With soaring tuition costs in the UK (universities are now able to charge a maximum of £9250 per year in England) the decisions about further education are becoming more important than ever, especially in the music industry.
As with most degrees, there is no certainty of a regular income after graduation. Finding work in such a competitive industry can be tough, especially considering a lot of musicians are self-employed.
Auditions, unlike a lot of job interviews, are based on one’s musical ability rather than their qualifications.
However, a music degree can give you invaluable experience that you may struggle to find outside of the university or higher education environment. It allows you to commit to improving yourself, and your technical ability in a dedicated environment for upwards of 3 years.
You can use this opportunity to make mistakes, experiment, and reflect without having to worry too much about income.
Experienced teachers and professors are available to advise you on your goals. The time you have during your degree forces you to focus on improving your craft in a professional environment.
Do not underestimate the value of being able to meet like minded people, with similar goals, and skill sets that will be invaluable to you a working musician. For example, The Kooks formed after meeting at BIMM, Adele studied at Brit school, and John Mayer spent time at Berklee College of Music (eventually returning to give a guest lecture).
It’s also worth noting, many musicians choose to setup cover bands to play weddings and corporate events after meeting at university- the networking opportunities can be invaluable!
That being said, a lot of skills these skills can be learnt outside of university. You could save money by finding a fantastic music tutor, able to give you a lot of guidance in achieving your goals.
Learning to read music, a highly sought after skill for session work and classical musicians, can be learnt without further education.
YouTube tutorials are a fantastic source of information and can help you progress faster, not only on your instrument, but in other areas too. Social media allows you to find groups and pages to meet like minded musicians and find work, as well as advertise your services (especially useful for teachers!).
In the pop world, a record label isn’t going to ask you about your qualifications – they’re going to care about the quality of your songs (which can be improved upon without the need for a degree.. just ask Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl and Lionel Richie just to name a few!).
Similarly, If you’re starting a function band, prospective clients are unlikely to ask where you studied at university! (And you don’t need a music degree to sign up for a Last Minute Musicians listing!).
What if you change your mind after university?
Music, as aforementioned, can be a difficult career to sustain (see our article on Dealing with Sickness and Retirement as a musician) and skills gained at university enable you to cover yourself if you need a ‘plan b’ if you wish to change career or direction.
Employers will look favourably on the transferable skills gained from studying music at degree level if life throws new challenges or you simply wish to change career path.
Simply having a music degree does not guarantee work in the field, although it may put you ahead of the competition in an increasingly competitive industry. A combination of passion and drive with a music degree is essential.
It’s not all doom and gloom though! For a start, many graduates find work in other industries such as education, offering a stable income using the transferable skills they have learnt whilst at university.
These skills allow musicians to either supplement their income in a different industry, or change direction entirely if they wish.
For example, if you study medicine at university, chances are you’ll become a doctor – for music students, it’s less obvious what job you’ll end up with or what career path you might take… but the results could be really fulfilling!
Discussion:
Let’s ask the Last Minute Musicians community about studying music and whether they believed that it was relevant in today’s society:
I think it depends on your own personal goal. If you want to be a successful teacher in schools and a session musician who reads music then having a degree and qualification can surely be a big plus for work.
Guitarist, Mark Gill
I’m 27 and going back to study now as I’ve deemed it necessary for my career. For a degree and then postgrad+ will open doors to teaching at higher levels as well as having more access to top quality musicians for collaborations.
Classical guitarist, Joseph Warwick
I studied at the University of Hull. I found the Creative Music Technology Course really helpful and have since been really glad I took that one! We had access to a choice of excellent instrumental tutors and great lecturers within the course. I also really enjoyed being part of a community wider than only musicians.
Freelance musician, Cat Miles
Professional musician Ryan McCaffrey says that he believes he became more employable simply from the fact that he was studying at Birmingham Conservatoire. He explained:
I was sought after for gigs for a well established big band. I have to say that taking a degree in music is only a good thing!
Professional musician Ryan McCaffrey
It’s wrongly assumed that when it comes to jobs, music students are confined to their field of study.
In reality, music graduates go on to do a wide range of jobs in a variety of different industries.
This is because of the transferable skills you can take away from a music degree. A few examples are listed below:
- IT proficiency music recording nowadays requires a basic understanding of recording programs which can be applied to other areas of software.
- Communications skills needed to express ideas when working in small groups or ensembles develops essential communication skills that employers look for.
- Ability to work calmly under pressure Deadlines for performances and exams are part of a music student’s way of life and a key skill that can be transferred to other areas of work.
- Critical reflection, useful for correcting mistakes and teaching.
Conclusion
Everyone is different and their situation unique. Before studying music at university, the best thing to do is ask yourself some fundamental questions to asses a degree’s value to you. Some good places to start might be:
- Do you have good contacts within the music industry?
- Do you feel you are proficient enough at your instrument to be working at a professional standard?
- Do you already get regular work?
- Do you have a definite career path in mind?
- Do you already posses academic qualifications?
If your answer is “yes” to the majority of those questions, a degree might not be worthwhile. However, if the answer to most of those questions is “no”, then a music degree might be a great way to go about changing that!
Loading ...Do you have a music degree? Take a second to vote in our poll to voice your opinion and help anyone who might be looking at studying music at degree level. We’d love to hear your opinions on music degrees in the comments below!
