Posted by MG on February 26, 2000 at 20:14:24:
In Reply to: College costs and beyond posted by Gary Press on February 26, 2000 at 18:46:44:
I am starting college next fall and plan to major in performance. I always figured
that it was a given that I would be prepared to compete for a symphony job, but upon
further reflection, I realized that there are so many things that interest me (composition, jazz playing, even private teaching appeals to me in a way)
that I'm now worried that I may not be prepared equally enough for all of them. Personally, I don't see how piling on graduate degrees is absolutely necessary for a career in a field that is based on your own talent and commitment. I will do what I have to, but I worry that my personality as a performer and composer could be damaged by too much outside influence. The technical aspects have been instilled in me already; I want to develop a personal style. In addition, I am greatly interested in other academic areas
and would like to continue to pursue them, but the curriculum for a music major is so intensive that I am also worried about losing touch with these other subjects. I guess my main concern is that I would like to piece together exactly what I need from my college education, but am worried that a highly standardized curriculum might make this difficult.
-MG