Look at different community colleges in locations you are interested in to see what they offer, the faculty who teach there, the cost of attendance, and any requirements for applying. Once you have narrowed your research down to a few schools, if you still have questions about them, contact the office of admissions at each of those schools.

Thank you for these excellent points!

I head a music program at a community college and often the students who start with us as music majors have simply not had the breadth of experience that their peers heading to 4 year programs have had. Maybe they came from a high school that didn’t offer substantial music theory, aural skills, or ensemble training. Perhaps they were in the school choir or band, but have never taken private applied lessons. Or, perhaps they just decided late in the game that music was the route and are just beginning that journey! In any event, the reality of choosing to major in music is that the work starts WELL before you EVEN CONSIDER applying or auditioning for colleges and conservatories. If you haven’t been studying privately with a teacher on your primary instrument as well as piano (assuming piano is not your primary instrument) for several years, than you are already behind! That’s not to say you should quit, but rather to highlight the fact that you need remediation and to log some time and significant work making up that deficit. Music majors will need to log significant practice time and continual training with a skilled applied teacher throughout every degree program they pursue, and beyond. Period. Every collegiate program with a music major likely has a 4 year (or 2 year in the case of CC) requirement for lessons and ensembles. I would be suspicious if they didn’t. Professional musicians continue to study with teachers and coaches well after completing degrees, why would anyone ever consider stopping their musical development before they even finished school!? The reality is if you intend to do this as a career (and do it well) you will never stop studying with a teacher and developing your instrument. Absolutely, look at matriculation and maximize the transfer benefits provided by partner schools wherever possible, but remember that you gain more from studying at a good CC music program than credits on a transcript. Gaining skills and experience, developing musicianship, cultivating a repertoire list, etc. are all going to serve you just as much, if not more, as a future musician than playing the credit collection game and looking a transfer with blinders on. I take serious exception to the bullet point in #4 about “squandering money” if the credits don’t transfer. Investing in your musical development is NEVER money wasted. Even if it never shows up on paper, it will show up in your performance. You’re gaining more than credits studying with a good applied teacher. If you’re not, there’s a problem.

We urge students to check with the community college they plan to attend to see if they have articulation agreements with any 4-year schools. If they do, the classes should transfer. But it’s still worth asking about. We also urge students to talk with the admission offices at 4-year schools they’re considering transferring to, in order to see what classes they should take at community college so that they don’t end up in the position you describe.

So just a hard lesson learned story. if there is any chance you might want to get a Bachelors degree in music. make sure you start lessons at a university as soon as possible or else your plan of saving money at community college may cost you an extra 2 years of school.

You will probably only audition once you matriculate at the CC, to figure out which level of instruction you’re ready for. Should you decide to transfer to a 4-yr. school, it’s likely that you WILL need to audition. Hope this helps.

So glad to hear the article helped you! Best wishes.

I also want to emphasize that for many students, the terminal degree (AS) offered by my institution and others around the country is sufficient to work in the industry. For those interested in the fields of Music business/production, an AS from a comprehensive program is a good starting point in the development of a career.

You sound like a guy with eyes open, good questions, and a clear career goal. Starting out at a community college with a good music program, if done strategically in the way this article talks about, can be a very useful way to begin the process of furthering your education and training in music. It’s a really good idea to communicate with the community college you plan to attend, to find out which schools it has articulation agreements with. This is very important in terms of transferring credits (see the article for explanation). It’s also a good idea to talk with the 4-year schools you might transfer to, to find out what classes you should take on the community college level. Also important: check the 4-year schools’ websites to find out about audition requirements, and ask the admission offices any specific questions about those requirements. Also check out this article: Scoring for Film and TV or Video Games – 5 Ground Rules.

I’ve performed choral music for 6 years and gained a lot of knowledge along the way. I’m wanting to major in Music Composition and down the line I want to become a Video Game Composer, combining two of my biggest passions into a career.

I’m beginning to worry as I hear community colleges don’t offer good music programs and those who transfer often spend a lot of time and spend more money catching up. I’d love to go straight to a music program at a university or a music school but my only problem is the lack of money. I suppose I could get a bunch of loans or something and try to rush into a 4 year university but I don’t want that to backfire.

So ultimately I’m feeling conflicted. I’ve been picking up the piano again and plan on self-teaching myself using the internet and going deeper into music theory. Otherwise, do you think it’s ultimately to go to a 4 year university for music majors? Is transferring from a community college really as risky or bad as others make it out to be?

Thank you sooo much!

Andy Krikun, who contributed to this article, is chair of the music department at Bergen Community College. You might start by contacting him (let him know we referred you) since Bergen CC is in the state where you are living and they have a strong music program.

We don’t know what kind of background you are bringing with you into the study of music business, nor do we know what you’d like to do with what you learn. So our comments are very general. Note that some schools don’t offer a “Music Business” track but you can take courses in the business schools. Some schools also offer an Entrepreneurship track (check CU Boulder College of Music’s Entrepreneurship Certificate program right here on MajoringInMusic.com).

There are a number of 4-year schools that offer programs labeled “Music Business” – one that you can check out right here on MajoringInMusic.com is UC Denver’s MEIS program. Berklee, Belmont’s Mike Curb College, and NYU also have programs you might check.

Seeing that you are considering a 2-year program, a good starting place for that is McNally Smith College of Music’s Associate’s degree in music business. They’re listed on MajoringInMusic.com.

Some of the community colleges also offer music business classes in their 2-year programs; check out Cuyahoga CC and Bergen Community College (which offers an Associate’s degree in music business).

Thanks in advance for your help.

Sincere regards,

Chris Iorio