So You Want To Go To Music School - Where Do I Start?
Picture this: It’s your sophomore or junior year of high school. You have made the decision that you have to sing for the rest of your life, and you want to make a career of it. (Please, for the love of everything, try to make this decision early on. It will save you and your teacher a lot of stress if you choose this career path before your senior year!) You’ve probably participated in a choir of some sort and have maybe performed for Solo and Ensemble events. Maybe you’ve fallen in love with musical theatre.
Regardless of the type of music you wish to pursue, it’s really important to ask yourself these questions before diving headfirst into the dream of music school:
Have I talked to my parents about this? Was it a productive conversation?
Are my parents/family supportive of me going into this field?
If not, is there another supportive adult I can talk to about this?
Have I decided on a major and have done research into it?
Do I have a private teacher who shares and supports my dreams too?
First off, I am going to tell you that no matter what, you should follow your dreams. Yes, a paycheck is nice, but money really and truly can’t buy happiness. There are so many ways to bring in revenue as a musician, but that’s a topic for another post :)
Second, having a strong support system makes everything easier. I was (and still am) so lucky that my parents didn’t think twice when I told them that I wanted to sing for the rest of my life. Now, my parents didn’t know much about the industry (my older sister went into engineering. My younger brother opted for athletic training). They wanted me to feel secure coming out to college, so we compromised. After speaking with my choir teacher and my private lessons teacher, I realized two things. One, I can always sing and perform, even without a degree in it, and two, that having experience in the field can be useful should I choose to go to grad school. I ended up majoring in Music Therapy and later switched to Music Education.
As you are starting this journey, find your support. Maybe it’s your parents, maybe it’s your choir teacher or voice teacher. Surround yourself with people whom you can trust and support you and your dreams! Or reach out to me. I’m here to help however I can!
Going to music school is going to be the hardest and most amazing experience of your young life!
Go practice now, you’ve got dreams to achieve!