Tips to Successfully Becoming a Music Major

For all of my fellow musicians out there, have you attempted at getting into music school at a University? Well, here’s a piece of advice for you, be prepared! Getting accepted into a University is one thing, but getting accepted into the music school within the University is another thing! I may not be the most knowledgeable person, but I know firsthand everything that one needs to know before going into that audition! Depending on the University you choose, the audition process could vary, but to be safe I will cover all you should have prepared for your audition.

                First off, contact your university, it could be helpful to reassure that they do in fact have a music department. Once you have that reassurance you are ready to begin the process! Begin preparing songs you want to perform, as a potential music major you will need to refresh your repertoire. In a meeting I attended hosted by a Vocal Professor from a University in Tyler, I learned that students auditioning needed to have multiple songs prepared and they need to be in specific languages like: German, Italian, Latin, and English (could vary depending on the school). For a private university, your audition may not be as extensive. For Lee College I didn’t have an audition to get into the music department, they welcome musicians with open arms, which is always encouraging for new or old musicians. I recommend keeping in contact with counselors at your desired university, they may not always be the friendliest people, but they have the knowledge that you need!

                Second, be able to read at least some music. I had an audition as Dallas Baptist University a year ago before deciding to come to Lee College, and it was an eye-opening experience. I was in band for seven years so I knew how to read music, but doing it on the spot, and having to sing it is a completely different ball game! Knowing and understanding solfège (a music education method used to teach pitch and sight singing) can be very impressive to the judges you are auditioning for. That was one area where I was lacking, you typically learn solfège in choir, and I was a band geek through high school. In the audition, the judges will show you a short piece of music and then give you a few seconds to look at it, then they will give you the beginning note and they will expect you to sight-read the music. This concept may be foreign to you, but I recommend you prepare yourself for this part. It may or may not break you, but it could help your audition run a lot smoother and you will look a lot more prepared.

                The last thing on your to-do list would be to know yourself. If you are a procrastinator, stop it! This audition could forever alter your life, if you make it you will go on to potentially achieve great things, but if you don’t you could lose your passion, your motivation. The thing to remember is that an audition doesn’t define you, if somebody doesn’t like your ability, someone along the road will. Don’t give up just because one person says no.

                Becoming a music major has its challenges, but becoming anything in life has its challenges, so get ready, your journey is about to begin! I hope that these tips help you in your future auditions! Best of Luck!

The Complexity of Music

Have you ever really dissected music? If so, you have been introduced to how complex music truly is, if not, what are you waiting for? I never really dissected music until my freshman year of college, and it has forever changed the way I see, hear, and listen to music! Music is so intricate and people underappreciate the thought and emotion that goes into music. If all you do is listen to music, you’re not doing enough! You need to sit down, look at sheet music or the chords and truly try to understand what all is involved in music. You will be surprised. When you first glance at music, you see lines and spaces with oddly shaped circles with stems attached, it doesn’t look like a whole lot, but when composers pair these “circles” with thoughts and a destination, the music comes to life! Music is full of intervals, which are used to create chords, these chords then are able to be combined with other chords that fit within a certain scale, and this scale is then used to create music. Now, you must know that it’s not that easy!

Before dissecting what intervals and chords are, you have to understand where scales come from. Scales come from a formula from the piano, so starting from whichever pitch you desire you would move in a various pattern between whole steps and half steps. The specific formula to create a major scale is: whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step. Then if you wanted to make a natural minor scale, you would lower the third scale degree, the sixth scale degree, and then the seventh scale degree. There are more than just one type of minor scale, but this is one of the most well-known.

Now that you basically understand where scales are derived from, we can now take a look and intervals and chords and how closely they depend on each other. You have various intervals: major or minor seconds, thirds, sixths, and sevenths, and perfect fourths, fifths, and octaves. These intervals may be consonant or dissonant, both of which create texture to a piece of music. Not everybody likes a dissonant texture because it’s full of clashing intervals, and it’s not as “pretty” as a consonant piece of music, but the more you know about music, the prettier these clashes become. These intervals are put together to create chords, you can have various chords as well: major, minor, major-minor (dominant), augmented, or diminished. These chords work the same way as intervals, they may be either consonant or dissonant. These chords fit into the scale, various scales have a formula to them. For example, the major scale consists of these chords: major one, minor two, minor three, major four, major fifth, minor sixth, and diminished seventh. These chords are used to create the music you listen to every day, and the more you become aware of these formulas, the more you will enjoy your music!

Music is not at all what it seems, it is complex, and one may never truly know everything about music, but we can sure try, right? Don’t underestimate your music, gain everything out of it that you can!

The Competitiveness of the Music Business

Why is the music business so competitive? Well simply put, if every “singer” had their fifteen minutes of fame, there would be no significance to music, people would no longer fight to be a successful musician. Being a musician myself, it saddens me that is it seems impossible to get your name out there, but with proper networking, anything can happen! To best ensure your future as a musician, you should know a couple of attributes that embody a successful musician.

                The first important attribute is dedication. This attribute can take you anywhere in life, but pertaining to the music business, it can make or break you. When you say you’re going to do something, go all in! You can’t expect to get all out, if you don’t go all in. Makes sense right? I think so! When recording studios see how dedicated you are to the business it can alter their opinion of you, so don’t waste an opportunity.

                The next attribute is passion. Passion is what drives your decisions in life, it drives who you are, and what you stand for. When you have a passion for music, you pretty much all you need (minus some of the obvious necessities of life). The passion to sing and play is what has driven me to my choice to become a worship leader. I made the decision to embrace my passion and to never let it slip away, so I wish the same for you, because when you follow your passions, anything is possible.

                The last important attribute to becoming a successful musician is patience. Success in this business can take years, and it probably won’t happen as fast as you want. When you look at the numbers of people fighting for their time in the spotlight, you understand why it takes so long! These recording studios have tons of people to go through before they decide on who to sign, but if you really want it, you will wait patiently. Patience is hard, I completely understand that, but to become a successful musician, it’s so worth it!

                  Recording studios are so choosy, and only because they want there to always be significance in music, they want only the best to represent their label. So once you get your name out there in this world, show your dedication, reveal your true passion, and embrace your inner patience. Don’t give up, your dreams could be right around the corner!