Let me just start this off by saying that I respect all majors, and I acknowledge that they are all necessary for creating a diverse society. I am not trying to give music majors more credit than anyone else; nor am I trying to insinuate that music majors have the most work. I'm simply speaking my own opinion from what I've learned already.

Recently, I've been taking more music classes because I plan on minoring in music. How did I come to this conclusion, though? Well, believe it or not, I had intentions of majoring in music when I initially entered college. Unfortunately, I was undecided on declaring the major at that point, and I would've been behind already. Instead, I declared a different major that I had an interest in, and one that would still bring me joy.

The reason that I'm telling you this is because I realized in the process of deciding if I wanted to major in music or not, that there were a lot of classes that I would've had to take; and classes that didn't offer many credits. For example, I would have to take ear training and sight-reading courses that were only 1 credit each for the same amount of time as a regular 3-credit class. My point is that music majors spend just as much time as other majors in their classes, and on their work outside of class, but they get gypped on credits. It's like, they're practicing all the time and not getting any payback for it. However, that's not the only catch.

While I was showing interest in being a music major, my advisor told me all of the required classes that I would have to take. I was told that it's "a larger major," meaning that it's a higher credit total for a degree than some other majors. So not only are music students taking classes with fewer credits than usual, they're taking more classes to meet the total amount of credits that they need to get their degree! That's some dedication.

Aside from the academic aspect of the major, I've also realized that the classes themselves are quite tedious, work-wise. What I mean by this is that students are basically always practicing. Maybe it's just me, but in my basic theory classes, I'm having trouble remembering how many sharps and flats are in certain keys; and what major keys correspond to minor keys. I'm sure there is tedious work in many other majors, but I can see how difficult it can be to decipher these rules in the music world.

Last, but not least, I respect music majors (and all of the arts majors alike) for chasing their dreams and studying what they're passionate about–regardless of what their families, friends, or society might have to say. It's a constant stigma that those who study the arts are doomed to being unemployed–which is completely untrue. Any major can be unemployed! It just depends on how much you WANT IT. Besides, the entertainment industry will never die. Humans are social creatures–we will always want to be entertained. So, for those of you who are music majors out there: I respect you and all of your hard work. I respect your passion. And I respect you fighting against the odds.