Posted by Matt G on November 27, 2001 at 11:31:53:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Gross injustices posted by Rick Denney on November 27, 2001 at 10:40:04:
I agree with your points Rick. My main argument is that the average course of study is incomplete for practical purposes and yet exceeds at exposing the student to all that is music. But, specifically, the music performance degrees out there do not help to give the basic student a "head start" on helping to market themselves. In the business world, where you and I reside, there is a chance for people to be behind on the learning curve because of the safety net of a corporation behind us. We do have to write resume's and be professional in our interviews, but beyond that we can "mentor" with someone who has been around the block a few times. With a musician that is different. For the guys who don't make the orchestra gigs, they need to go out and market themselves immediately and continuously. They, upon graduation, become instant entrepreneurs. It would be nice to see a few of them a little better equiped for this position. Also, as we should all know, it isn't as easy to do on-the-job-training as a musician. Just because I play low brass doesn't mean that I would be able to play trombone. I can, but many tuba players struggle with it. With some ability, a lot of jobs become more readily available (there are a LOT more trombone jobs than tuba). Just because a player can play a bass line doesn't mean that they can do it on bass. They can pick up a bass an try to transfer this ability, but it does take time, and that time is unpaid. In the business world our employers make an investment in us and bank on the idea that we will figure out there system based on the tools/skills that we have learned in college. If that investment pays off then we keep our job and possibly get promoted to another position to further extend our abilities. Music is an on-demand type job. It is basically paid as labor, you must be skilled already and be able to perform at a certain level or you will not continue in employment. However, unlike most labor unions and organizations, the AFM does not have a strong, if any, apprenticeship program like the electrical, carpenter, pipefitters, etc. because the jobs simply don't exist.
Believe me, I am a firm believer in the notion that college is what you make of it. I paid attention to my gen. ed. requirements so that I could keep up my GPA for my academic scholarship as well as my music scholarship. Courses like speech, which I thought at the time was useless, has paid off tremendously. I am thankful for the redundancy of history that I had in college, because you can debate what is right and wrong instead of someone telling you the way they see it.
I would just like to see the average program better equip students for the real world. I am not denouncing the educational system, I am just saying that it needs to change to better benefit students now.
College is not ultimately responsible for getting us a job. But it should educate us in succeeding at the career path we choose. Our major in college does not determine our future either, but many students leave college with a ideal that is unattainable because of the notion of that college is like real life when it really is not. Colleges should be more reality based and not "perpetuating academia" based.
Matt G