Why music majors don't get enough credit:
When I asked non-music majors what they thought of music kids, the comments were almost always the same: "Music kids are weird", "They're so lazy that all they want to do is sit around and play music all day", "Honestly, they just need to get real majors". Fun Fact: music majors are actually probably the busiest students on campus!
Our home isn't defined by which dorm or hall we stay in but by the Fine Arts Building, otherwise known as the FAB. If we aren't in classes like math or English (which is hardly ever!), we can be found in either a practice room, the lounge, a classroom, or the concert hall. Certain lessons are engraved into our minds: "You need at LEAST ten hours of practice a week, and no, your lessons don't count into that", "If you're early, you're on time. If you're on time, you're late. If you're late, you're screwed", "Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!", and in the chance that you also attend Campbell, if you're screwed, bring Dr. Wilson his favorite coffee The Dog House!
As music majors, we have certain requirements, such as: performing at least one informal a semester, ushering twice a semester, being in at least one ensemble group (this could be anything from University Choir to Jazz Band, vocal or instrumental concentration depending), and Juries. If you're a music major, just the mention of Juries could make you have a 2007 Britney Spears breakdown moment. For vocal majors (such as myself), you get at LEAST four songs prepared and at least two of them will be in a foreign language. Instrumental majors (band, piano, etc.), you learn one or two pieces of music and you perform scales. If this doesn't already sound terrifying, let's throw in the fact that you'll have anywhere from 4-10 people in the room watching you. Oh, and did I mention that it's a huge portion of your grade?
Were you hoping for a social life this semester? Think again. On average, we're in the FAB at least seven hours a day, 40 hours a week. That doesn't include coming to the mandated 15 performances a semester, working on staff in the FAB for a faculty member, and getting called out of class for performances for people such as trustees, faculty members, Connections, or possible future students. The work we do in just one week adds up to that of a full-time job. It also adds up to the same amount of work that a law or pharmacy student does.
Don't get me wrong, I love my major! We literally beg for letters so that we can stay in the building after hours. In this building, we're a family. I can name almost 10 people of the top of my head that I call "mom." I even have a Fairy Squad Mother! It wasn't until this semester that I even fully realized why I got into Music Education, but it's because I love it. Somewhere between the hours of rehearsal with the crazy kids I call my friends (or the seniors about to graduate, rather), sleeping in a practice room (trust me, it's not as fun and comfy as it sounds), stressing out about Music Theory homework (seriously, just do it), and undergoing my first jury (let me tell you, it was not an easy task!), I realized that music kids honestly have the most fun. We're the ones that debate what composers are better, the ones that hit the whip during rehearsals, the ones that have a drive and passion for what we do, and we're the ones that will change the world.
