Healthy belting is an extension of speech, so as voice students, if you do not have a strong, clear sound when you are speaking, particularly in your lower notes, you may not have a natural capacity to belt.
Stand Up for Music in the Schools Now!
Take every chance you get to stand up for music in the schools. Send an email, sign an online petition, write a letter, or speak out at a school board meeting when you hear that music programs are on the chopping block. And not just in your own neighborhood.
Meeting the Challenges of Music Theory
Music theory is probably the most daunting and challenging class freshmen music majors face. Meeting the challenges is easiest for students who’ve taken AP Music Theory or who’ve had strong music theory training in summer music programs or with private teachers.
What If You’re Not a Musical Prodigy?
Some students (and parents) assume that if you're not a musical prodigy, you should major in something other than music. Nothing can be farther from the truth! In fact, there are actually benefits to not being a prodigy, so long as you're someone who feels compelled to pursue music.
Music as an Employable Major
So, is music really an employable major? These days, every major in music seems to require some kind of business and communications savvy: the ability to fundraise; the ability to use social media and stay on top of its rapid-fire changes; the ability to promote yourself and your ideas; the ability to communicate well with a broad range of people, from business owners and funders to audiences, parents, students and fellow musicians (depending on your area of emphasis); the ability to keep your books and pay your taxes if you are self-employed; the ability to advocate for your particular emphasis in music. Sometimes these skills are associated with the label "entrepreneurship." But regardless of what you call them and regardless of what aspect of music you major in, you will need them to be viable in your field in the 21st century.
Response to a Worried Parent of a Music Major
A worried parent of a music major confided in me that the four years her daughter had spent as a music major might have been put to better use. The daughter, who had joined the Peace Corps after graduation, discovered an interest in public health, and wanted to pursue a master’s degree in that field.