Posted by Matt Brown on December 22, 1999 at 15:58:50:
In Reply to: Majoring in Music posted by J on December 22, 1999 at 03:15:19:
Interesting question. One thing that should be taken into account is that the curriculum is going to be different when comparing one school to another, and it does indeed play a factor in how many classes a music major has to take each semester. I know of schools where a music major only recieves 2 credits each semester for applied lessons, yet at the school I teach at applied lessons are 4 credits a semester - quite a difference in credit hours earned over a four (or five) year period!
Academically speaking, I don't think music majors have it any worse than other majors - some other majors will have a higher credit requirement than music, and some will have a lower one. However, when you start to factor in all of the hours of practice that you need, on top of playing in several ensembles AND keeping up with your academic courses it does indeed make for a full (and sometimes hectic) schedule.
Jay brought up an interesting point about financial aid, which I think students should be aware of. School can be expensive - if you're going to take more than four years to finish, make sure you can afford it. But dollars and cents aside, I see nothing wrong with taking more than four years to earn your degree as long as you are working hard and moving forward in a positive direction.
Just my two cents......