So what really goes on in music school?

The first thing you need to do if you want to succeed in music school-- get to know the courses. I have been realizing lately what a huge difference in breadth there is between good college music courses as opposed to high school. Luckily, in my case, I had some really great teachers that prepared me (even against my will) for things I never would have expected otherwise.

If you haven't sought out much information before now, some of the material may seem very unfamiliar, but don't get too overwhelmed because you are definitely not alone. I would say maybe about 5-10% of entering students really know what they are doing, but many of the rest are able to catch up soon enough with the right amount of work. If you still have some time before music school though, there is no reason you can't be in that upper 5%, or even the upper 1% upon entering. (That is covered in the next article. Make sure to read this one first though.)

So what does a music student's day-to-day schedule look like? Well before you get to start taking all music classes, you will of course have to complete a basic liberal arts curriculum (math, science, english, etc.), but after that's done, there is a pretty universal set of music classes that all music schools offer (and will force you to take if you want to graduate).

1. Music Theory

This will be the basis for the rest of the classes below as, the material you learn in theory will be applied in your Aural Skills and Keyboarding classes. Keep in mind, every school (and every teacher) does theory a little bit differently, so you will need to learn to be flexible.

Also, another thing to keep in mind is that depending on what kind of theory course you are taking, you will be covering different music. Just about every school requires all students to take music theory of the common practice period, in which you will be working with music of Bach, Haydn, etc., and learning harmony and counterpoint from this era. Some schools also offer jazz/contemporary theory courses, which you will take later if you aren't planning on concentrating on classical music.

What's covered?

• Chord Structures: You will learn to construct any triad (major, minor, diminished, augmented) in any key. After this you will move onto seventh chords (and if you are in jazz you will need to get comfortable with ninths, 13ths, altered chords, etc.).
• Identifying Chord Structures: The inverse of the above, being able to recognize and name these same chords in any key when you see them on paper.
• Harmonic Analysis (AKA Roman Numeral Analysis): Ability to recognize a chord progression and analyze what chords are being used.
• Figured Bass: A kind of notation you will probably never see again in your life if you are not going into classical music, you will need to be able to recognize this notation and build chords accordingly (it's really something you just have to experience to understand)
• Part-Writing: You will be given a set of chords, and according to the rules of the common practice period (basically about 300 years ago), you will need to write a Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass line.

This is by far the generally most hated class I would say, because it's not something you can cram for. In order to excel in this kind of class you will have to put in work every day.

What's covered?

• Sight-singing: being able to merely look at a melody for about thirty seconds and then sing it back. You will be required to learn solfege, and also you will need to get comfortable singing in front of other people because you will be singing in class as well as for tests (another reason people hate this class).
• Melodic dictation: the inverse of sight-singing, you will learn to be able to notate a melody just by hearing it.
• Harmonic dictation: similar to melodic dictation, but instead of having to notate a melody, your teacher will play a sequence of chords. From this sequence, you will need to notate the top voice (soprano), the bottom voice (bass), and will give a Roman numeral analysis on the chords.
• Transposition: ability to look at a melody in one key, then move it to a completely different key and notate the same melody.

Not necessarily the kind of piano you are thinking of, (unless you are a piano major of course) which is to say you won't really be playing a lot of songs in this class, but instead will be looking at the piano from more of a theory-based aspect. In other words...piano, but less musical (and a bit easier).

What's covered?

• Scales: to pass your schools piano proficiency test (which all music majors are required to do), you will need to learn your major and minor scales in all 12 keys (note: some schools only require you to learn the harmonic minor, while others require you learn natural, melodic, and harmonic minor. [and if you don't have any idea what I just said that's okay])
• Chord Progressions: Eventually you will have to learn basic chord progressions (I-IV-V, II-V-I) in every key.
• Sight Reading: You will need to be able to play a melody and chords at sight (at University of North Texas this section counts double on the proficiency. It sucks.)
• Basic literature: You will most likely have to play some very basic pieces along the way just to develop hand coordination.
• Hymn/score reading: After a few levels of piano, you will need to be able to play the 4 voices of a hymn simultaneously, and after some time you will need to be able to sightread a hymn.

A lot of the material you cover in your basic music classes can get frustrating and seem really unnecessary at times, but you just have to remember you are trying to become the best, most well-rounded musician you can be. You will get through these classes (assuming you don't enjoy them) and afterwords will be able to enjoy the benefits of them while taking more and more classes that are applicable to what you want to do with your music career.

Some classes you can look forward to: Your ensembles, private lessons will be a great growing experience. And (depending on what school you choose) songwriting labs, music technology. UNT has a class on the music of Frank Zappa as well as African music and movement. Berklee even offers a class called "Song demo in the recording studio", where you actually record your own demo by the end of the semester.

Note: I highly recommend doing more research on the college of your choice to see what kinds of classes they offer, and what courses are required. Just about every college puts a course list online, and you can never be too informed on this kind of thing.

Once again, don't get discouraged at first if this is all really overwhelming for you, everyone feels that way. There will always be teachers willing to help with office hours, and TAs that have sessions with students. If nothing else, you should try and get a group of friends together to work on something you all might mutually hate.

Any other questions about music school?
Email me: Nehal@Musicians-Make-It.com


Links (if a link doesn't work, the article is still being written!):

The Statistic Explained: Why is Berklee's graduation rate so low? Find out here, and gain a new outlook on your music education.

What really goes on in music school?: Take your first step to being "in the know",and learn the ins and outs of a typical music students course load.

What music school won't do for you: Music schools provide a lot of very valuable information, however, it is extremely important that you realize what they don't do for you as well. The reason so many kids end up hating music school is because they go there with false images in their heads.

How to rise above the competition...before you even meet them. There are a lot of very simple things you can learn before you ever get to music school, and they will set you miles ahead of the rest of the entering students.

$$$ Money, money, money $$$ Music school can be ridiculously expensive, but there a lot of ways to work around the cost and still get a great education.

Something you will probably never learn in music school: One of the most valuable lessons you will ever learn from music, you won't be taught by your teacher.