OK so being 16 naturally I think everything I learn in school is pointless already. I already know where I wanna go to school, I already know what I wanna major in, and I already know what I want to do after college and grad school. That for me happens to be music so I really don't see why I need to learn scienc, math, history, and english now because I'm not gonna be using them again, the only class I'm taking that might have some value is Spanish and only because I'll probably go to spain or some other spanish speaking country one day. So being one of the younger people here I'm just wondering have any of you really used any of the stuff you learned in high school in you're jobs now?
Well, music theory and math aren't that far off from each other, but outside of that... You will use all of it. If you don't, and if music is really what you want to do, you'll be cheating yourself and your music. Here's a story from when I was an art student in college: We went to visit an exhibition at an "art school" in a nearby city. The exhibit was of Asian-influenced art. What we saw there was terrible. It was a lot of "Asian-looking" stuff that had no deeper influence than that the artists had looked at Asian art and done their inteprtations of it. On the other hand, some of the students I studied with (I went to a liberal arts school where we studied all sorts of things in addition to our studio art focus) were doing spectacular Asian-influenced stuff. It was good because they had context--historical, religious, theoretical, etc.--informing their art. This is true of any art, not just Asian and not just visual. If you don't have a breadth of knowledge from which to draw, your art (music, in this case) will be flat and uninteresting. Knowing more is always better than knowing less. However, if you just don't wanna do your math homework...you know, that's cool, too.
Great question. First, while I hope that you achieve all that you wish in your music career, there is no guarantee that you will continue your life exactly as you envision it today. Of all the people I knew when I was 16, only one or two are doing what they envisioned at 16. When I was that age, I sure as hell never thought I'd be a teacher. I was set to be a politician. Things didn't work out that way. I got into the political arena and realized I didn't like it enough to spend the rest of my life doing it. It happens all the time. If you gave up on the other subjects now, you would lose out on the foundation for all of the other possible careers you might eventually have. Secondly, say that your life/career does turn out exactly according to your plan. All of those subjects you mentioned are essential to a musician. English teaches people about language and stories. What is music if not a story? Operas, movie scores etc all rely on concepts learned in English classes (setting mood, etc). Math and concepts of numbers are also essential for reading and writing music. Counts rely on mathematical concepts and precision. History can be told through music. How much more impressive is the 1812 Overture once you know what the piece is trying to convey? So basically, those other classes are vital, both to give you a foundation for a new direction in case your planned path doesn't pan out, and to give you a better understanding of the tools and concepts needed to make a good musician into a great one.
Okay, I have an MA in English, did work toward a Ph.D, and now work in a library and teach English part time to get the mortgage paid off quicker. So how I use the English stuff is pretty clear in my daily life. Math: I took calculus over summer school. Class met 3 to 5 hours per day, five days a week, and then I pretty much had to study until I went to bed (I was working mornings before class from 5 until 9 as a "mon-back" on a garbage truck... I still have nightmares about that summer). Now, I couldn't even remember ANYTHING in the following spring when I tried to help my brother with his calc homework. BUT I did learn one thing: how to get my ass kicked and fight back. And how to work through something you don't understand at first, get help, and get through it. Invaluable lesson for home-ownership. (Math and Econ come in handy for getting a mortgage, dealing with refinancing, etc. History: Well, I sucked at it, too. But I have a general idea that the way things are now are not the way things always were. An invaluable insight. I think you need to have some idea about history because it's possible to be "lost" in time the way some people get lost while travelling. Only being lost historically is a lot worse and harder to rectify. Art: If you haven't noticed that ideas from the visual arts and from music occasionally cross-fertilize each other... there's a lot more you need to know about music, too. English: What kind of music are you going to do? That would help. Science: Well, now that I think about it... this goes for everything else... Don't think in terms of "what you are going to do" when "do" means "work at to make money." You're going to "do" a lot of things, not least of which is "be a citizen in a complex democratic society" and maybe have a family, kids, etc. as well as neighbors, friends, colleagues. So... learn what you can not because it's going to make you money some day, but because you're going to be a citizen, and who knows, you might have to make some informed decisions (which touch on matters you might've learned about in science, or which a basic education in science will help you become more informed), so it's better to do so wisely rather than in a dumbass way. And even if you get outvoted by the dumbasses, you'll still have the smarts to survive and thrive in the diminished world they're trying to create for you. The more you know, the more you'll be able to deal with any world you might find yourself living in.
Classical, not all teenagers are addicted to rap and rock, even though I think I have more of that in my iPod than I do classical. Thanks guys, what you're saying all makes sense, this was kinda the result of a bad day and frustration (it's the end of the quater and I've got a full plate outside of academics and to make life better I think I was home for a total of 4 hours this weekend). Most of my frustration comes from knowing the school I want to go to won't really care about my grades since the only two "real" schools that I'm applying to are BU and Northwestern and I look at those as safe schools since my teacher already kinda assured me that unless I stopped practicing for the next two years I could almost deffinately get in there. Knowing that makes staying awake in class a lot harder, the grades are to keep my parents off my back and trying to get them up (even though I lose interest after two days of saying I'm getting on high honor roll) means more to my best friend I think because she just wants me to get a cool car since she can't drive for another year. Not to mention that I find all the subjects boring, I used to love history but my teacher this year just reads out of the book, bio isn't half as interesting as I thought it would be, english is all grammar now, I do better with that read the book write about it, and math is just boring (as is music theory).
Ah. Classical. Well, English, especially writing and public speaking, will come in handy for you, as you'll need to develop powers of persuasion. Funding for classical music is shrinking, and pretty much anyone involved in it will need to be a kick-ass advocate for the music. Oh: I think everyone who responds remembers being bored by huge chunks of school, and the teacher reading out of a book... well, we've been there, too (makes sense in a poetry class, but in history? Uggh?). My 11th grade chem teacher was senile AND burned out. We had many, many lectures on training show dogs. And yet, he didn't lose his ability to give brutal tests on the material he was supposed to be covering.
Sort of like Tom Hanks (as Jim Lovell) says, "You'll never know what information or skill will be usefull." I graduated from highschool over 40 years ago and have a masters in math. My highschool keyboarding has been invaluable in my college and professional career. My math degree got me an entry in to my career for the last 35 years. German, Spanish, Political Science, History, and Western Civ have given me an appreciation for the outside world.
Women in college and beyond dont normally go for morons. The more you know, the more you might impress them. Then you can have sex with them.
The funny thing is, up until July I was so dead set on doing the orthopedic surgery thing and going to school in Chicago or at UF. Now I'm going to USF and doing early childhood education. And I'll get there and the major will probably change one or two more times. Sometimes you think you know and are convinced you do but you really don't (once again, sometimes).
A lot of girls in high school don't usualy go for morons either. A question: What do you plan on doing in classical music? If you're composing, get a back up. If you're playing get a back up. Always have a back up plan for everything, it makes life go a smoother.
Hey, I was just trying to give the give some advice ... no need to point out to him that I was lying through my teeth.
That's just not true. Women in college definitely go for morons. I don't recall the geek frats being the centers of college life. Once its time to actually, you know, make money, however, those positions can reverse themselves.
Girls don't go for morons, I had a crush on a guy last year and the most common thing he said was, "uuuhhhh what'd you just say," or, "uuuuhhhh I dunno," not very attractive, not point in having a 6 pack if you can't carry on a conversation. Music performance, I heard about that music therapy stuff but I really don't wanna spend a bunch of time in school getting a medical degree, especially since I have no real interest about how the brain works, as long as it works it's fine with me. After school I wanna move to England or Germany where they have more jobs and were the jobs pay better and where people actually want to hear the stuff you're playing.
Learn to write lively essays with interesting arguments that retain your own voice. Do that now and college will be far easier, your instructors will love you (and if you go to Northwestern for music you will still do a lot of writing), and your ability to think and reason will improve. Edit: Yes, I did just finish grading a stack of papers.
Interesting, we have a German student staying with us this year. His father is unenthused about the opportunities in Germany, and hopes his son can come back to the US, because the opportunities are greater here! There are limited opportunities everywhere, you/we need to develop the skills to tackle them and the drive to get the jobs and do the work. The more skills and knowledge you have, the better your opportunities. However without a little creativity and work/ambition/luck you won't find them.
Music school... he said Music school. All he has to do to get laid in music school is be straight. Actually, the gay guys I knew in music school were seeing their share of action, too, so he's got no worries in the sex department no matter what, even if he's dumb as a rock. Which he's not if he's playing at the level he's talking, so I'll re-post the following sermon: Something else: as has already been mentioned, you never know where life is going to take you. I personally pissed away a career as a singer (much longer story), but now I've found that I actually like (no, love) organizational behavior. I could be touring Germany doing Guglielmo from Cosi in every cow-town's operhaus, or ekeing out a living piecing church gigs, opera choruses, and Christmas work together, along with lord knows what for a day job, and be perfectly happy. Priorities shifted, though, and I found I could know longer live out La Boheme (qui son? qui son?! sono poeta. que cosa facio? scrivo. e come vivo? Vivo!). Damn good thing I kept the brain in shape while working on that BM. And no, even though I know it sounds like it, I'm not telling you to have "something to fall back on". For god's sake, don't do a Music Ed degree if you don't want to be a music teacher (k-12). Go for the Perf. major. Just bring some books along with you to keep the brain active.
One can never have too much knowledge. Plus high school is very different from college. I hated the former and loved the latter.
OK this is just starting to bug me cause i think you're the second or third person who thinks I'm a guy, I'm a girl, getting laid in college isn't my main priority and as I'm constantly reminded in the summer a lot of guys in music school are gay.
Well, you don't have to be well-rounded. You can feel free to go out and be a narrow, provincial dullard. IT's just that life is more fun, and you're more fun to be around, if you have a wide range of cultural and intellectual resources at your disposal. I know that's what you mean elainemichelle, just trying to drive home the point to anyone who may have missed it. Oh, and metrofreak, I too initially assumed you were a male. Hope I didn't offend you with my presumption.
Your hormones haven't fully kicked in yet. When your 30 or 35, you'll have a bit more sympathy for how those pathetic 19 year old males are behaving. Your's is the more comfortable situation now, but it all evens out in the end.
Sorry for the confusion, and the flippancy. Glad to hear your priorities in life are different, and whatever crazy numbers you hear about the % of gay vs. straight guys at music school, it's not that dramatic. Significantly different than other departments, yes, but take everything you hear with a grain of salt. Oh, and you're not the first person with an androgynous user name to have his or her sex mis-identified, by the way. Not that my avatar has helped matters...
Geometry Using AutCAD to draw lighting rigs in 3D requires good knowledge of geometry and the ability to use mathematical formulas. Theater Don't laugh but I was a drama kid and my degree is in theater with a performance emphasis. That whole experience taught me to overcome any shyness as well as speak well. That certainly helps me in my sales career when I am doing presentations for large groups of people. English This is self explanatory Chemistry I wouldn't be able to run my meth lab without the knowledge I gained from this class