How to Be a Successful Music Education Major
Hacks With Benefits: Being Dedicated to Timely Habits (Part 2 of 3)
Music education occurs at different paces for everyone involved. As I mentioned in part 1, I was exposed to “active listening” in my 4th-grade band class. And by “active listening” I mean listening with a purpose.
We listened to jazz and my teacher discussed what made it jazz. Likewise with recordings of soloists, marching bands, orchestras, opera, musicals, and world music. The same goes for genres of music (marches, symphonies, arias, etc.).
We were asked questions such as:
What specific sounds/instruments do you hear?
What emotions do you feel?
What images do you envision?
What’s your favorite part?
Of course, these questions elicited different answers from each 4th-grade mind. And different versions of “bravery” – speaking our minds in front of each other – built a trust that carried over to our playing in front of each other.
As I said, he was a very smart educator.
I bring this example back to reinforce my opening statement that music education occurs at different paces for everyone involved. And in an ensemble setting, players feed off of other’s accomplishments and skills – especially for young players.
My 4th-grade band class, which was composed of all interested students from 4th to 8th grade, originated that academic year. This was at a very small Catholic K-8th school.
At first, Mr. Vance didn’t anticipate the power of “bravery.” Very early in the year, he asked us while gathered together for maybe the fifth time ever, “what instrument do you want to play?”
A brave young lady said, “flute” – and then all the girls said, “flute.” And then, a now emboldened young man (guess who?) yelled out, “drums!” – and then all the boys said, “drums!” Mr. Vance stood in silence. This wasn’t his intention at all.
FYI – He solved it by having us “test” each instrument, then “awarding” us different instruments so he could better orchestrate (I said it) more balanced instrumentation. Also, I didn’t yell out “drums”. I was a sheep who didn’t want to be left behind in the social circle. Ah, youth...
He realized that open-ended questions elicit different responses and reactions. He also recognized that students only know what they know. How can someone pick an instrument, or aurally identify different kinds of music, unless they’ve had some experience with them?
Unfamiliarity, then, is a major factor in the pace of your education.
And just think, you’re going to be unfamiliar with many things going off to college. Schedules, responsibilities, expectations – just a fraction of the foreign stuff you’re going to face.
You’ve Been Accepted!
OK, let's assume you're accepted into an undergraduate music education degree program at a small college program. (After all, that’s the perspective I’m working from! C’mon, keep up!) And for the sake of this discussion, this small program has no graduate programs in music. Further, this fictional music department:
Averages 40 majors per academic year
Offers two music major options:
B.A. in Music
B.A. in Music Education
Accepts vocal and instrumental, but no string primaries
Offers ensembles including:
Band – Concert, Marching, Jazz, and Chamber
Vocal – Chorus, Musical, Jazz, and Chamber
String – None
Employs 4 full-time and 10 part-time music faculty
You must understand that in this fictional small music department, there’s a large number of skills and techniques your fictional faculty assume you already know:
Language
Diction or foreign languages for vocalists
Various Italian, French, and German terms commonly found in music.
Traditions
How to enter/exit the stage as a soloist
How to dress for different types of performances
How to create advertisements for performances
Procedures
How to request an accompanist
How to maintain or clean instruments
Where the practice spaces are on campus
And these are just some of them. Further, they suppose you understand these various expectations for each professor or event. Each faculty members’ presumptions will be different for each course, at each institution. And remember our fictional small college only has four faculty.
It’s human nature to forget people only know what they know.
The Deep Cut.
And it goes deeper than simply forgetting that. Your faculty will discuss these suppositions amongst themselves in regular meetings. These discussions lead to the positives and/or negatives of your character.
“Johnny doesn’t understand theory!”
“Tasha knows her Kodaly-Curwen hand signals!”
This is especially true of small music programs. The faculty will communicate regularly about all students in the program knowing the value of each student in the program. I concede this may sound cold or impersonal, but understand in a small music department, the value of each student goes beyond the value at a large music department.
It doesn’t make a large department less worthwhile or a small department more involved. But let me state it this way: if you have two trumpet majors versus twenty, then your faculty’s expectations for those two are going to be greater than the twenty. Those two trumpeters will be your leaders (ready or not) in every ensemble. And you could say the same for two sopranos, two pianists, two tubists, etc.
This notion comes from a belief that students have met the standards the professor considers they should know at the time of the interaction, discussion, lecture, applied lesson, course, etc.
For example, if the student is starting the semester in Theory III, she has met Theory II's benchmarks. Yet, you (and the faculty, for that matter) should be aware that passing a course does not equate to understanding the material.
Further, you should not assume that Theory III is “harder” than Theory II. It could be completely different. For example, Theory II could be the end of Roman Numeral Analysis. Theory III could explore other practices of music analysis (serial, 12-tone, Schenkerian, Hindemith, atonal, etc.), or the focus is on form and the various levels of structure.
So, if you do not understand Theory II, then Theory III could prove disastrous.
And if you’re reading this, and the types of music theory I mentioned are unfamiliar to you – right now – then you’re not alone.
Many music auditions I’ve had the pleasure of listening to revealed a lack of familiarity with matters music faculty would consider “standard.” And more personally, I’ve auditioned plenty in my youth only knowing the music.
Theory? Nope.
Terms? Minimally.
History? Not really.
I’d just play the music, musically…
Um… So what the hack are you supposed to do?
Part II – Develop Self
Hack #4 – Establish good habits.
The following is a list of twelve suggested habits you should develop to enhance your education:
Talk To Your Professors ←(Hack #1)
Actively Listen ←(Hack #2)
Make Copious Notes ←(Hack #3)
Achieve a High Level on Your Instrument
Achieve a Competency Level on Secondary Instruments
Read Books
Compose
Pay Attention To Details
Actively Participate in Logic Exercises
Practice/Study Properly ←(Hack #5)
Rehearse Properly ←(Hack #5)
Perform Properly ←(Hack #5)
Hack #1, 2, and 3 were discussed in part 1, and hack #5 will be addressed in part 3. But all twelve are important to develop and improve as habits.
Ok great – these are unmistakable habits to develop for music education majors, but the question is how?
(Good question!)
The following is how to generate a habit:
Establishment – You begin by creating a version of the habit you want to establish that is exceptionally easy for you. In the beginning, make it so easy you won't say no to doing it, and so that it's not difficult at all.
Increase Incrementally – Each day you increase the development of your habit but in a small way. The total habit should be broken down into easier parts. This way you can add each part (incrementally).
Repeat – After increasing your habit, keep repetitions easy.
These minor achievements can seem almost meaningless, especially in the beginning, but small steps can deliver incredible progress very quickly. For example, in 30 days, if you start with:
10 pushups and add 1 per day, you would do 735 pushups by day 30
1 minute of reading and added 1 minute per day, you would have read for over 8 hours – enough to finish a 400-page book, or
walking 1,000 steps and added 100 per day, you would walk 73,500 steps (almost 36 miles).
In other words, small, consistent progress adds up quickly in progress and habit strength.
The Recap
I’ve discussed some of the expected traits your professors have – especially in a small music program – and how to meet them. But to increase your knowledge of those expectations, remember part 1 – talk and listen to your professors. In part 3, I’m going to focus on the last three habits I suggest properly developing asap – practice, rehearsal, and performance.
Don’t hack… do it properly.
