Comments on: Conservatories – not best for undergrads?

By: oceanskies79

oceanskies79 — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 13:28:00 +0000

I have an undergrad course not related to music at all (social work). However, I was lucky to participate in the univiersity’s Symphony Orchestra as an activity outside my curricular.

The question I have after reading the article is: What are some factors that one needs to look at to decide if one could pursue music professionally, hence going for a conservatory-based masters programme?

By: Joe Lewis

Joe Lewis — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 03:49:00 +0000

I spent my first few years at a junior college switching majors like crazy. I honestly think that in an undergrad scenario it is good to explore what you want to do. In my case, I was mostly interested in computer science and physics, but wound up in music at NEC because of scholarships and the opportunity to get as far away from where I grew up as I could… I think it was good to explore different avenues at this time in my life and I’m very glad I did it. I think that while a conservatory is a wonderful place to study, it is a good idea to explore opportunities outside of the usual conservatory curriculum as much as possible.

I really enjoyed the early undergrad courses I took, and to this day carry a lot of that educational experience with me. I think it’s a fine idea to look for an alternative to a conservatory if you have the least bit of curiosity about what else it is that might interest you in your career. Or find a double major program such as the NEC/Tufts double degree.

By: Brent

Brent — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 20:07:00 +0000

Jason,
I realize you didn’t write this article, but I’m going to use your comment section to take issue with this recurring misconception of university education. I have attended both University of Delaware and Temple University, and my fiancée has done the same. We have both taken english, math, science, history classes, etc, as well as music classes and for all the “horizon broadening” we’re supposed to have gained, I can honestly say that my writing, reading, and reasoning skills are, if anything, worse for it.
While each case is certainly unique, I have been on a 3-year vacation from intellectual engagement while I’ve been in college. For all the hassle of producing the work I need to do for these irrelevant classes, I could be researching the topics we study on my own time and covering far more ground, or better yet, learning more about things that will actually apply to my professional life.
As I said before, I have not attended a conservatory, but in my research of different music schools, I have noticed that they include the same liberal-arts components. I imagine that at least in those schools, the material is tailored to the program, so there is some relevance.
I’d take that over a class full of disinterested business majors any day!