Musicians with ADHD see and experience the world through a different lens. This article provides a solid understanding of ADHD as it relates to music students.
Apply Early Decision (ED) or Early Action (EA) for Music?
Not all schools offer the option to apply Early Decision (ED) or Early Action (EA) for music. But for those that do, it's vitally important to research ED and EA before applying.
Options for Continuing Music after High School
Are you considering majoring, double majoring, or minoring in music, or do you simply want to find other ways for music to play an important part in your life?
Tips for Letters of Recommendation
Your letters of recommendation are key to building a great music school application. Who are the right people to reach out to?
How to Make Virtual College Fairs Work for You
As a music student, how can you make virtual college fairs work for you?
Benefits of Playing in a Youth Orchestra
Playing music in a youth orchestra offers a host of opportunities, from performing to meeting peers who are equally as passionate about music, to preparing for auditions.
Academics for Prospective Music Majors
Prospective music majors frequently ask how important test scores, GPAs and academics in general are for getting into music school.
Scholarships for Music Majors
A compilation of scholarships across diverse music disciplines, this list is updated with new opportunities and new deadlines on a regular basis.
Discomfort and the Serious Music Student
How does a serious music student relate to constructive feedback and the discomfort that often accompanies it?
Good News about Going to College for a Music Degree
There's good news about going to college for a music degree. A national survey found most graduates are likely to find jobs after graduation and use their education and training in their occupation.
A Boarding Arts High School for Music?
Should you consider attending a boarding arts high school for music? If you don’t have a strong music program at your high school or access to an arts high school in your hometown...
6 Tips for Parents of Auditioning Students
Is your child auditioning for a spot in a music school? Here are 6 tips to support them AND you.
Your Child Wants to Major in Music: What Do You Say?
For many parents, myself included, it’s one thing to hear your middle-school-aged child say he or she wants to major in music in college –– and a whole different ballgame when they talk about it as a junior or senior in high school.
Ranking Music Schools
Ranking music schools is a disservice to students who must do the important personal exploration necessary for finding the right fit school to call "home" for the next few years.
3 Tips for Parents of Music Students Who Weren’t Accepted
Parents of music students who weren't accepted by their schools of choice have been contacting us. Most have needed an objective ear to listen to their stories and help them overcome their own sense of sadness and even loss around this. Others needed to vent their feelings about their offspring not getting what they wanted and felt they deserved.
Anxious Parents of Prospective Music Majors – What You Should Know
As anxious parents of prospective music majors in their senior year of high school, we wonder whether our children are proficient enough on their instruments or not, and we tend to worry about how our children will fare in the college decision process.
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.
Transferable Music Skills — You Can Take Them with You
Even if you end up deciding not to pursue a career in music, the transferable music skills you’ll gain as a music major will provide you with the background necessary to enter many other fields as well as graduate programs: