Is Grad School Worth it for Musicians? – My Thoughts Right Now

It’s hard to manage the giant pro and con list when deciding if grad school is worth it for musicians. It depends on what you want to do after school, how you want to get there, and so many other variables.

This is not going to be a polished post full of advice. I wish it was, and I’ve been planning one! This started as me just setting up my camera and talking about my current thoughts on my situation.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

It’s only been 6 months since I graduated with my Master of Music degree, so I’ve hardly lived any life. I know it takes time for a music career to get started, and right now, I’m happy with the progress I’m making expanding my studio and my online content.

But… was the price tag of grad school “worth it” for where I am now, where I see myself in a year or so, and where I hope to be? …I really don’t know.

The Cost

I had to take out more student loans for grad school, and while I received a graduate assistantship, I only made $2,000 a year from it. (Which didn’t come close to covering my rent and other living expenses.)

I’ve heard from others in different fields that you shouldn’t go to grad school unless it’s being paid for in full. I think that’s also a good stance for musicians to have.

We see “pay to play” opportunities all over the classical music world, from school, to summer festivals, to other concerts… We often have to pay to gain experience. I’m not sure if what I paid (*will pay, and with interest) was worth the two years of education I received.

Why am I talking about this?

I don’t usually just come on the internet and rant and complain. (I do that to my friends in real life:)) It makes me incredibly self conscious to put my opinion out on the internet.

During my undergraduate degree, especially around my junior and senior years, I couldn’t see a concrete path for myself outside of furthering my education. Going straight to a masters degree was the only thing I thought I could really do, because it was the only concrete path ahead. So, of course I went down that road.

But looking back, I feel that now, in 2022, I’m in a very similar position to the one I’d be in in 2019 right after graduating with my Bachelor of Music degree. (But with more life experience and a pandemic under my belt.)

I’m talking about my experience and my opinions because I want others who are in the position I was in to see what it’s like (at least for me) on the other side. In the US, getting a degree is expensive in most scenarios. It’s hard for musicians to get their feet on the ground to begin with, and adding on more and more debt is just so scary to me, and it seems counter-productive.

My grad school experience

You should probably know a bit about my experience at school to understand why I feel the way I do.

I applied to seven schools (very expensive when you add up all the application fees!!), sent in numerous pre screening videos, auditioned in person at three schools and sent in a video to one, and got accepted to two schools. I chose the one school Harry (my partner) and I were both accepted to and I had auditioned at in person. We thought it was nice, and could see ourselves going there.

When we returned to the area that summer to look at apartments, I immediately felt that I wasn’t in the right place. I was so anxious (I attributed this at the time to the high rent prices), and just unhappy. When orientation started right before the semester, I was equally unimpressed with the school, the teachers, and just… everything. It really wasn’t my place.

I felt out of place and like I was wasting money through my time in person, and then when the pandemic started in 2020, I went online and stayed online until I graduated in 2021, living with my family. This was a much better arrangement for me.

So to make a long story short, I didn’t have the best grad school experience.

My classes

The biggest expense our tuition covers (at least I hope…) is classes, so let’s talk about what classes I took to get my Master of Music degree.

The most helpful courses I took were a two-part pedagogy class, a music career class, and a course about communicating with audiences. That boils down to one class a semester that I feel really influence my career.

My ambition has been to be a private music teacher, not a full time performer, orchestral player, or academic-whatever.

That being said, my private lessons, orchestra, and chamber music experiences were all worthwhile. (But do those experience justify the price tag?)

Most of my other classes felt like “filler” music theory and history courses. I had to do a lot of reviewing of concepts I’d already learned in undergrad, researching, and writing academic papers. (Yes, I do love writing, but not academia!)

I felt like it was more what I’d expect from an undergraduate program–it didn’t feel all that focused. Instead, looking back, it felt more like a gateway from undergrad straight to DMA, which is not my path, and never was my intended path.

Life experience

Since covid began, I’ve spent a lot of time building a wonderful network of classical musicians on Instagram. There are so many brilliant musicians there who teach others the things we should’ve learned in music school. I’ve taken a few of their online courses, and I’ve found them to be so much more valuable than the thousands of dollars I took out in loans for two years of grad school.

I’ve learned real, tangible ways to get my career started and make money as a musician. That wasn’t talked about all that much at school (except in the music career class), and it directly furthers my career.

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All this to say, it’s only been six months since I graduated, and I still don’t know if grad school is worth it for musicians. It’s hard to weigh the pros and cons, and honestly, right now, it feels like the biggest thing I did by going to grad school was just delay the start of my adult life by two years.

I’m sorry this wasn’t a beautiful post with great words of wisdom and tangible tips, but I think it’s important to share our experiences with others, whether they’re positive or negative.

If you’ve had a different experience, or if you have any questions, please leave a comment down below. I’d love to hear your thoughts! I’m also always happy to have a conversation if you have any personal questions. Feel free to DM me on Instagram @lifefromtheviolasection.