Should pop musicians go to college?

Do musicians need higher education in order to be successful in a pop music genre? This question–or something like it–was brought up in class, and it is also a question I have asked myself. I doubt that having a degree changes your chances in getting a record label, but it seems like the question really depends on the individual and where their talents and experiences lie.

Here is my experience. Over the years, I have found myself growing more passionate about singing and playing guitar, and about halfway through college (I was double majoring in art and music) I realized that I would much rather pursue a career in rock/alternative music than what I am currently studying. That’s when I wondered that question, and I pondered dropping out or looking for a different college with a music program with more of this focus. But I decided not to part with IUP and stuck with studying art. Still, I think about my interest and wonder what I should do next.

But I will say this. My background in music–which was mostly playing clarinet in band and singing in choirs from elementary school to the beginning of college–has been so beneficial. I am thankful for my 12 years of playing clarinet, for marching band, for the choirs I sang in, for the teachers I learned from, and even for music theory classes, for challenging me and showing me what it takes to make beautiful, complex music. Now it’s just a matter of deciding what I want to do with music.

So those are my thoughts. Now I want to Google all my favorite artists and bands to find out what their music backgrounds are and how they got to where they are now.

 

One thought on “Should pop musicians go to college?

  1. This is a good topic! I think a lot of pop artists seem to start out going to college, but end up dropping out because they did find something else they loved to do. I see that a lot in you just talking in this post, because there are a lot of opportunities out there, but it’s great that even if after you graduate from college now and pursue music, you will have something to fall back on. Overall I feel as if pop artists should have at least some experience with writing music, and it doesn’t even have to be in college.

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