Posted by Rob Perelli-Minetti on March 05, 1999 at 09:11:36:
In Reply to: Re: Majoring in Music posted by Jay Bertolet on March 04, 1999 at 22:13:12:
"I think that students often forget the purpose of college. It seems to me that you pay a
college to train you for your chosen career."
With the caveat that I'm not a professional musician, I'd like to disagree with Jay (whose reputation as a player and teacher I greatly respect), and suggest that the purpose of college is to provide the student with an education (which includes both a broad general education in the liberal arts and physical sciences as well as some specialized training in the area a student may wish to pursue as a career), not primarily to provide career training. Once upon a time, that was the distinction between studying music at a college or university and in a music conservatory which did focus almost completely on music performance and theory.
In other fields, one is rarely ready for a professional career after a baccalaureate degree: college provides the foundation and background knowledge which prepares the student to study at a professional level. Then, one attends a graduate school where one focuses on the 'trade specific' knowledge, theory and practice needed to succeed.
I'm not really sure how this works in music, but if a student is at all concerned that they need to "hedge their bets," they should be aware how the rest of the world works.