What major should I go into?

Music Major. Follow what I want to do, and go to college for it, or keep it as a hobby?

• So, this probably seems like a very stupid question, but this is more so geared towards those people that have been in college or are in, and know what I will be talking about, or are even in high school, like myself. It's the time of year in high school where I'm expected to know some, if anything, where I want to go, and have some idea of what I want to major in. It feels to me that many people already have a plan, love their idea of a major and are on their way towards great success. Not so much with me I feel. I am currently one of the top 4.0 students in my grade, taking advanced classes, and keeping myself well active. No this isn't a personal brag section, but on this hand I have Band, a class that I love so much, it has inspired me to go further than any other class, it makes me work hard, and I am currently the student leader of it. I write music for piano in my spare time and am currently setting forth to write a large piece for my band, something that I've wanted to do for quite some time. It's been a dream of mine to go to a college and fine tune my composition abilities, and live out my life this way, doing what I love, but there are things holding me back. For instance, the market for music is going down considerably, and in that same case, the requirements for how good you have to be to make it even into college seem to have gotten more extreme, and I know that I'm not that great of a player, but is that something that should hold me back? I feel like that should be a no, but it just seems impossible somedays to perform at that level in the next year. Secondly, I do have the support of my teacher in on this, but the ideas that she has to help me cost a considerable amount of money, nothing too huge, but for my family and I, it's quite a bit of money that we can't see putting into a camp either way. On the opposite side of the arguement, I have the thoughts of going and getting some degree such as one in engineering, or one in a business field, and that would support me throughout life, I probably wouldn't struggle at it too often, it would be a job and major that would keep me in, and I would be able to support my family (were I to have one) later in life without a problem. It's obvious to me which side I want to take, and it's quite obvious to you, the reader, but is the music career an idea I should just put on the shelf and dust off as an enjoyable hobby, keeping a secure job, or is it better, in your the reader's opinion, to go off and try this, just to see, and if I do make it, keep it?

• Answer:

  You have obviously put a lot of thought into where you want your life to go which is good. I started out as a music major in college. The college gave me a music scholarship, so they must have seen a lot of potential in me. Once I was in the music program I found the stress of being a music major was taking away my love for music. I too am a composer, but found I didn't have time to compose in college because I had to do so much practicing of the classics. I ended up giving up my scholarship and music major to pursue another degree. It was such a relief! It was like a huge burden had been lifted off my shoulders. After graduating I found myself missing piano and decided to give teaching a try. I have had a really hard time making ends meet. While I'm usually a "follow your heart" kind of person, I have to be honest and say the financial burden of being in music has been tough. If you are interested in composing, I recommend you check out http://www.PianoSongDownload.com It is a new website for composers of piano music to sell their sheet music in a download and print format. It would be a great way for you to test the waters before deciding if a career in music is for you. Good luck!