Advice for prospective college music majors

ByBret Pimentel
Photo, Surat Lozowick

Planning on being a college music major? Good for you! But if you’re like I was as a high school senior, there are some things you haven’t thought of yet. Now that I’m on the other end of things—a college music professor, teaching music majors—I have some advice that I share with potential students (and that I’d like to send back in time to my younger self). I hope these tips help you get off to a good start on your own college music studies.

  • What you need the most right now, before starting college, is a good private teacher. If you’re not already taking lessons, it’s time to start. (Note that if you have your sights set on a top-tier school, most of the people auditioning will already have years of serious private study under their belts!) A good teacher can help you choose some possible schools, prepare audition material well, and get a sense for what advanced music study is like. Oh, and sculpt you into a fine young musician. The money you spend on lessons will pay off when scholarships are awarded.

  • Get into a good practice habit now. It’s common for music majors to have practice requirements of 3 or more hours per day. It will pay off, but some students find it hard to get used to at first. Start a program of dedicated practice now, and you’ll hit the ground running.
  • In a lot of ways, the most important factor that will shape your college music education is your studio teacher—the professor who will give you lessons on your instrument. The best way to get the education you want is to pick a great teacher, and then apply to the school that they teach at. Most will be happy to meet you while you’re still in the process of choosing a school, and maybe even have a lesson with you. Seize that opportunity!
  • Find out about the different types of music degrees. The most common are BM (bachelor of music), BME (bachelor of music education), and BA (bachelor of arts, with music emphasis). I’m including a few thoughts below about what kinds of career paths they correspond to.
  • Plan to start college with your trusty old instrument, mouthpiece, etc., and hold off on purchasing anything new until after school starts. Your new studio teacher may have specific requirements, and at least will be able to help you avoid costly mistakes. Likewise, hold off on buying etude books, sheet music, etc. until you’ve asked the studio teacher.
  • Know in advance that a college major in music isn’t like having high school band class all day. You’ll participate in ensembles, but you will also need to be ready to do face any fears you have about solo performance. You will also have to make your peace with music theory and music history, and get comfortable singing a little and playing the piano a little. Oh yeah, and keep up with your general education requirements: math, science, English, and so forth.
  • One more thing: being a music major isn’t for everybody. Even some very bright, capable, and talented students decide that a music degree isn’t the right path. And that’s okay.

I loved my experience as a college music major, all the way through three degrees. It’s challenging, but fun and rewarding.

Here’s a  nutshell view of the most common undergraduate-level music degrees:

The BME (bachelor of music education) has the clearest career path: when you finish your degree, you will have the credentials you need to apply for jobs in your university’s state (and possibly some additional states) as a band director (or orchestra or choir director) at the high school level and lower. You will study music, plus things like educational psychology and classroom management. You will probably need to do at least one solo recital, and your studies will culminate in a semester of supervised student teaching.

The BM (bachelor of music, sometimes referred to as a “performance” degree) is focused on playing your instrument, and doesn’t qualify you to teach music in the public schools. In fact, you could make the argument that it really doesn’t qualify you for anything specific, since you don’t need a college degree to be a professional musician (although if your goal is play well enough to make a living at it, college-level study can help you along that road). The most solid reason to choose a BM degree (as I did) is that you have your sights set on a career in college-level studio teaching; remember that this pretty much requires continuing on to a master’s degree (2+ years) and a doctoral degree (4+ years), and then entering a very competitive job market. As a BM student, you will likely put on several solo recitals, and participate in chamber music groups as well as large ensembles.

The BA (bachelor of arts) with an emphasis in music is a more broad-based degree, generally with less rigorous music coursework but with other requirements that might include things like philosophy and foreign language. Like the BM, the BA doesn’t have a particularly well-defined career path, but a BA degree may be appropriate if you have a career plan that would benefit from knowledge of music but doesn’t require high-level performance ability or teaching credentials.

In many ways, the most practical approach is to dive into the BME degree, as it comes the closest of any of these to guaranteeing you a job right out of college; plus, if you change your mind and are talented and hardworking, you may be able to transition into a master’s program in performance and work toward college teaching instead. But if you’re sure (as was I) that middle school or high school teaching isn’t your thing, then a BM or BA might make more sense. And there are some less-common music-related degrees that you can research, as well, like music therapy, music business, or sound recording.

Have additional advice you would give to prospective college music majors? Please share in the comments section below.

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    Things you need to cover in woodwind methods class

    ByBret Pimentel

    If you are teaching a woodwind methods course, you might be interested in my book.

    Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.

    A few years back I posted a rant about non-mission-critical information in woodwind methods textbooks.

    This is a course primarily for instrumental music majors, who will go on to become school band or orchestra directors, and who need a crash course in the playing and pedagogy of each instrument that will be in their future ensembles. At the places I’ve taught, it means taking students from zero to playing a little bit of flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and saxophone, all in one semester. It’s a semester-long sprint.

    I went on to list things I have found in textbooks intended for these courses, which I think are distractions or filler or otherwise misguided.

    woodwind methods class
    photo, Ace Foundation

    What should a woodwind methods class focus on?

    • Fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals. Fundamentals. For woodwinds, the following are absolutely, non-negotiably crucial technical elements: breath support, voicing, embouchure, articulation, and finger technique. They must be understood and properly connected to audible elements: tone, intonation, response, volume/dynamics, and fluency (of finger movements). This material should probably make up 90%+ of lecture, readings, in-class activities, etc.
    • Woodwind-specific band-room survival skills: minor instrument repairs and adjustments, reading and interpreting fingering charts, woodwind transpositions, selecting equipment (this needs to be a much bigger conversation than just a list of brands and models), and matching students to instruments (hint: gender, anatomical factors within broad norms, and ill-conceived proficiency testing are not good ways of doing this).
    • Introduction to additional resources. One, two, or even several semesters are not enough to make a undergraduate student into an effective teacher of woodwinds; they need to know how and why to consult available pedagogical books, journals, and online materials.

    Also, disturbingly, I have been hearing occasionally from woodwind methods teachers who are choosing or are being encouraged to skip or minimize the double reeds and focus on flute, clarinet, and saxophone. (I even heard from a publisher alerting me to their woodwind methods textbook that does not cover the double reeds!) I think this is a disastrous side effect of a marching-band-centric approach to music education, and leaves future music educators woefully unprepared to lift their band programs above that level. You have to teach oboe and bassoon!

    The question I get a lot from new college professors about to teach their first woodwind methods course is which textbook to use. I don’t have a strong recommendation. Dietz and Westphal seem to be commonly used, but they are expensive and have the other problems I have previously described. I currently use some materials of my own with my woodwind classes, which may or may not at some point become available. If you like, join this mailing list and I’ll use it to spam you if I ever get everything edited into a book-like form. Update: the book is now available!

    Make sure you are using your woodwind class’s time well, preparing them to teach woodwind fundamentals clearly and thoroughly.

  • My studio “fresh air” policy

    ByBret Pimentel

    Last year I posted a small sign on my studio door:

    Fresh air policy

    If you smell of tobacco, alcohol, or illegal drugs, you will not be permitted to enter my office, whether or not you were the one using those substances. If your grade depends on you being here for a lesson, coaching, or other meeting, you will receive a zero.

    Thank you.

    Happily, I haven’t had occasion to enforce the policy since then, though I have previously had the occasional student who would have been in violation. It should go without saying that you shouldn’t ever show up to any college course or professional situation under the influence of any mind-altering substance, including alcohol, and my university also happens to be a “tobacco-free” campus, which is rare and awesome.

    I wrestled a little bit with the “whether or not you were the one” clause, but it’s my workspace and I don’t like the smell of cigarettes, especially since my work involves a lot of deep breathing. Also, it means I don’t ever have to try to guess whether students are lying (not that any of mine would).

    My students’ choices are their own, and I try to be extremely conscientious about not foisting my personal beliefs on them. However, I am also responsible to teach them to protect their health, at least as it relates to their woodwind playing, and to behave professionally. So fresh air—free of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs—is my policy.

  • Student auditions

    ByBret Pimentel

    I hear auditions on a pretty frequent basis: my college students audition for placement in university ensembles, prospective students audition for admissions and scholarships, high school musicians audition for the honor band the university hosts. It is pretty routine for me, but clearly sometimes extremely stressful for them.

    I thought it might be helpful to some auditioning students to have some idea what is going on in my mind while I am listening to auditions. I expect my thoughts are reasonably typical of someone who hears these kinds of auditions regularly. Bear in mind of course that I’m not talking about extreme high-pressure situations like auditions for full-time positions in major orchestras, or even for admissions to a big brand-name university/conservatory; I’m generally hearing students within a range of ability and preparation levels.

    Photo, VermontJm
    Photo, VermontJm

    Firstly, I am more or less a regular guy and not looking for nit-picky reasons to deny you your goal. Some students seem to be overly stressed about tiny matters of protocol: will he be mad if I knock on the door? Will he be mad if I DON’T knock on the door? Just be your best, most professional self, and exercise a little common sense. Read More “Student auditions”

  • Hi, come on in, you’re right on time for your lesson.

    ByBret Pimentel

    I have lots on things on my list for you today: we should double-check your rhythms on that etude, review those melodic minor scales that were giving you trouble last week, and discuss some finer points of vibrato.

    But something about your sunken eyes when I met you at the door, the way you slouched into the room, the slept-in fashion statement, says that today you are Struggling. Not because you are lazy or undedicated. But because college life is fraught with deadlines for research papers and rent payments, and scheduled to the brim with marching band rehearsals and late shifts waiting tables, and fueled by store-brand Pop Tarts and never enough sleep.

    And because of the heavy secrets that you carry. A friend spiraling into addiction. A boyfriend or girlfriend who tells you you’re not enough. A medical worry that you can’t afford to acknowledge. Sexual assault. Depression.

    We can try to fight through your repertoire piece, but today Saint-Saëns isn’t breaking the top twenty things on your mind.

    And while sometimes the biggest obstacle between you and your senior recital is sluggish articulation, sometimes it’s crippling anxiety about something else. And my calling is to get you from here to that recital, whatever is standing in the way. 

    So for now let’s put off talking about how many practice hours you have logged. Instead I want to know whether you have eaten anything in the last 24 hours. How much you slept last night, and the night before. Whether you have gotten any sunshine this week. Sometimes, I think, the best thing I can do to improve your playing isn’t to harangue you about intonation, but to offer you a protein bar from my desk drawer, send you home for a nap before you have to clock in at the restaurant, or make you walk a few laps around the quad and take some breaths of fresh air.

    Or sometimes to ask how you’re doing, ignore the reflexive “fine,” and wait for the real answer to come tumbling out.

    I’m no therapist. And I’m not your parent or your doctor or a social worker. I might not always be the right person for you to talk to—luckily you have friends, family, clergy who are also ready to listen. And there’s the campus counseling center, for when you need to talk to someone who isn’t invested in your life, or someone who can offer a professional opinion when medications or other therapies are needed. But if I seem like the right person to open up to, then I want you to feel safe and unjudged doing it.

    One thing, though: mentioning suicidal thoughts, even in passing, is a showstopper. Before we move on, I need you to tell me, emphatically, that you’re not in danger of harming yourself. If you can’t convince me, then I’m going to use this circa-1982 office phone to call one of the counseling staff for some help.

    Your musical pursuits are important, but not more important than your life and health and happiness. So let’s make sure the real problems are at a manageable level first, and then I’ll resume hassling you about tension in your embouchure.

    See you next week. Hang in there!

    Thanks for reading! You’re awesome. If you found this post helpful, let me know with a donation or an email.

  • Dr. P’s Practice Club: using Facebook to acknowledge student achievements

    ByBret Pimentel

    I’ve been using Facebook this school year to semi-publicly acknowledge my university students who are meeting their minimum practice requirements:

    I’ve gotten a lot of questions about it from Facebook friends who are music educators, so I thought it might be worth discussing here.

    The concept is pretty simple:

    • When my students come in for their lessons, I ask them to self-report their practice hours for the week. My students are good kids (born and raised in the Bible Belt), and I generally just trust them to report honestly. I also have them keep practice journals, which would at least slightly complicate fibbing about their hours.
    • If they meet their minimum weekly requirement (it varies: more for performance majors, less for music education majors, etc.) they are automatically inducted into “Dr. P’s Practice Club” for the week. At the end of the week I post their names on Facebook and on my office door, plus usually a running tally for those who have made it for several weeks in a row. There are, at this point, absolutely no benefits or privileges to “club” membership other than a little recognition (and, of course, a week’s worth of improvement).
    • I also use Facebook to give public kudos to students for their recitals, ensemble performances, and competition participation and awards.
    • Most of my students have become my Facebook friends, so I can “tag” them when I post. This means that they get alerted that they have been mentioned in my post, and certain of their Facebook friends and mine will also be able to see it. For some of the students, this may include classmates, other music or non-music faculty, friends studying music at other schools, authority figures from work or church, and even parents. Read More “Dr. P’s Practice Club: using Facebook to acknowledge student achievements”

  • Buying a new instrument for college-level study

    ByBret Pimentel

    If you are preparing to start a college music degree, you may need or want a new instrument. I strongly suggest that you contact your professor before making this purchase. Every professor is of course different, but here are some things that you are likely to discover in most cases:

    Photo, Andrew Shieh
    Photo, Andrew Shieh
    • The professor will be happy and relieved that you are seeking their advice before making a purchase, and will be anxious to work with you on finding the right instrument. They have seen previous tragedies involving students arriving on campus with new, expensive, and totally unsuitable instruments.
    • The professor will likely encourage you to start the semester with your current instrument, even if it’s not really college-worthy, so that you can take the necessary time to pick out a new instrument together. The professor will in many cases want to try out instruments with you to help you pick out the very best one.
    • The professor in many or most cases will have a variety of suitable makes and models in mind, including some (relatively) budget-friendly options. They are likely to have a favorite—probably the model they play on themselves—but will likely concede that the same instrument is not suitable for every single musician. Still, some may require a specific model.
    • Serious college study will require a professional-grade instrument. If you are window-shopping at a music store or online retailer, you can likely assume that anything marked “student” or “intermediate” will not be adequate for the rigors of college study. On the other hand, be aware that not everything labeled “professional” by the seller is high-quality enough for true professional use, even if it’s that maker’s top-of-the-line model. Additionally, instruments that were genuine professional models several decades ago might not be considered such anymore.
    • You may need to prepare yourself for some sticker shock. Depending on your personal financial values, it may be appropriate to use student loan funds to cover this educational expense.
    • The professor’s opinions may not jive with your opinions, the opinions of your old private teacher or band director, or opinions you read on the internet. Be prepared to learn your professor’s way for now, and make better-informed decisions on your own after graduation.

    The same advice holds true for mouthpieces and other paraphernalia. Have a great semester!

2 Comments

  1. Those are all great pieces of advice. I have a few more to add.

    1) As far as choosing schools goes, looking for a great teacher is definitely good advice, but I would not just go by one person’s opinion or suggestion of a good teacher. I would look at the history of the studio and seeing what graduates (recent ones and ones from a while back) are doing to earn income, where they’re living, try to hear recordings of them, etc.

    Also try to hear people in the current studio. Having great players in a studio to gain perspective on what you need to work on, to play next to you, to help you out, etc. is incredibly valuable. While all these things might also be the result of good recruiting, in addition to a good teacher, I know from personal experience how valuable a great studio is and how much I have improved because of it.

    2) Get ahead of the game on theory, ear training, and piano skills BEFORE you show up on campus as a freshman! Be comfortable reading both treble and bass clefs, learn all your major and minor scales on piano (and possibly some easy pieces). Learn all your intervals and be able to identify basic chord qualities when they’re played on the piano. These kinds of things might be able to get you out of the first level of theory, ear training, piano, etc. Even if it doesn’t, it will give you an edge in the class and you’ll have an easier time understanding.

    On that same note, if you’re in any IB or AP classes in high school, by all means take the tests seriously! Passing these can get you out of a few general-ed classes, which also lets you get ahead, gives you more time, etc. You can definitely use all the time and free credits. If you end up adding a minor or double major, or if you end up wanting to take some classes outside of your required ones, this is extremely helpful so won’t have to stay extra semesters!

    3) Show up to your classes, show up on time, and do your best to form good relationships with teachers and ensemble members. Showing that you care and you are interested in doing well (even in the midst of frustration) is important. Unlike a lot of majors, you will have many of the same teachers and students in your classes again and again. These people will, in many ways, be like your family away from home. They’ll also become your sources of networking and recommendations in the future. Having a good attitude and showing that you’re responsible can and will help your grade, make people more likely to want to play music with you, and make people more likely to recommend you for desirable positions or gigs. These habits will transfer from school to the professional world.

    Great article! I hope my additions are helpful. They are based on direct experience and observation.

    Reply

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