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.
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.