It’s Okay to Be a Performance Major

There’s a big debate in the music school community as to whether or not students who want to pursue a career in performance should get their undergraduate degree in music education. The people in favor of students doing this will say that you need a backup plan that actually allows a student to teach in case they don’t win a performing job. The other side of the argument is that if a student actually wants to pursue a performance career, they shouldn’t be forced to be in a degree they don’t actually want to be in. There are certainly other talking points to each side but in my experience, these are the two most said reasons.

When I was in my undergraduate degree, I started as an education major because I thought I wanted to be a band director. As my degree went on I soon realized that I didn’t actually want to be a band director and that I wanted to pursue a career in performance. I was lucky in that my private teacher, and the education faculty, were fully in support of my choice to switch to the performance degree. But other teachers during my time weren’t so supportive and many students were heavily influenced to stay in the education track. To me, this is wrong.

In my personal opinion, one should not be shamed into being an education major just because it’s the “safe” option or because there is a job market for when you leave your undergraduate. If a student is passionate and determined enough to pursue a performance degree then they shouldn’t have to be bogged down with the rigors of an education degree. An education degree is incredibly difficult with the amount of classes and then student teaching, it’s very demanding. From my own personal experience I was so happy that I didn’t have to student teach and complete an EdTPA and that I could focus solely on my real future endeavors including going to a prestigious graduate school.

Still to this day I do not regret my decision. I am very passionate about music but I don’t want to be a band director. That profession should not be the only option for students who love music because it’s not for everyone. Being a music teacher requires passion for that job or else those children will be the ones to suffer those consequences. If being a band director is not what you want to do, then don’t do it, and you’ll be able to focus on your real goals as a music student.

-Josh Bishop