Skip to main content

Degree Options

Degree Options
One of the biggest things I wish I would have known before starting my undergrad were all of the possible options for majors. I only really knew about the music education route and had no idea that there were so many other options. It is important when exploring majors to keep an open mind and really think about which major would be something that could create a future you would want. It is also ok to change your mind and choose a different major along the way. The options in the music world are a wide range of exciting fields that each have their own unique rewards.
Music Education - this is created for students who want to be music educators. This could be anything from teaching elementary school music to being a high school music teacher. It could also be a first degree for those who want to pursue graduate degrees to be college level music teachers.

Music Performance - this degree is for those who want to be performers within the music world. It also works as a first degree for those wanting to be studio teachers at the collegiate level. Some people even use this as their bachelor’s degree when they know they wish to pursue graduate degrees in fields like music theory or music history. Those degrees do not have undergraduate programs at most colleges so this gives students the opportunity to get an undergraduate degree in the field.

Music Therapy - this field is for those who want to pursue music as a health profession. There are many different types of work these majors move into. I am not an expert at all in this field and will not pretend to be. If you want more information, please check out their website: https://www.musictherapy.org/

Music Industries - this is another field with a wide range of options. Most people assume that this field is for those who wish to work in recording studios, but there are also administrative and legal sides to this world as well. This field is full of entrepreneurs who build a life within this ever changing environment of the professional music world.

Composition - this major is for those who wish to compose music. This could be for any type of project from writing beginning band music to composing for film and everything in between. It could also serve as an undergraduate degree for those who wish to pursue music theory graduate degrees.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Transposition

Transposition The purpose of this post is not to completely teach you how or why we transpose, but rather a few ideas on how to work on transposition. The short of it is, we transpose because of our tradition coming from the natural horn where you could just change a crook and be in the right key. The how gets a little more complicated, but with proper guidance and lots of patience is easily achievable. Further reading can be found at: http://hornmatters.com/?s=transposition I highly suggest that you find a teacher who knows what they are doing when you start learning transposition. It is a tricky matter that if learned incorrectly to being with can hurt things down the road. When you are first learning transpositions, give yourself some baby steps. First, identify the key you are transposing to and the interval over which you need to make the chance. Take Horn in D for example. This means you are transposing down a minor third. Check the key signature and see if there are an...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ensemble Types

Ensemble Types Most of us spend our pre-college lives in the band setting. If we are lucky, our school has an orchestra program that tries to incorporate winds. In the band setting, we are surrounded by other woodwinds, brass, and percussion instruments. Bands are the leading forces in school ensembles through college, but then there are not many examples of bands outside of the school setting. They are many military bands that exist across the world, but professional bands outside of military connections are rarely found. Orchestra is the other most common type of ensemble you could be a part of. In this ensemble, the winds sections are greatly reduced and the string family is added in. The standard setting is for two violin sections, a viola section, cello section, and bass section. If you are put in orchestra for the first time when you enter college, do not be afraid to ask your teacher and your colleagues for tips and advice. It is a different setting from band and can req...
Post a Comment
Read more

Scales: Chromatic/Major/Minor

Scales: Chromatic/Major/Minor Scales are a great starting point for fundamentals on the horn. Most exercises are built around scales and arpeggios so learning them early is key. I suggest starting with a chromatic scale. Find a trusty fingering chart from one of your band books or online ( http://www.public.asu.edu/~jqerics/HornFingeringChart.pdf ) and find a note that is in the middle of your current range that is comfortable to play. From there, work your way chromatically down as low as you can continue to get notes to speak. When you reach your lowest possible note, turn around and work your way back to to where you started. Now do the same thing going up. Go as high as you can without forcing and come back down. This is a great starting point for getting to know your way around the full range of the horn and you should start memorizing your chromatic scale as soon as possible. Then we need to work on major scales. Full range of the horn makes it possible to play every sca...
Post a Comment
Read more