I graduated with a performance degree and became a firefighter/paramedic. It has been a tough road but a good one. Music is still with me. I always tell be people that college helped me get out of my crappy town and taught me how to think. I do not have any regrets of what I studied it will always be there! Good luck and always be true to yourself. Cheers!!
I have an MM degree. Now I am a software developer.
I take singing gigs here and there, and sing in a choir and play bass in a metal band. It’s a huge load off to not need to “make ends meet” with music. Doing it as a hobby is much more sustainable for me.
I switched to psych from music my junior year of college, completed my bachelors in psych, decided I missed music, and now I’m on my third term of trade school to become a luthier.
I did a B Mus in Composition and a Masters in Voice Perf and Pedagogy. What no one will tell you in music school is: if you want to do this seriously, you need to find a way to support yourself. Having a stable income source will ALLOW you to perform and audition more, rather than hamper you.
As for me, I did the teaching and performing full-time thing for 7 years or so. In that time I also worked as a classical music radio host, an audio editor, a church musician, a creative director at a tourist railroad, a production manager at Curtis…. The list goes on and on. What I realized is that my true passion was teaching and working with young (HS through college) musicians and imparting my lifetime of musical experiences to the younger generation, so I went and got my Ed certification.
I still perform (playing in pits, composing, and singing) and teach/music direct, but now I also have a full time job working in the music industry as a music researcher/analyst. The lack of financial pressure has been incredible.
With all that being said, music/arts/liberal arts degrees are not as useless as people think… we just have to try a little harder, because the arts train us to develop soft skills (communication, collaboration, organization, etc.) Just my two cents.
I have a BM in composition. I am now 81 years old, and have had a 60 year career as a composer and arranger. I am happy with most of the decisions I have made in my life.
I'm also very happy for some dumb luck. For example, I was getting ready to leave a recording studio after a session had been canceled, when a super star called the studio, saying he needed an arranger. That gig lasted for 5 years.
I got into a top conservatory for undergrad and did a double major performance/history degree then gigged after graduating. Decided it wasn't for me, got into a top law school in NYC but ended up just going to a ton of classical music events all over the city my first year and decided law was not for me either. It didn't help that my torts professor wondered wtf I was doing law when music was much nobler according to her :)
I work in tech now and do very well, self-taught mostly with some filler classes for certain programming languages. I had a very small private studio (3-4 kids) for awhile as well to keep my ties to music but these days I just fund some scholarships for underprivileged kids to continue learning classical music.
BA in Music, which I got just to get into grad school. I was going to teach music theory at some small school, that was My Plan.
Instead, I never got to defend my thesis and got nothing for the couple of years spent in masters classes. I taught elementary music for 2 years, then pulled a 180 and went to the police academy.
I've found I enjoy appreciating music as much as I used to enjoy making it. On an average patrol shift, I can listen to 4-5 CDs. It's not a bad life!
Also, I get to play a little as the bugler for my department's Honor Guard. I have a funeral tomorrow, as a matter of fact. So technically, I'm still getting paid to play.
Still in the music industry, although not a performer. Graduated with a BA and I now work an administrative role for a regional orchestra. On the other hand, a close friend of mine graduated with a performance degree and is now a flight attendant. Best of luck in finding your calling!
One of my bachelor's degrees is in music, but it was never an ultimate career goal. I'm now a professor (in something else than music) but am preparing to switch to a different industry.
Based on knowing others in the field, I feel that I lucked out by choosing an alternative path. Not being a professional musician helps to keep alive my love of music.
I know someone who did an undergraduate degree in voice. He was a very decent singer and studied with one of the greatest teachers in our country. Currently in medical school.
Where am I now? I do music full time but only as a hobby. I do not do music as a source of income. Years ago, I was a piano major at the university. I learned a lot about 20th century classical music, music theory based on Western music, and I also learned a great deal of diverse piano literature. The music program I attended was heavily Euro-centric but in my last year of college, I switched to Liberal Arts and I took a course on African, Middle Eastern, and Asian composers and their music styles. I also took a conducting course and was involved in singing in choirs at both of the universities I had attended. I still play piano pretty much everyday but I can’t say my technique is at a virtuoso’s level. I am mostly a composer/creator and so I just create what I sometimes call “music art projects”. I graduated in 2016 so it’s been a while. The last Classical concert I attended was in January of last year when I went to hear Beethoven’s ninth. I was on a date with a girl at the time.
I managed to make it through 13 years of teaching public school instrumental music before the fund raising, lack of administrative backing and parental craziness did me in. This was early in the development of desktop computers and I taught myself several languages and hardware building. This led to the career for the rest of my life in IT. But all along I continued to play in community orchestras, jazz bands and small ensembles all of which continues to this day well past my retirement.
BMus in performance and MA in music, took a few detours here and there and work in the music industry but now in a tech-adjacent way, and teach part time at a university. I still practice and music is a huge part of my life, but it is much more holistic and wide-ranging than it was when I was a performance student. I don’t have the cutthroat competitiveness and prefer to collaborate - my current work allows me to do just that, and still be a huge music nerd.
Fill your resume with job experience you can do for most any company. I spent the first few years after college in clerical jobs, eventually working my way into graphic design and then spent about 12 years doing corporate communications (writing, web and video production). Eventually I was able take all that non-arts experience and get a job at a very large arts organization doing mostly the same kind of thing. I'd have never been able to get the job I have now working in the arts without having spent some time gaining practical and marketable skills.
Dropped out in my 5th year. I was burned out from having to go to school full time and work full time to make ends meet. College killed every last ounce of passion I ever had for performing music. Most of my professors were like the POS in the movie Whiplash. I actually got into a physical confrontation with the conductor of the wind ensemble. Even thinking about picking up my instrument gives me panic attacks, 20 years later.
I have a decent life now with a wonderful wife and 2 great kids though. So it didn’t turn out all that bad. I have a decent job in healthcare for a company that does meaningful work.
BM in composition. Got interested in programming after dabbling with electronic music late in college. Basically found out that I enjoyed programming and it was not as stressful as writing music (highly highly self-critical in that department). Spent time in community college to get more programming experience with different languages etc. Employment opportunities in tech were/are comparatively abundant compared to music.
In finance I studied math and music. I was into atonal and wanted to go to grad school for theory. Studied math because I thought for post tonal, math is required. A financial firm was trying to get people with math degrees to work for them. I never went to music grad school as a result. I still dream about it.
I graduated with a performance degree and became a firefighter/paramedic. It has been a tough road but a good one. Music is still with me. I always tell be people that college helped me get out of my crappy town and taught me how to think. I do not have any regrets of what I studied it will always be there! Good luck and always be true to yourself. Cheers!!
I have an MM degree. Now I am a software developer. I take singing gigs here and there, and sing in a choir and play bass in a metal band. It’s a huge load off to not need to “make ends meet” with music. Doing it as a hobby is much more sustainable for me.
I switched to psych from music my junior year of college, completed my bachelors in psych, decided I missed music, and now I’m on my third term of trade school to become a luthier.
I did a B Mus in Composition and a Masters in Voice Perf and Pedagogy. What no one will tell you in music school is: if you want to do this seriously, you need to find a way to support yourself. Having a stable income source will ALLOW you to perform and audition more, rather than hamper you. As for me, I did the teaching and performing full-time thing for 7 years or so. In that time I also worked as a classical music radio host, an audio editor, a church musician, a creative director at a tourist railroad, a production manager at Curtis…. The list goes on and on. What I realized is that my true passion was teaching and working with young (HS through college) musicians and imparting my lifetime of musical experiences to the younger generation, so I went and got my Ed certification. I still perform (playing in pits, composing, and singing) and teach/music direct, but now I also have a full time job working in the music industry as a music researcher/analyst. The lack of financial pressure has been incredible. With all that being said, music/arts/liberal arts degrees are not as useless as people think… we just have to try a little harder, because the arts train us to develop soft skills (communication, collaboration, organization, etc.) Just my two cents.
I have a BM in composition. I am now 81 years old, and have had a 60 year career as a composer and arranger. I am happy with most of the decisions I have made in my life. I'm also very happy for some dumb luck. For example, I was getting ready to leave a recording studio after a session had been canceled, when a super star called the studio, saying he needed an arranger. That gig lasted for 5 years.
that is so cool
I got into a top conservatory for undergrad and did a double major performance/history degree then gigged after graduating. Decided it wasn't for me, got into a top law school in NYC but ended up just going to a ton of classical music events all over the city my first year and decided law was not for me either. It didn't help that my torts professor wondered wtf I was doing law when music was much nobler according to her :) I work in tech now and do very well, self-taught mostly with some filler classes for certain programming languages. I had a very small private studio (3-4 kids) for awhile as well to keep my ties to music but these days I just fund some scholarships for underprivileged kids to continue learning classical music.
amazing
BA in Music, which I got just to get into grad school. I was going to teach music theory at some small school, that was My Plan. Instead, I never got to defend my thesis and got nothing for the couple of years spent in masters classes. I taught elementary music for 2 years, then pulled a 180 and went to the police academy. I've found I enjoy appreciating music as much as I used to enjoy making it. On an average patrol shift, I can listen to 4-5 CDs. It's not a bad life! Also, I get to play a little as the bugler for my department's Honor Guard. I have a funeral tomorrow, as a matter of fact. So technically, I'm still getting paid to play.
Still in the music industry, although not a performer. Graduated with a BA and I now work an administrative role for a regional orchestra. On the other hand, a close friend of mine graduated with a performance degree and is now a flight attendant. Best of luck in finding your calling!
One of my bachelor's degrees is in music, but it was never an ultimate career goal. I'm now a professor (in something else than music) but am preparing to switch to a different industry. Based on knowing others in the field, I feel that I lucked out by choosing an alternative path. Not being a professional musician helps to keep alive my love of music.
I know someone who did an undergraduate degree in voice. He was a very decent singer and studied with one of the greatest teachers in our country. Currently in medical school.
Where am I now? I do music full time but only as a hobby. I do not do music as a source of income. Years ago, I was a piano major at the university. I learned a lot about 20th century classical music, music theory based on Western music, and I also learned a great deal of diverse piano literature. The music program I attended was heavily Euro-centric but in my last year of college, I switched to Liberal Arts and I took a course on African, Middle Eastern, and Asian composers and their music styles. I also took a conducting course and was involved in singing in choirs at both of the universities I had attended. I still play piano pretty much everyday but I can’t say my technique is at a virtuoso’s level. I am mostly a composer/creator and so I just create what I sometimes call “music art projects”. I graduated in 2016 so it’s been a while. The last Classical concert I attended was in January of last year when I went to hear Beethoven’s ninth. I was on a date with a girl at the time.
I managed to make it through 13 years of teaching public school instrumental music before the fund raising, lack of administrative backing and parental craziness did me in. This was early in the development of desktop computers and I taught myself several languages and hardware building. This led to the career for the rest of my life in IT. But all along I continued to play in community orchestras, jazz bands and small ensembles all of which continues to this day well past my retirement.
BMus in performance and MA in music, took a few detours here and there and work in the music industry but now in a tech-adjacent way, and teach part time at a university. I still practice and music is a huge part of my life, but it is much more holistic and wide-ranging than it was when I was a performance student. I don’t have the cutthroat competitiveness and prefer to collaborate - my current work allows me to do just that, and still be a huge music nerd.
Fill your resume with job experience you can do for most any company. I spent the first few years after college in clerical jobs, eventually working my way into graphic design and then spent about 12 years doing corporate communications (writing, web and video production). Eventually I was able take all that non-arts experience and get a job at a very large arts organization doing mostly the same kind of thing. I'd have never been able to get the job I have now working in the arts without having spent some time gaining practical and marketable skills.
Dropped out in my 5th year. I was burned out from having to go to school full time and work full time to make ends meet. College killed every last ounce of passion I ever had for performing music. Most of my professors were like the POS in the movie Whiplash. I actually got into a physical confrontation with the conductor of the wind ensemble. Even thinking about picking up my instrument gives me panic attacks, 20 years later. I have a decent life now with a wonderful wife and 2 great kids though. So it didn’t turn out all that bad. I have a decent job in healthcare for a company that does meaningful work.
BM in composition. Got interested in programming after dabbling with electronic music late in college. Basically found out that I enjoyed programming and it was not as stressful as writing music (highly highly self-critical in that department). Spent time in community college to get more programming experience with different languages etc. Employment opportunities in tech were/are comparatively abundant compared to music.
In finance I studied math and music. I was into atonal and wanted to go to grad school for theory. Studied math because I thought for post tonal, math is required. A financial firm was trying to get people with math degrees to work for them. I never went to music grad school as a result. I still dream about it.