I majored in music. If you want to go to music school for the sake of getting a music job, then it depends on what kind of job you're aiming for. But in terms of becoming knowledgeable about music theory, it definitely put me in the "elite" class of understanding, and that has helped my musicality immensely.
doesn't the most renowned books on music theory do a better job? there aint much to learn about theory, i thought the most important parts in major was ear training and the time spent playing on the school projects
there's not even the slightest possibility you will be able to work in physics without studying in university beforehand, for example i suppose that also applies to almost all branches of science
Agreed, you also won't be a successful scientist, or anything for that matter, if you have the expectation that a degree is all you need. Like he said in the video, it takes actually applying the knowledge, using resources, questioning professors, etc... to make the most of it and stand out.
As someone with a degree in science, I have to disagree with you. What you said gets you a promotion, from a lab tech to a research scientist for instance. Getting your foot in the door in the majority of STEM fields is completely reliant on having a degree, sometimes a graduate degree. Art degrees are completely different in that regard.
Nothing in life is guaranteed. A college degree isn't a guarantee of a job or success especially a music degree. You communicated this effectively. I believe the people that do well in life with an education in music even are the ones with a great entrepreneurial sense.
Yep, try anything (legal). You'll either like it, or not (which will tell you something/cross something of your list). The only people who 'fail', are those who never try ... don't be paralysed by fear/indecision ... Give it a go, do it smart, knowing you can always change your mind base on what you've learnt ... just don't take any stupid risks - seek lots of advice, from those who have been there ...
I enrolled into a year long diploma course at the ICMP in London in when I was only 16 and straight out of high school. I failed miserably, I was simply to young to comprehend the amount of work and commitment involved. So as you said take your time and think about it for a year or so, there's no rush. I learned from my experience there and it wasn't all bad, I met my guitar tutor Martin Goulding there who I ended up having lessons with for the next few years. I found that one on one learning environment much more useful and it turned me into the player I am today. Great video man! :)
Good advice. I have a degree in Computer Science, none of which I've used in my career. So when interviewing people I often focus on the self taught who seem to display more passion and interest. Networking isn't something I'm capable of doing anyway :) I'm not sure how closely that relates, as the majority of my uni friend did get a career from it.
Very solid advice from two very talented musicians and youtubers. Thank you for being open and honest, as well as telling it like it is from both sides rather than just taking one stance.
I’ve been composing and producing music since my sophomore year in high school, and now that I’m in my senior year, I’m looking into some music schools, Berklee in particular, and this video was pretty useful. I’m still going to go to music school, but I’ll keep all of this in mind. Great video!
Thanks for the advice! Im a Fresher at BIMM(British and Irish institute of Modern Music) i start my course next week (October 2nd). I agree with everything you said. I will be paying close attention to my tutors and peers seeing who are the right people to be getting in with! Thanks again man! A really helpful video!
I have a lot of friends who became musician without taking music major on university. Some of them were an economic graduated, psychology, etc. I'm an accounting student, but my time were most invested in practicing music. Right now i'm still on my journey to get graduated while teaching classical guitar in a music school. Thanks for your advice Mr. Samurai Guitarist. I've learned a lot from you. Thanks for being inspired! Anyway, sorry for my bad english :)
Great information! This is true about many degrees especially in the Humanaties fields. IF you graduate you will have a very specialized and a very niche degree. The good news is you still have a degree. A bachelors in Music will get lumped in with all the other degrees when employers are looking for someone. Another thing if you get a Music degree is that you may be better off going to where the jobs are, so Los Angeles, Nashville, Austin, New York... This will give you more opportunities to leverage your education. If not you will need to build from the ground up a local prescence to be succesful. Outside of music this degree will be of very limited use, but that's pretty much true of most advanced degrees. If you get the degree for making money you will have to work hard to carve out those opportunities. There are people who do get advanced degrees for personal reasons that may have nothing to do with that field after graduation. Getting a degree will not gaurantee a job or a career in that given field, not everyone who gets a History degree goes on to be a historian or work in a museum. I will tell you that I have never heard anyone after getting a degree say that they didn't need it nor that it didn't help them. Education creates opportunities that need to be explored and acted on. You have to hustle once you get to that rung of the ladder just like everyone else who has that same degree or something similar. So is it worth it? I like the part aboit taking your time to figure out what you want. I recommend looking at your life from the end to the beggining, what type of money do you want to make? What type of schedule do you want to have? How much do you want to travel, etc. Once you answer these questions the picture gets clearer and you can see if there are any gaps in the dream. It also lines up your education really well too. Just so you know I have over ten years working in Higher Education on all levels both advising and recruiting students. I've pretty much seen it all. This video is well thought out and has a great message.
My Man I just enrolled and when u said 3 years out of highschool a smile grew on my face. This is my third year out of highschool!! Great video brother real Music and Live music will shine again!
Dude you are not just a TH-camr/Musician. I believe even you don't know your worth! On close observation, i have noticed you say so deep stuffs that have relevance in a lot of fields beyond music. You should be a monk and preach your knowledge someday. I would love to be a follower. You are so fucking awesome, man! My life has changed since i discovered you. I am a self taught amateur musician with no formal education or a teacher,and i fear i might never make it big. But you have been so inspiring, it gives me a lot of motivation to continue! Cheers!
True, there is always risk involved, especially in music. I'm actually leaning towards becoming a guitar mechanic and owning my own shop one day. Peace and love brotha ✌
I love music from the bottom of my heart, but I don't have the guts to make my degree be about music. I am really afraid to become one of those guys who know about music but end up teaching 10 year olds to play country guitar... I don't know, I just feel like the path is way too tough and I feel ashamed about it. So I don't know, I'll try to own a studio and hope to connect the dots down the line, wish me luck!
@@sathira_anuk5179 Ended up becoming a programmer, which I kind of like. I used to be a guitarrist/vocalist, but I don't do any of those with frequency. I feel like that's ok, I am not a musician at heart. I feel like musicians just HAVE TO FUCKING PLAY, and for me, it was always accompanied by some need for discipline, some need for a push. Charles bukowski wrote "don't even try" in his tomb, which is interpreted as going after the things you cannot keep yourself from doing. I feel like that's some good wisdom. I like music a lot to this day, it helps me express some stuff, and I still want to have a garage, learn some drums, and record myself playing the musics I like If you put me again, 10 years ago, 5 years ago, I would like to have kept in touch with music more than I do today, but with the tools I had at the time it was a good decision. My circunstances weren't great either, didn't have many friends in a small town to compose some kind of music ambient that propels itself in easy interactions. My mistake wasn't so much about pushing music away, the bigger mistake was going to college for programming, or any college at all, diplomas are stupid, doing some technic school takes half the time and you earn the same or more (because you have more time to learn things that actually matter, colleges just teach useless stuff and obligate you to turn in the dumbest fucking papers in order to graduate) But my guess is that you are trying to make this decision since you're asking. I'll give you some things to think about: 1) I always gravitated towards music because it was the only thing I liked and the only thing I was good at. Five years in the future, I see that there is SO MUCH I could do to earn a living, live is really plural and if you understand who you are you will see many ways to earn a living. Right now my path is to cut hours as much as I can so I can begin painting, writing, and sure, music. 2) You don't need college to earn money, don't select a course based on "safety" all the safe people are on antidepressants, and all the "risk takers" I see somehow find a way to make things fit. (I feel like this is reckless advice but in my life I think I've seen way too many cowards 3) The corollary to the 2nd point is... that you should have another way to be safe: technical education and jobs are great, they will enable you to start earning money quicker, and then you can start experimenting with what you wanna do. In my country you can do a test to work on the public sphere even with only a high school degree and those pay well too. My point is I fucking hate college for money, 5 years is too much 4) So... you could in theory do 3 and then go to music college (which makes more sense if it comes from a place of passion and hunger for learning). Or you can go to music college directly. I am sure you will not die of hunger, and even if it doesn't work out you can just start again and go do some boring degree on engineering. Idk, I feel like in my life regret of not trying is worse than the regret of doing and failing, because on the latter at least you learn something important, while on the first, you will never know what could have been. I would say if your soul is screaming for it, go. If you have doubts, maybe try earning money without commiting to some other stupid course. If you have a cool community, stay in touch with them and try to learn more about what you are trying to do. I think you will be fine either way, take it easy, this choice isn't as important as it seems, for the better or for the worse. If you don't go you will not be left without a soul, if you go you will not waste your life on a dumb mistake. Just remember that self actualization is harder without physical and emotional safety. Try to be close to your heart and see what matters to you. And if you really don't come to any conclusion, just keep living and stay open. Thanks for the time tunnel !
Actually I don't think I have expressed my biggest point: freedom is great, and if you put me 10 years or 5 years in the past again. I would still not go for music college, I would have skipped programming college, and tried to earn money quickly at any trade. If I invest only 2 or 3 years in becoming financially stable, then I can pick any path I want into the future, musical or not. I am sure it's cool to become a musician after you spend some time being a plumber/eletrician, or something. (programmers also come out just fine without college)
"Video would have been a lot shorter if you just said 'No' up front and ended it" is what I was planning to say when I clicked on the video. I actually found it to be very interesting, and helpful. I decided to not go to music school because I didn't want my passion to become by job and then not be fun anymore because I had to do it. I think everything you said was strong, well spoken, well thought out, objective, and true. Excellent video Steve :)
I am at that point where I have to decide what the heck I'm gonna do with my life, and honestly? Music seems to be the way to go. I play a few instruments, I sing (though I am completely self taught in that regard) and I really enjoy it. It seems that my plan will be to go to community college and transfer to a 4 year (the options that I have are of various price ranges and I will be touring them over the summer and consulting their counselors as well as my school counselor when the new school year starts). Here's hoping the best for my future in this crazy world!
While I majored in music, getting a solid job has been quite an experience. While most musical things I could do without a degree, it may not have been as easy if I didn't go to music school! Music is quite the experience, and I do my best to have balance, like creating my compositions and then creating a TH-cam channel! Building up both can help me prevent burnout, and I would not do either as well if I didn't major in music. Doing music school with intent is the only way to do it. No one should go to music school without extreme intent to become better and to make the most out of every opportunity.
Dude, that’s golden advice. I’ve always been trying to find my place in life and been discouraged to take a risk, but lately, being unhappy and all, I’ve come to the realization I need to take risks because otherwise I’ll never know what it could have been. But I’ll keep in mind whatever I try to do there’s a chance it won’t succeed-but everything in life is like that, anyway
I just watched every hufo looking for this answer. They were great and all, but that was a lot of listening. So glad you gave this a full video. Thank you 🙏
Youre becoming one of my favorite youtube guitar teachers. Congrats on being successful doing what you love. I think if i had the desire to learn guitar 10 years ago that i have now i maybe would have gotten my bachelors in music rather than sciences.
So what would you say is being mature enough to go to a music college? What did you experiece during those three years between high school and college that made you ready?
I worked at a music store for a while, so seeing oodles of talented people who didn't really amount to much put in my head the need to think about the business. I traveled Australia for 6 months, did a lot of growing up in that time and it solidified in my head that music was the only career path I wanted to go down. I got a fair bit of partying out of my way, so when I went to college I didn't feel the need to let loose too often. I also spent a lot of time practicing and honing my chops over those 3 years
Man, I've been putting off college since I'm not sure what I should study. The music industry has so many fields that one can excel in that I just get lost when looking at courses. I can play pretty well but I can understand a lick of theory. I don't know what I should I do but I know it's gotta do with music, mate. Thanks alot :)
What are your opinions on moving to a new city in order to pursue music? I too am a canadian, just out of high school, but am stuck in Saskatchewan. There is a small community of musicians here but there is nowhere near the musical diversity and oppurtunity that a bigger city would have. Any suggestions?
How are you doing now buddy? Im also a kid whos from saskatchewan who also wants to pursue music. But I was also thinking of moving to a new place after highschool because saskatchewan dont really have a lot of options. Do you have any suggestions for me if I should just stay in saskatchewan or move to a new city?
Holy shit! Saskatchewan party in here! I’m a guy from saskatoon, Saskatchewan. I think it really depends on what you want to do. If you want to start TH-cam channel, then you don’t really need to move to a music city, but if you want to be a session musician, or a audio tech, then I might lean towards moving to a music city. With that being said, my dad was born and raised in a small town here in Saskatchewan, and he was in a couple of bands who got a bit of national airtime. He also was an self taught audio tech who did pretty good for himself. This was in the 1980’s, and later the 1990’s, so you couldn’t look up videos on TH-cam how to do things. Samurai Guitarist is from Winnipeg, a music city, but, according to him, it still wasn’t big enough to get well known playing music. Keep in mind, moving to a music city has its own problems. It’s more expensive, and harder to find serious music jobs.
I was going to music school for a while. I quit because all but one of the classes I took (as well as almost all the other classes, according to several of my classmates) where focused almost entirely on jazz and how what they were teaching applied to it. I hated the elitism. They acted as though no other styles of music exist. This attitude drove my to saw scew my degree. I am a fan of several styles of music, even some forms of jazz, but I can't stand snobs acting like their tastes are the only ones that matter.
In all honesty, I think it's ridiculous to pay so much for that degree. On top of that, knowing that a big chunk of my money didn't go to the real professors who deserved it, really ticks me off. But, If I had NOT gone to study music in college, I would've probably got stuck with my original plan of being only a singer. Then probably be miserable in another job that wasn't music related. If didn't go to college, I wouldn't have found a new love for piano and learned it quickly enough from some of the best Piano and Jazz Piano professors. On top of that, my voice teacher and coaches took my voice and music to another level that I thought I would never achieve. I did come across some really bogus professors, classmates and people that prepared me a bit in the real world. During my journey of learning from some of the most brilliant minds of music, I found a new love and for teaching music. What's really cool, is that you get to sit in some of the most bad ass masterclasses from top notch musicians all over the world. I had front row seats for Victor Wooten's Masterclass in 2012 for free and front row seats for his concert that same night for 20 bucks a ticket. There was a lot of BS and money you go through as a musician and that amplifies if you study it in college for some people (it did for me). Honesty, it was worth it. Learning from some of the most amazing musicians on Earth, experiencing the magic of music and meeting people that are my closest friends today is priceless. I wouldn't trade that for the world. Check out my channel, you'll see a bit of my musical journey with some of my performances. I'm really proud of my piano part of my latest video and I still have crap ton learn.
Great Video...What advice would you have for someone who started playing guitar later in his 20s? How long had you been playing before you were at the level needed to be accepted into a conservatory like yours? Keep up the good work!
I Never Recorded My 'lil Wayne Challenge Entry. Even Though It Might Be Over I'll Make Time This Week. I Came Up With Ten To Fifteen Melodies, Using Only Notes "A" And "B".
I’m in school for music, not in music school, but everything else is draining(GE’s). And I feel like I’m not doing what I want to do, I’m being classically trained hard, which I appreciate, but I am not trying to be a Mozart. Or in Theory we are learning prime forms etc. I’m 3 years in, and striving for that 4 year plan is hard to hold on to. I feel like I am lacking in what I want to do, because of doing so many things I am expected to do. If that makes sense. I want to do music, I’m just unsure if I need school or should continue still.
Your video is having me contemplate while on the road to the degree. It’s just wondering if it’s worth a degree. I do agree it is a definite experience to be trained by professionals or to be around young musicians as well. And so I realize I don’t want this school routine, but I also don’t want to regret it.
I have won some awards for doing film music, but I switched majors because I was told that only 3% of composition majors actually use their degree haha So i switching to something realistic, ... and now i make music for a major part of my job, I still have a day job, but I could probably live without it
I agree with a lot of this video, Steve. I just graduated with a Bachelor's in Music Technology last month from one of the top music schools in the US. I personally think music school was the right choice for me. For one, I learned insane amounts of theory and aural skills. Since I was a recording major, I had access to top shelf gear that I will probably never see again in my lifetime (SSL consoles, outboard 1176s, Avalon Preamps). I also learned a ton of music history which is something I am really interested in. You're also right about being completely burned out. I've taken a few gigs here and there since I've graduated, but I want to spend the next month or so only playing when I want to. My last two years of music school were spent in a jazz coma, and I'm burned out. Especially after two recitals and constant ensemble performances, you get burned out on constantly performing.
Im here because me and my dad had a whole argument this morning about this topic. Hes aware of how passionate i am about music so he wants me to go to music school. I had to disagree wit him. And i NEVER disagree with my dad about anything.
Right now I'm majoring in digital media production and learning music composition/production in my free time because I want to produce music for films, commercials or any type of media. Two years into my degree and I've worked with some local film directors and in the development of a video game as a musician, and I never feel as happy as when I'm producing music, but I don't know if my degree will become a problem in the future, what do you guys think?
What would you suggest? A 3 year music degree or an 8 grade course from Trinity, Rockschool or ABRSM in the same field? P. S. I don't care about the degree. The skill and the knowledge is what I'm here for. Thanks.
Hey Steve. I want to go to music school and get my bachelors of education so I can teach music in schools/university. Here's my problem. I live in Nova Scotia, and while there are universities here with fantastic music programs, I feel like I won't come out with a very good social network because the cities in NS are nowhere nearly as big as Toronto for example. Would it be worth the extra $50,000 in student debt to go stay in residence in Toronto, or can I just build a network after university if I move to a larger city? Thanks man
Ultimately you will need to make that decision for yourself. Where do you want to teach? Are there jobs in NS? Do you want to teach high school? Junior school? So many other questions you should ask yourself. There's no doubt you will make way more connections in a place like Toronto, but will those get you to your goals? And is it worth the money? There are very rarely right or wrong answers, you gotta figure out which is the most right.
Just realized that you replied, thank you very much for the advice man. I'm going to schedule some appointments at a few universities around here to talk to their student services and see what they have to offer, and compare it to options in Toronto and Montreal. Thanks again man, keep being awesome :D
have some question for you here, I am senior now, my plan is to finish the college that I'm intended to go in then after that I get to work at the same to I re apply to a music school for a few years then drop out is that a good idea.
Is school only for technical wizards? I'm a real jack of all trades master of none in music. I do a lot of writing and jamming on four instruments and am pretty intermediate at all of them.
I've been researching this subject, most people say the best is to start learning by yourself, but I feel your pain, it would be tough as balls to learn everything alone. From my perspective the best schools around the globe are insanely expensive. So I don't know, I'm from Brazil and we don't have this kind of thing around here, I'm coming to the conclusion of making eletrical or some programming engineering to hopefully connect the dots in the future. Just thought I'd leave some insight here, would love to hear any opinions also
Music degrees are strange things. Most people who graduate with a degree sound no better than anyone else. Listen to MAtt Warnock. His music sounds like paint drying, but somehow he gets published in magazines.
As a musician i am a vocalist and i am learning guitar too from online videos and i am improving too. But i am in delima should i go music school from learning guitar or i can be more beneficial from online videos ?
He’s stated on his other videos that it was hard for him to get into music school at 21, after playing guitar since 14. If you’re a beginner, it might be more worth prioritizing honing your skills before you go. You might also find a different career path in music than interests you more in that time
I majored in music. If you want to go to music school for the sake of getting a music job, then it depends on what kind of job you're aiming for. But in terms of becoming knowledgeable about music theory, it definitely put me in the "elite" class of understanding, and that has helped my musicality immensely.
doesn't the most renowned books on music theory do a better job? there aint much to learn about theory, i thought the most important parts in major was ear training and the time spent playing on the school projects
Dude this advice applies to pretty much every college degree.
Commanderc001 then let's not do college xd
Except for technical degrees in regulated fields, such as law or medicine.
there's not even the slightest possibility you will be able to work in physics without studying in university beforehand, for example
i suppose that also applies to almost all branches of science
Agreed, you also won't be a successful scientist, or anything for that matter, if you have the expectation that a degree is all you need. Like he said in the video, it takes actually applying the knowledge, using resources, questioning professors, etc... to make the most of it and stand out.
As someone with a degree in science, I have to disagree with you. What you said gets you a promotion, from a lab tech to a research scientist for instance. Getting your foot in the door in the majority of STEM fields is completely reliant on having a degree, sometimes a graduate degree. Art degrees are completely different in that regard.
Hey Steve, I'm your number eight fan. Love your work.
Thanks man, hope one day you make your way up to #7!
samuraiguitarist he can't cause I'm number 7
Jack is awesome I'm pretty sure being fan #7 is my job
Jawmusic you get what you get and you don't throw a fit
Guess he's your 'Octave Fan', then?!
Nothing in life is guaranteed. A college degree isn't a guarantee of a job or success especially a music degree. You communicated this effectively. I believe the people that do well in life with an education in music even are the ones with a great entrepreneurial sense.
You released this video four weeks into my first music school semester.
Ouch
How is it going though
I feel ya
Second semester here (it's different in brazil)
I know how you feel
@Brandon it's going well! Haven't really made any friends as of yet, but I'm just glad to be studying something I really enjoy.
I'm 27, I've been out of high school for *9 years* and I still don't know what I want to do with my life.
It's tough, if only life came with a simple road map. Don't get discouraged, stay motivated and you can figure out a path whatever your age.
Thanks man, I appreciate the words of encouragement! I'm hoping to find direction soon, and your videos have been helping.
Spending years doing something you hate (and having paid high tuition fees, for the privilege) would have been plenty worse ... You're doing fine. :)
Michael Ryan try starting a business like dropshipping, Amazon fba
Yep, try anything (legal). You'll either like it, or not (which will tell you something/cross something of your list). The only people who 'fail', are those who never try ... don't be paralysed by fear/indecision ... Give it a go, do it smart, knowing you can always change your mind base on what you've learnt ... just don't take any stupid risks - seek lots of advice, from those who have been there ...
I enrolled into a year long diploma course at the ICMP in London in when I was only 16 and straight out of high school. I failed miserably, I was simply to young to comprehend the amount of work and commitment involved. So as you said take your time and think about it for a year or so, there's no rush. I learned from my experience there and it wasn't all bad, I met my guitar tutor Martin Goulding there who I ended up having lessons with for the next few years. I found that one on one learning environment much more useful and it turned me into the player I am today. Great video man! :)
Good advice. I have a degree in Computer Science, none of which I've used in my career. So when interviewing people I often focus on the self taught who seem to display more passion and interest. Networking isn't something I'm capable of doing anyway :) I'm not sure how closely that relates, as the majority of my uni friend did get a career from it.
Hey, pete your fan here. You play guitar really really awesome.
Thanks for swinging by and sharing your story Pete!
Very solid advice from two very talented musicians and youtubers. Thank you for being open and honest, as well as telling it like it is from both sides rather than just taking one stance.
I know a lot of people from the same academy and they all do great! I'm sorry to hear that
I love the humility you display. Always encouraging one to get as much knowledge and experience from as many people/sources as possible. Admirable.
I wish I had this advice when I was in Music school...
Keep up the great advice samurai, and thanks!
I’ve been composing and producing music since my sophomore year in high school, and now that I’m in my senior year, I’m looking into some music schools, Berklee in particular, and this video was pretty useful. I’m still going to go to music school, but I’ll keep all of this in mind. Great video!
Thanks for the advice! Im a Fresher at BIMM(British and Irish institute of Modern Music) i start my course next week (October 2nd). I agree with everything you said. I will be paying close attention to my tutors and peers seeing who are the right people to be getting in with! Thanks again man! A really helpful video!
I have a lot of friends who became musician without taking music major on university. Some of them were an economic graduated, psychology, etc. I'm an accounting student, but my time were most invested in practicing music. Right now i'm still on my journey to get graduated while teaching classical guitar in a music school. Thanks for your advice Mr. Samurai Guitarist. I've learned a lot from you. Thanks for being inspired! Anyway, sorry for my bad english :)
Samurai te amo (i love you greetings from Peru)
Descargo todos tus videos y los escucho en el bus:)
Eso es pirateria hermano
Great information! This is true about many degrees especially in the Humanaties fields. IF you graduate you will have a very specialized and a very niche degree. The good news is you still have a degree. A bachelors in Music will get lumped in with all the other degrees when employers are looking for someone. Another thing if you get a Music degree is that you may be better off going to where the jobs are, so Los Angeles, Nashville, Austin, New York... This will give you more opportunities to leverage your education. If not you will need to build from the ground up a local prescence to be succesful.
Outside of music this degree will be of very limited use, but that's pretty much true of most advanced degrees. If you get the degree for making money you will have to work hard to carve out those opportunities. There are people who do get advanced degrees for personal reasons that may have nothing to do with that field after graduation. Getting a degree will not gaurantee a job or a career in that given field, not everyone who gets a History degree goes on to be a historian or work in a museum.
I will tell you that I have never heard anyone after getting a degree say that they didn't need it nor that it didn't help them. Education creates opportunities that need to be explored and acted on. You have to hustle once you get to that rung of the ladder just like everyone else who has that same degree or something similar. So is it worth it? I like the part aboit taking your time to figure out what you want. I recommend looking at your life from the end to the beggining, what type of money do you want to make? What type of schedule do you want to have? How much do you want to travel, etc. Once you answer these questions the picture gets clearer and you can see if there are any gaps in the dream. It also lines up your education really well too.
Just so you know I have over ten years working in Higher Education on all levels both advising and recruiting students. I've pretty much seen it all. This video is well thought out and has a great message.
My Man I just enrolled and when u said 3 years out of highschool a smile grew on my face. This is my third year out of highschool!! Great video brother real Music and Live music will shine again!
Dude you are not just a TH-camr/Musician. I believe even you don't know your worth! On close observation, i have noticed you say so deep stuffs that have relevance in a lot of fields beyond music. You should be a monk and preach your knowledge someday. I would love to be a follower. You are so fucking awesome, man! My life has changed since i discovered you. I am a self taught amateur musician with no formal education or a teacher,and i fear i might never make it big. But you have been so inspiring, it gives me a lot of motivation to continue!
Cheers!
True, there is always risk involved, especially in music. I'm actually leaning towards becoming a guitar mechanic and owning my own shop one day.
Peace and love brotha ✌
I'm a drummer and I enjoy watching these and all of your guitar videos. Thanks for posting this.
I love music from the bottom of my heart, but I don't have the guts to make my degree be about music. I am really afraid to become one of those guys who know about music but end up teaching 10 year olds to play country guitar... I don't know, I just feel like the path is way too tough and I feel ashamed about it.
So I don't know, I'll try to own a studio and hope to connect the dots down the line, wish me luck!
How are you doing after 5 years?
@@sathira_anuk5179 Ended up becoming a programmer, which I kind of like. I used to be a guitarrist/vocalist, but I don't do any of those with frequency.
I feel like that's ok, I am not a musician at heart. I feel like musicians just HAVE TO FUCKING PLAY, and for me, it was always accompanied by some need for discipline, some need for a push. Charles bukowski wrote "don't even try" in his tomb, which is interpreted as going after the things you cannot keep yourself from doing. I feel like that's some good wisdom.
I like music a lot to this day, it helps me express some stuff, and I still want to have a garage, learn some drums, and record myself playing the musics I like
If you put me again, 10 years ago, 5 years ago, I would like to have kept in touch with music more than I do today, but with the tools I had at the time it was a good decision. My circunstances weren't great either, didn't have many friends in a small town to compose some kind of music ambient that propels itself in easy interactions.
My mistake wasn't so much about pushing music away, the bigger mistake was going to college for programming, or any college at all, diplomas are stupid, doing some technic school takes half the time and you earn the same or more (because you have more time to learn things that actually matter, colleges just teach useless stuff and obligate you to turn in the dumbest fucking papers in order to graduate)
But my guess is that you are trying to make this decision since you're asking. I'll give you some things to think about:
1) I always gravitated towards music because it was the only thing I liked and the only thing I was good at. Five years in the future, I see that there is SO MUCH I could do to earn a living, live is really plural and if you understand who you are you will see many ways to earn a living. Right now my path is to cut hours as much as I can so I can begin painting, writing, and sure, music.
2) You don't need college to earn money, don't select a course based on "safety" all the safe people are on antidepressants, and all the "risk takers" I see somehow find a way to make things fit. (I feel like this is reckless advice but in my life I think I've seen way too many cowards
3) The corollary to the 2nd point is... that you should have another way to be safe: technical education and jobs are great, they will enable you to start earning money quicker, and then you can start experimenting with what you wanna do. In my country you can do a test to work on the public sphere even with only a high school degree and those pay well too. My point is I fucking hate college for money, 5 years is too much
4) So... you could in theory do 3 and then go to music college (which makes more sense if it comes from a place of passion and hunger for learning). Or you can go to music college directly. I am sure you will not die of hunger, and even if it doesn't work out you can just start again and go do some boring degree on engineering. Idk, I feel like in my life regret of not trying is worse than the regret of doing and failing, because on the latter at least you learn something important, while on the first, you will never know what could have been.
I would say if your soul is screaming for it, go. If you have doubts, maybe try earning money without commiting to some other stupid course. If you have a cool community, stay in touch with them and try to learn more about what you are trying to do.
I think you will be fine either way, take it easy, this choice isn't as important as it seems, for the better or for the worse. If you don't go you will not be left without a soul, if you go you will not waste your life on a dumb mistake. Just remember that self actualization is harder without physical and emotional safety. Try to be close to your heart and see what matters to you. And if you really don't come to any conclusion, just keep living and stay open.
Thanks for the time tunnel !
Actually I don't think I have expressed my biggest point: freedom is great, and if you put me 10 years or 5 years in the past again. I would still not go for music college, I would have skipped programming college, and tried to earn money quickly at any trade. If I invest only 2 or 3 years in becoming financially stable, then I can pick any path I want into the future, musical or not. I am sure it's cool to become a musician after you spend some time being a plumber/eletrician, or something. (programmers also come out just fine without college)
This is perfect timing as I’m in the process of applying to schools! Thank you for the advice
Bro I swear his face is hypnotizing, I could not stop watching this. Great video. Ty for the advice
"Video would have been a lot shorter if you just said 'No' up front and ended it"
is what I was planning to say when I clicked on the video. I actually found it to be very interesting, and helpful. I decided to not go to music school because I didn't want my passion to become by job and then not be fun anymore because I had to do it. I think everything you said was strong, well spoken, well thought out, objective, and true. Excellent video Steve :)
I am at that point where I have to decide what the heck I'm gonna do with my life, and honestly? Music seems to be the way to go. I play a few instruments, I sing (though I am completely self taught in that regard) and I really enjoy it. It seems that my plan will be to go to community college and transfer to a 4 year (the options that I have are of various price ranges and I will be touring them over the summer and consulting their counselors as well as my school counselor when the new school year starts). Here's hoping the best for my future in this crazy world!
I never seen more informative and realistic video thans this, ans I also needed this advice more than ever! Thanks
While I majored in music, getting a solid job has been quite an experience. While most musical things I could do without a degree, it may not have been as easy if I didn't go to music school! Music is quite the experience, and I do my best to have balance, like creating my compositions and then creating a TH-cam channel! Building up both can help me prevent burnout, and I would not do either as well if I didn't major in music.
Doing music school with intent is the only way to do it. No one should go to music school without extreme intent to become better and to make the most out of every opportunity.
Dude, that’s golden advice. I’ve always been trying to find my place in life and been discouraged to take a risk, but lately, being unhappy and all, I’ve come to the realization I need to take risks because otherwise I’ll never know what it could have been. But I’ll keep in mind whatever I try to do there’s a chance it won’t succeed-but everything in life is like that, anyway
I just watched every hufo looking for this answer. They were great and all, but that was a lot of listening. So glad you gave this a full video. Thank you 🙏
gotta love the notifications, always on time to watch the best music-discussion TH-cam channel
Appreciate ya!
Youre becoming one of my favorite youtube guitar teachers. Congrats on being successful doing what you love. I think if i had the desire to learn guitar 10 years ago that i have now i maybe would have gotten my bachelors in music rather than sciences.
So what would you say is being mature enough to go to a music college? What did you experiece during those three years between high school and college that made you ready?
I worked at a music store for a while, so seeing oodles of talented people who didn't really amount to much put in my head the need to think about the business. I traveled Australia for 6 months, did a lot of growing up in that time and it solidified in my head that music was the only career path I wanted to go down. I got a fair bit of partying out of my way, so when I went to college I didn't feel the need to let loose too often. I also spent a lot of time practicing and honing my chops over those 3 years
I signed up for AP music theory, dropped that shit so fast two weeks in. It was insanely hard and so fast paced
Good music has heart, not insane piano skills.
I believe if going teach music then college it the way to go.
Love your approach👌🏼
I needed this video, thanks man
I am going to a music school, so I really appreciate this video ❤
I hope you enjoy the journey, school can be a really wonderful time!
Man, I've been putting off college since I'm not sure what I should study. The music industry has so many fields that one can excel in that I just get lost when looking at courses. I can play pretty well but I can understand a lick of theory. I don't know what I should I do but I know it's gotta do with music, mate. Thanks alot :)
Thank you for the comment about not hearing about the bar tender playing for tips. It's hard work.
My question is: should you go to Music production school? I bet that would be more useful
I like these idea, music production is king nowadays
Thank you. I found this informative.
Very good advice. :)
The answer! If you want
What are your opinions on moving to a new city in order to pursue music? I too am a canadian, just out of high school, but am stuck in Saskatchewan. There is a small community of musicians here but there is nowhere near the musical diversity and oppurtunity that a bigger city would have. Any suggestions?
How are you doing now buddy? Im also a kid whos from saskatchewan who also wants to pursue music. But I was also thinking of moving to a new place after highschool because saskatchewan dont really have a lot of options. Do you have any suggestions for me if I should just stay in saskatchewan or move to a new city?
Holy shit! Saskatchewan party in here! I’m a guy from saskatoon, Saskatchewan. I think it really depends on what you want to do. If you want to start TH-cam channel, then you don’t really need to move to a music city, but if you want to be a session musician, or a audio tech, then I might lean towards moving to a music city.
With that being said, my dad was born and raised in a small town here in Saskatchewan, and he was in a couple of bands who got a bit of national airtime. He also was an self taught audio tech who did pretty good for himself. This was in the 1980’s, and later the 1990’s, so you couldn’t look up videos on TH-cam how to do things.
Samurai Guitarist is from Winnipeg, a music city, but, according to him, it still wasn’t big enough to get well known playing music.
Keep in mind, moving to a music city has its own problems. It’s more expensive, and harder to find serious music jobs.
Thank you so much for sharing brother
Couldn't agree more!
💯 True !
I was going to music school for a while. I quit because all but one of the classes I took (as well as almost all the other classes, according to several of my classmates) where focused almost entirely on jazz and how what they were teaching applied to it. I hated the elitism. They acted as though no other styles of music exist. This attitude drove my to saw scew my degree. I am a fan of several styles of music, even some forms of jazz, but I can't stand snobs acting like their tastes are the only ones that matter.
Typical 'jazz people'. I feel you.
I've been thiking about going to a music school for some weeks. Thanks for the advices!
In all honesty, I think it's ridiculous to pay so much for that degree. On top of that, knowing that a big chunk of my money didn't go to the real professors who deserved it, really ticks me off. But, If I had NOT gone to study music in college, I would've probably got stuck with my original plan of being only a singer. Then probably be miserable in another job that wasn't music related. If didn't go to college, I wouldn't have found a new love for piano and learned it quickly enough from some of the best Piano and Jazz Piano professors. On top of that, my voice teacher and coaches took my voice and music to another level that I thought I would never achieve. I did come across some really bogus professors, classmates and people that prepared me a bit in the real world. During my journey of learning from some of the most brilliant minds of music, I found a new love and for teaching music. What's really cool, is that you get to sit in some of the most bad ass masterclasses from top notch musicians all over the world. I had front row seats for Victor Wooten's Masterclass in 2012 for free and front row seats for his concert that same night for 20 bucks a ticket. There was a lot of BS and money you go through as a musician and that amplifies if you study it in college for some people (it did for me). Honesty, it was worth it. Learning from some of the most amazing musicians on Earth, experiencing the magic of music and meeting people that are my closest friends today is priceless. I wouldn't trade that for the world. Check out my channel, you'll see a bit of my musical journey with some of my performances. I'm really proud of my piano part of my latest video and I still have crap ton learn.
Hey!!! I think im going through a similar experience, I wanted to be a singer but piano also got in my way!
Thank you for this video
I wanna go get a performance degree for my sax and I'm not excited about the degree I'm just excited for the experience! :)
@samuriguitarist what is your opinion on minoring in music?
This is basically what I need right nowxD
"Everything Can not revolve around music"
I mean, it's worked for 17 years
Great Video...What advice would you have for someone who started playing guitar later in his 20s? How long had you been playing before you were at the level needed to be accepted into a conservatory like yours? Keep up the good work!
Your vids really inspire me a lot, I went to Humber for guitar too but dropped out after 2 years.
I Never Recorded My 'lil Wayne Challenge Entry.
Even Though It Might Be Over I'll Make Time This Week.
I Came Up With Ten To Fifteen Melodies, Using Only Notes "A" And "B".
The prize has already been shipped out, but I still encourage you to do the exercise!
I’m in school for music, not in music school, but everything else is draining(GE’s). And I feel like I’m not doing what I want to do, I’m being classically trained hard, which I appreciate, but I am not trying to be a Mozart. Or in Theory we are learning prime forms etc. I’m 3 years in, and striving for that 4 year plan is hard to hold on to. I feel like I am lacking in what I want to do, because of doing so many things I am expected to do. If that makes sense. I want to do music, I’m just unsure if I need school or should continue still.
Your video is having me contemplate while on the road to the degree. It’s just wondering if it’s worth a degree. I do agree it is a definite experience to be trained by professionals or to be around young musicians as well. And so I realize I don’t want this school routine, but I also don’t want to regret it.
My favourite music man on TH-cam.
Never clicked on a video so fast!
7 years and just returning in 2024 as a music major finished my first semester
Thx great video
THANK U for this vid I'm studying music in PR and I feel just like u like techniques you learn that but the papers and notes doesn't define you
thanks man
This is just good advice for people considering going to college.
It's more of a yes or no than a research question. In all seriousness though, great advice here
I have won some awards for doing film music, but I switched majors because I was told that only 3% of composition majors actually use their degree haha
So i switching to something realistic, ... and now i make music for a major part of my job, I still have a day job, but I could probably live without it
Balance, Thats some amazing advice there my friend, great vid
Sounds like you figured it out, big ups my man!
When will you do a QnA, Sensei? I would die if you replied!! 😇
Well, then I sure hope he doesn't reply!
Swing by next time I do a live stream! RIP
Murderer.
samuraiguitarist OMFG. He replied. My life's purpose is complete.
I agree with a lot of this video, Steve. I just graduated with a Bachelor's in Music Technology last month from one of the top music schools in the US.
I personally think music school was the right choice for me. For one, I learned insane amounts of theory and aural skills. Since I was a recording major, I had access to top shelf gear that I will probably never see again in my lifetime (SSL consoles, outboard 1176s, Avalon Preamps). I also learned a ton of music history which is something I am really interested in.
You're also right about being completely burned out. I've taken a few gigs here and there since I've graduated, but I want to spend the next month or so only playing when I want to. My last two years of music school were spent in a jazz coma, and I'm burned out. Especially after two recitals and constant ensemble performances, you get burned out on constantly performing.
I love you
Make the most of a college experience.
should i go to college or no
Im here because me and my dad had a whole argument this morning about this topic. Hes aware of how passionate i am about music so he wants me to go to music school. I had to disagree wit him. And i NEVER disagree with my dad about anything.
wait your parents are you to go to music school?
I have no idea if I should go I’m pretty sure I can become successful on my own but at the same time I can’t make any connection’s in my home town
I’m a metalhead and i love rock/metal music but i don’t know is music school full of classical/jazz heads. I really wanna know.
What was the name of your college??
Also what degree did you pursue??
All I could concentrate on were your eyebrows haha. I'm going to watch your video again. But seriously I love your content
Right now I'm majoring in digital media production and learning music composition/production in my free time because I want to produce music for films, commercials or any type of media. Two years into my degree and I've worked with some local film directors and in the development of a video game as a musician, and I never feel as happy as when I'm producing music, but I don't know if my degree will become a problem in the future, what do you guys think?
A problem in what sense? I see your comment is from 4 years ago. How have things gone?
What would you suggest? A 3 year music degree or an 8 grade course from Trinity, Rockschool or ABRSM in the same field? P. S. I don't care about the degree. The skill and the knowledge is what I'm here for.
Thanks.
Thank you man! This helped a lot!
what if i want to be a music teacher? i always see my teachers have fun everyday at school.i do enjoy music and learning it.
That’s my dream to go to music school. But I can’t handle 2 schools at knce
I go to music highschool. Best thing ever.
Been gigging 20 yrs
blessed
Never went to music school
but dont get me wrong
wish i studied
Thx 4 video
I go to music school❤️❤️❤️
Hey Steve. I want to go to music school and get my bachelors of education so I can teach music in schools/university. Here's my problem. I live in Nova Scotia, and while there are universities here with fantastic music programs, I feel like I won't come out with a very good social network because the cities in NS are nowhere nearly as big as Toronto for example. Would it be worth the extra $50,000 in student debt to go stay in residence in Toronto, or can I just build a network after university if I move to a larger city? Thanks man
Ultimately you will need to make that decision for yourself. Where do you want to teach? Are there jobs in NS? Do you want to teach high school? Junior school? So many other questions you should ask yourself. There's no doubt you will make way more connections in a place like Toronto, but will those get you to your goals? And is it worth the money?
There are very rarely right or wrong answers, you gotta figure out which is the most right.
Just realized that you replied, thank you very much for the advice man. I'm going to schedule some appointments at a few universities around here to talk to their student services and see what they have to offer, and compare it to options in Toronto and Montreal. Thanks again man, keep being awesome :D
i like your shirt
have some question for you here, I am senior now, my plan is to finish the college that I'm intended to go in then after that I get to work at the same to I re apply to a music school for a few years then drop out is that a good idea.
Is school only for technical wizards? I'm a real jack of all trades master of none in music. I do a lot of writing and jamming on four instruments and am pretty intermediate at all of them.
Would you have the same advice for people looking to major in Music Technology?
Yes I most definitely would.
I've been researching this subject, most people say the best is to start learning by yourself, but I feel your pain, it would be tough as balls to learn everything alone. From my perspective the best schools around the globe are insanely expensive. So I don't know, I'm from Brazil and we don't have this kind of thing around here, I'm coming to the conclusion of making eletrical or some programming engineering to hopefully connect the dots in the future. Just thought I'd leave some insight here, would love to hear any opinions also
Music degrees are strange things. Most people who graduate with a degree sound no better than anyone else. Listen to MAtt Warnock. His music sounds like paint drying, but somehow he gets published in magazines.
As a musician i am a vocalist and i am learning guitar too from online videos and i am improving too.
But i am in delima should i go music school from learning guitar or i can be more beneficial from online videos ?
I think practical teaching is better
Of course you should
i want to make it with music in my life but my mum is aprehensive as she thinks you cant get money out of it
hello
What music school did you attend?
where did you go to school?
Did any go to music college as a beginner in your instrument
He’s stated on his other videos that it was hard for him to get into music school at 21, after playing guitar since 14. If you’re a beginner, it might be more worth prioritizing honing your skills before you go. You might also find a different career path in music than interests you more in that time
Is getting a music degree necessary if you just want to be a guitar teacher?
Wow! First time I actually open a TH-cam video with 0 dislikes!
(Well, at least so far, but I hope it stays that way!)
Where did you studied music???
Humber College in Toronto Ontario
samuraiguitarist thanks! What is your experience??? Im thinking of studying music abroad, should I consider Humber???