Music Degrees at Uni

Subject: Music Degrees at Uni
From: wysiwyg
Date: 15 Sep 08 - 01:26 PM

We had an "interesting" experience with a young feller recently-- collidge student-- ... very, very talented but not at all aware how to "market" himself or how to even begin to approach the issue of payment.... he muffed it with us pretty definitively, and I feel bad for him. I looked up the courses in his Music Perfomance major at the local uni, hoping to see that he will indeed get some help there before shooting himself so thoroughly in the foot again, but duh-- apparently no formation into a professional handling of one's career, there, either. All music-- no business-- unless one is focusing primarily on the biz side.

That just sounds crazy to me! Making proficient players that can't get hired?!?!?

I'll be asking around quietly with local uni contacts, for more information, but is it different in the UK or at other uni's, stateside or elsewhere??

~Susan

Subject: RE: Music Degrees at Uni
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 15 Sep 08 - 01:32 PM

The B Mus in Traditional Music at Newcastle (run in collaboration with Folkworks, the musical charity) includes modules on the music business and in performance and marketing skills. I'll leave it for an actual student to come along and expand . . .

Subject: RE: Music Degrees at Uni
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 15 Sep 08 - 01:39 PM

Starting next year I will be teaching a music law module at Christchurch University - someone else will be doing the music management module, and yet others will be doing the music technology bits.

Subject: RE: Music Degrees at Uni
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 15 Sep 08 - 03:15 PM

In my limited experience stateside - my older daughter, studied vocal performance for her major and minored in communications and public relations so she could get and idea how to market herself because the music department at Longwood Uni didn't offer anything at the time. Sadly, she passed away before finishing her degree.

My younger daughter took a theatre performance and stagecraft degree from George Mason Uni part of the programme involved marketing yourself, building portfolio, where to search for auditions, audition tips and technique and even how to do your taxes as a perfomer, among other topics. It was real world advice and skills stuff.

So I guess you might be able to google which univerisities offer performing arts degrees and then access the online catalogue to see if related skills courses are offered and whether they are requisite.