Is Music School Worth It?

#musicschool #degree #guitar
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[jansestak]

I'm auditioning for a music school in less than a month and this gave me motivation and hope. Thank you

[jasonlee]

I went to an Arts High School….it was two jazz classes….one we played standard jazz songs….the other we learned music theory…. Best 4 years of all my schooling….no sports, just the arts….small school with everyone wanting to be there….no gangs!….got to take a lot of great equipment home on the weekends…mics, 4 track, amps, bass, drums….I wish I would have tried even harder than I did! But I sure loved it.

[lowellirish]

My mom received her Bachelors in Music from McGill Conservatory. She had to perform a recital, take a 3 hour exam, and go in front of the board. She was 15 yrs old....(1947).
At 40, she received her MFA in Musicology from UMass Lowell, auditioned for, and was chosen as a piano soloist for the BSO 1971. In 1976, she graduated Boston College with her PhD.

3 of her students went on to Juliard. She was one of the founding members of The Groton School (for the Arts) - Groton MA.

Mom taught at Ulowell for a year, but did not like the regiment...she remained in private practice for 35 years. 🏆🏅🥇

Oh yeah...she ALSO raised us 2 kids, did laundry, cooked dinners...and was a PHENOMENAL wife and mother!!❤❤❤

[okamiwithacamera]

Hello! I just got my first guitar for christmas! Has nothiny to do with the video, but im super excited :D

[bassoskat]

10:43 this sums up my 7 years at university studying music. So well said. A totally pointless skill set.
You also mentioned it gives you tools not job prospects. Spot on!

[dw]

I considered some music schools years ago, but as none were local (and other reasons) I was not able to afford it without racking up a huge debt
But the environment was a big part of what I wanted

[emileboucher]

Rik Emmet needs to see this. I almost cried D:

(As a teacher, it touched me more than it probably should)

[garykuovideos]

IMHO as a Juilliard graduate, the most important thing one can do is to meet and work with fellow artists of all ages who inspire you and challenge your musicianship and knowledge of music. In addition, our tastes, interests, and opportunities evolve over time so information and skills you picked up in the past might very well come in handy in the future. Never stop learning!

[michelledawnharpist]

i love your shout out to your support system! it is such an important part of what people simply label as 'talent.' also, my harp teacher was also super tough (yet still caring). i knew i had a shot at continuing with a music career my senior year at berklee when she said, very nonchalantly, "good job. okay, next piece ... " i positively hated being a woman there (from everyone assuming i was a singer, to teachers asking if i knew what middle c was, all the way to fairly regular sexual harassment), BUT i now have my dream job, some incredibly deep and meaningful relationship with other ladies from berklee (even after graduating 12 years ago!!), and otherwise really enjoyed my music school and what i learned! thanks for the prompt to reflect on my own time at music school!

[dannymoore]

I got a music degree at age 40 after 25 years of gigging with rock and blues bands. Thoroughly enjoyed the experience and, later got a great Government job on the basis of having a degree. I am still playing, recording and writing and processing the information I got via my degree. I was fortunate, but have never regretted my time at the Conservatorium. Good work and good luck with your degree.

[robobar]

that last part he talked about the lessons from Rik Emmet, that was obviously the most important bit.. having someone show you true support and trust, this is something we look in our parents but they usually fall short, as they have their own issues they never solved.. so giving support is usually not a priority..
Having someone you truly trust give you this gift of support is something you will always carry in you, this is what we usually needed as kids, but if you have someone gift you this you can satisfy that inner child - this is the most important thing for succes - the idea that you have support.. your subconsciousnes will always know you are doing this because you have something to give, that you are worth it..
I have failed and picked up myself so many times, I realised I had never ever had this internal feeling of support, I'm always "bootstraping" my self, usually feeling totally worthless, like I have nothing to give nothing I do is right and I will never ever be OK.. then I pick myself up a bit do my best, burn candle from both sides do everything, then burn out, get down.. etc - this is a fucking disaster of a life..
Getting actual help with this at least made me understand I can get this support from someone else, it's possible to fix this, takes time and dedication - but most importantly you can only get it from someone else, and unfortunately, almost impossible to do it yourself, since we are social beings we are wired to interact with other people, and the emotinal support we needed was only possible to be gained from our parents, but if you never got it there.. you can get it with someone else..

In any case, I loved this bit, truly sounds authentic, and I discovered I really love authenticity - no matter what you do, just be you

[gregrandallbtsr]

As usual, excellent video. I graduated with a minor in music in 1988 (yep, I’m really old) and while my career has never been primarily in the music field, I have never regretted the work to get that minor. BTW, our required group keyboard class was titled “Keyboard Skills” and we referred to it as “Keyboard Thrills.”

[NicholsonStudios]

Thanks for sharing Sammy G! Great to hear the stories. I went to OIART in London for audio engineering and it was a lot of similar experiences. 1 year to fully commit to audio and music! Never in my life would I have that chance again (and no also be worrying about rent and income etc) and I knew it, so thankful to have had that opportunity :)

[twentyoneHz]

2:25 I remember hearing a story about the guy Sammy G is talking about here. I’m not sure if he’s talking about Jordan Evans or Matthew Burnett but whoever it was, both of them worked on the track ‘Not Afraid’ by Eminem; the lead single for his comeback album ‘Recovery’. The single went on to be 10x platinum (globally) and the first rap record to ever be certified Diamond in the US. If I remember correctly they had to miss graduation to be at the Grammys to accept their award for ‘Best Rap Solo Performance’ and their ‘Best Rap Song’ nomination.
They went back to their humble roots to manage and produce one of Canada’s brightest artists from the last decade, Daniel Caesar; if you have not heard of him or his work, take a moment to listen. They recorded his first single ‘Violet’ for his first EP ‘Praise Break’ when Daniel was homeless. They also produced his follow up breakout EP ‘Pilgrims Paradise’ which features BADBADNOTGOOD, another group Sammy G mentioned!

YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU SET YOUR MIND TO!

[donaghkelly]

Thank you for making a video about this Sammy G, it's the sort of thing that helps myself and a lot of people out

[Nelward]

This video slaps. It resonates with my experience in music school pretty much to the tee

[andymacatack]

Wonderful video Steve! This is so on point and very much in line with what I remember from my music school experiences :) I like your point about privilege - it's not often acknowledged but it is a fact that many musicians have a tremendous level of support from their family. Helps to live in Canada too, where tuition fees are not totally insane!
Hope you are well brother!

[SplotchTheCatThing]

I took lessons on one instrument when I was very young, and right now I'm learning another from books and my own judgement. I have to admit that of those two experiences, I'm finding the self-directed learning to be a much better one. I feel a lot more motivated to practice and a lot more willing to apply some amount of self-discipline when I'm working directly toward goals I set for myself -- even if some of those goals might be the same ones a teacher would set for me.

However, I'm also drawing on a lot of the knowledge and experience I got from learning to play that first instrument in a classroom setting. There were a lot of concepts when I was starting out on the new one that I didn't have to learn, because I already knew them. If I had had to learn everything from scratch, I don't know if I would have stuck with it.

[odumabekah]

And man! Rik is the main reason I started believing in myself a bit more and thinking that music was achievable afterwards. I’m in the “can this really work out” stage now, but I’m slowly getting a bit more headway in the things I love about music.

[HarleyGuioGuitar]

Great video! I agree with your take that practicing just jazz vehemently probably isn't condusive to a well-rounded musical toolkit. My only gripe is the take that bebop is clinging to life because it's taught in schools. I think that a lot of it can be a bit "heady", but, really, is very listenable and will always have an audience. This is parallel to the fact that a lot of it is chops-busting. =)