It all makes sense now. I finally realize why my academic advisor said the Music major won’t really allow for a minor.
I just finished my performance recital thing, and although I thought I did pretty well, I talked to one of the two main voice instructors afterwards and she said it was incoming-freshman level and that if I was going to attain upper-intermediate proficiency by the end of next fall’s quarter, I’m-a-gonna have to haul ass.
So in ADDITION to Music, Music lab, Music History, and Sailing, I’m going to have to take Concert Choir and individual lessons, if I can get them. I’m going to have to perform bi-weekly. My Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays will be SO packed that I’ll probably have to move all of my homework and practicing to Tuesday and Thursday, which is fine… but I might have SO little time that I might even have to drop Sailing. Holy sheez.
Oh right, and then there’s my JOB, which I haven’t even been able to pay attention to for the past week since I’ve been so busy.
Must stop writing now as I’ve got Human Sexuality reading to do and then my Music theory final…
The stakes are just as high in the actual business. My mom knows this well; she got a major in music, did a little bit of high school conductor work, which left her depressed – so she moved out here, and did professional harp work, finally meeting my dad. That was in the mid-late 70s; she did work into the early 90s, but it was almost always the second-tier jobs: weddings, minor events, gigs that others couldn’t make. It wasn’t because she was a bad player, but there was always someone better who could get the first call for a job, or to take a seat in the SF Symphony. On the other hand, you can name almost any kind of location or significant landmark in the Bay and she’s probably played there. Kind of amusing when she remarks on that driving around.
That was the classical world of course, but I doubt it’s much different elsewhere. Whether it’s in a touring band or a studio, there’ll always be that “someone better” when it comes to technical proficency or musicality. So, yeah. It’s no surprise they expect you to kill yourself working on this major. That’s what you’re supposed to do anyway.