Becoming a professional without a music degree

[TCEjazz]

I'm interested in becoming a professional musician and previously assumed I needed a music degree but now I'm not so sure.

My private teacher wanted me to get a feel for what professional gigs were like so he recently invited me to sub with his big band. On the gig I met several local pros who told me that a lot of them don't even have music degrees.

So now I'm wondering if its plausible to make a living off music even without going to music school. I'm thinking that I can keep on taking private lessons from local musicians and try to pick up gigs until I become good enough to make a living off music. This way I can study a technical trade at a trade school so I have something to fall back on in case music doesn't work out.

[Richard III]

The future is bright for electrical engineering, software development and robotics and other such fields. There are a whole bunch of careers out there that will be obsolete. Having music be a hobby or fun job on the side makes a lot of sense. Why not align yourself with the future?
_________________
Richard

King 1130 Flugabone
King 12C mouthpiece

[Nonsense Eliminator]

There is no requirement that you have a music degree. The issue is that it is simply more difficult to learn what you need to learn if you're not in music school. Getting to a professional level is about more than taking lessons, and that's certainly not the only thing you'd do in music school. Perhaps most importantly, it's unlikely that you'll find as many performance opportunities (and particularly educationally helpful performance opportunities) outside of music school as in it. That's particularly true if you're not even contemplating enrolling in a university -- while some schools may allow non-majors to participate in ensembles, few will allow that for non-majors.

My observation would be that there are fewer and fewer working musicians who don't have at least some post-secondary education. There is simply too little paying work (and too much highly-skilled competition for it) to just learn on the job any more.

The problem with trying to pursue a career in music at the same time as you learn a trade is that you will be competing for gigs against people who weren't doing that. While you are making a safety net, they are learning not to fall off in the first place.
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Richard Sandals
NBO

[jiarby]

Having a degree gives you more opportunities in the future... like maybe you can teach adjunct trumpet lessons at the community college. Gotta have that degree! Maybe you want health insurance... get a job somewhere with benefits, then having a degree will be better for you. (get it in education, not performance... or, in computer science/engineering/nursing!)

It's true, if you can play your butt off and develop a great reputation then no one cares if you have a degree... but there more choices on the table if you have a degree in something.

[kehaulani]

. . . and you have to be honest with yourself. Are you dodging school because you are looking for an easy way out? For the most part, with or without school, the work load's the same - just distributed a little differently.
_________________
"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn

[Ed Kennedy]

In the 1930's, 40's and 50's there were so many gigs that it was possible to develop as an apprentice into a pro. Now the training ground is in colleges, universities and conservatories with strong music departments. Even in the 60's and '70's the name bands were pulling their musicians out of schools like North Texas and Eastman. The truth is that there are fewer gigs ad more qualified players. The degree itself isn't as important as being in a scene where you can get good instruction, get playing experience, make contacts, and expose yourself to serious competition. Another route would be a military band.

[Billy B]

Get a degree in something you can work as a temp, such as accounting. Play the gigs and when you need some money go to the temp agency. Beats waiting tables.
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Bill Bergren

[trumpetchops]

I've found that I get better by working (playing) with musicians that are better than me. In school that's easy to find. Especially the first year. Out playing gigs I've found that they don't want the weak guy. You can work your way up but, it's slow.

In school you can suck on a performance and learn from it. The same in the working world but, you won't get called back. In school you get another shot because it's expected that you're learning.

You don't go to school for the piece of paper. You go to learn and the paper is the result.

I left school to play full time. It lasted about 6 months and I never went back to school and stopped playing for a long time.
_________________
Joe Spitzer
Monroe Ct.

[trackday]

Joe, I will NEVER be as good as you at playing trumpet, but I can spell. Trumet? on your first link.

[trumpetchops]

[Andy Del]

[markchuvala]

Music schools for the most part are jive.

Most of what is being "taught" can be learned on your own, or through private teachers, and experience.

You DO get a lot of playing experience in ensembles you might not get on the street.

You DO get to make contacts, and that helps with getting "in the scene"

You DO get a chance to practice as much as you want, and it helps having direction from teachers and peers.

You DO NOT need a degree to get gigs.
You DO NOT need a degree for auditions
You DO NOT need a degree to be a great player.

You DO NOT need to go to a school for $50,000 a year
You DO NOT need to get yourself into insane debt to end up scrambling just to make rent and eat.

If you want to pursue a school, try your best to get a scholarship, or attend a State school.

Try and take some music business classes, and ethics classes.
Make sure you ask TONS of questions about how to make a living as a working musician.

Aim high, be humble, and work hard
Best of luck
Mark

[roynj]

[rockford]

To get a traditional job that pays a living salary with benefits the answer is almost 100 % yes, you will need a degree. Teaching K-12 and college requires it. It's tough to get the practical experience you need to compete for full time orchestras and military bands outside of a high quality, structured program. So many local bands and orchestras play well, but don't have the same standards as truly professional groups. You may be getting some playing experience and make a few bucks, but it may not rise to the level of pre-professional training offered at many of the better schools. There are notable exceptions, but everyone of those exceptions got the equivalent training somehow.
_________________
Bill Siegfried
NY/Mt. Vernon Bach trumpets. Yamaha flugelhorn and piccolo A/Bb, Monette and Hammond mouthpieces. Fender and Peavey Cirrus Bass Guitars. Ampeg and Genz-Benz amps. Embraer 170/175/190.

[jscahoy]

[Craig Swartz]

[gstump]

I think the answer depends on what kind of pro player you strive to be. To get into a regional or major orchestra, Music School is the way to go. The odds of achieving the level of playing to win an audition in a major orchestra is similar to winning a job in the NFL or NBA for a PhysEd major.

To become a commercial player music school is not quite as important but still a great asset. The problem here is the consolidation of work in only a few major markets done by only a handful of trumpet players.

I think going to trade or tech school is a great idea. Then find a great pro teacher and practice your butt off.

Best of luck.
_________________
Schilke B5
Couesnon Flug (1967)
Funk Brothers Horn Section/Caruso Student

[trpthrld]

John Frosk
Jon Faddis
Rick Baptist
Wayne Bergeron
Warren Luening
Cat Anderson
Clark Terry
Doc Severinsen
Harry James
Roger Ingram
Wynton Marsallis
Bobby Shew
etc.

To the best of my knowledge, none of the above had/have a college degree. Some, like Wynton, attended for a short while.

Play like them...ya don't need a degree. But then again - you wouldn't be on this forum asking about this topic.

Go to college. Get a degree in something OTHER than music so that you have something solid to fall back upon. Pursuing a different degree won't preclude you from taking music classes or performing in ensembles.
_________________
Tim Wendt

www.trumpetherald.com/marketplace.php?task=detail&id=146827&s=The-Best-Trumpet-Lead-Pipe-Swab-EVER--

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPWAJqghk24&feature=youtu.be

[PH]

[etc-etc]

Great advice from Tim!