the longer it is until you do release your music is only going to increase the musics dynamics and musicianship (is that even a word? :P )

anyway, increasing your diversity and exposure to differnt techniques is only going to make you better.

the only thing the could be affected by the gap in time is hitting the market with your stlye at a time when thats going to be accepted readily, i remember a few punk style bands here in oz trying to make a debut a few years back when soft acoustic stuff was all the rage and it wiped them out, you only have one chance to make (unless your really lucky)

2 years of school is an easy investment to make in your future. I finished my degree at 33 but I wished I had finished at 23! Also, the knowledge you gain in school will help you make decisions in your life no matter what direction you are headed. Today's successful musicians are also business minded men and/or women or at least have knowledgeable business people working for them.

The only situation in which I would recommend taking some time off from school is if you are doing very poorly in regards to grades and you have tried unsuccessfully to improve them. And even then, you should limit the time off. After a long break, it is difficult to get back to the books.

Hey,
I am at a crossroads of sorts. I'm 22 and have done 2 years of university. I know that I want to pursue music in some form, whether it be playing w/ my band or doing solo recording stuff. I have written very powerful songs which I am confident with, but my dilemma is that I cannot decide if I should throw caution to the wind and go at music 100% or if I should go back to university and finish up my 2 years and get my BA. I enjoy both, but I don't want my judgement to be clouded in either case, although of course logic is telling me to go to school so I'll have some qualification for the 'real world' as a backup in case music doesn't work out.

Any thoughts, opinions, theories would be excellent.

Many thanks,

R.

I would recommend that you must listen to your innermost voice. Having listened to it - stick to it and enjoy what you are doing otherwise you will end up in getting nowhere.

-diatonick

If for nothing else, finish school. Why? You will have gone through the rigors of processing information. When you're 70 you'll look back and be happy you did the intellectual thing first and then (maybe) did the music thing.

like most folks said...finish school. Especially since you've already started. Only 2 years left and you can still do your music, or even take electives that could help you with a music career in future.