These ideas came from an article in the Teaching Music magazine. It was written by Louis A. Menchaca, associate profssor of music and director of instrumental music at Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon.

He says that you can identify a committed music major by their desire to play, teach or be involved with music at some professional level. Personal recomendations are a plus in his book when it comes to getting into a music program. Reasons for this includes; says the student is well prepared for challenges and will not wilt when tackling harmony, conducting, piano proficiencies, and other rigors of a collegiate music curriculum. Some people think that because they can sing or play an instrument qualifies them to become a music major.

Many students are under the impression that a music major is a "fun" major. While that may be true, fun isn't always easy! Menchaca says that it is distressing to see students who have been studying another discipline suddenly declare themselves music majors and then fail their courses because they did not expect the rigorous academic curriculum or did not have sufficient preparation. He goes on to say that it is important for students to realize that becoming a music major entails more than simply playing or singing in an ensemble.

FIRST, if you want to become a music major, you have to realize how important music theory is. Yeah, I know, you just hear the word THEORY and you start to cringe. Theory is hard, (well for most of us, you brainiacs out there are an exception), you have to accept how hard it is going to be before you begin the class and start your own support group to help you through it. I find it much easier and more fun when you get together with other students to study, especially for ear training! Every aspect of theory is important, even that "easy" stuff. Don't slack off in the begining of theory just because it seems easy, if you fall behind, you may never catch up. SECOND, you have to understand the relavancy of music history. History isn't just what happened in the old days, it helps you understand just how perform something these days. When it comes time to pick out music, knowing your history will aid you greatly. One of the most important things on a piece of music is the composer. Why? Because that tells you when the piece was written and how it should be played.

Third, you have to realize that applied lessons are for serious study. You have to know your basics before you begin to learn any advanced study. That is, scales, etudes, technique, tone, etc. You must learn various areas of repertoire, if you insist upon only learning baroque music because you don't like anything else, well, you won't get too far. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! However, you can spend hours in the practice room not accomplishing anything. Learn what is the best way for YOU to get the most out of your time. The best way for your best friend may not be the best for you. FOURTH, if you don't have any piano skills, now is the time to learn. Most colleges require students that don't have any skills to take classes until they reach a level that is acceptable for your major. Those that have some piano skills may be required to take a skills test, if you don't meet a certail level, you may be placed into piano class. The reason for having piano skills is to aid you in theory, studying scores, teaching harmony, and providing accompaniment.

For successful completion of a music major program, Menchaca gives students the following recommendations:

Clarify your reasons for becoming a music major. What do you want to do withyour music study? Do you want to teach or be an international recitalist? Do you want to go to graduate school or a professional school?

Request the assignment of an adviser from the music faculty. This adviser can guide you through course selection and audition preparation. Ask about proper sequence of courses and their content. If you need remedial work, it is best to discover this early on.

Keep a portfolio of your progress throughout your undergraduate studies. Theory tests (with high marks), programs of ensemble work and student recitals, notes from master classes, and other professionally related experiences will confirm your determination to succeed.

Manage your time carefully. You must allow time for core courses, music major courses, studio practice time, ensemble rehearsal, and ensemble performance dates. From an organizational standpoint, this is often the true test of whether you can "make it". This is also the training ground for becoming a teacher. Time management and organization will always be critical.

Prepare for your proficiency tests with great care. Juries and recitals with your major instrument are the cornerstone for your musicianship. Work closely and diligently with your applied teacher. Plan appropriately for secondary instrumental requirements. This could mean lessons and performance opportunity in a less-threatening environment. Prepare for your piano proficiencies with the appropriate faculty member. While the approving faculty member may be responsible for testing, he or she may not always be the most suitable person for planning an instructional strategy to satisfy the test. You might consider asking the applied piano teacher for a referral.




Preparation at the High School Level

Private Lessons. Students who want to become music majors should begin private study on their instrument or in voice as soon as possible, as experience in a band or choir alone will not be sufficient preparation for a college entrance audition. They must also be proficient in music reading.

Aural Skills. Unless a student is blessed with a natural gift, these skills take the longest to develop. Among other skills, students must be able to identify by ear the degrees of a scale being played or sung, and the chord factor in the bass or soprano of a chord being played. Students should also be able to tap back rhythms being played or sung and to notate simple tonal mlodies being played or sung.

Music Fundamentals. Learning the fundamentals of music notaion in freshman theory can be daunting; knowledge is either assumed or is covered very quickly. The material students must know inludes meter signatures, rhythmic values, elementary principles of form, written intervals and triads, treble and bass clefs, major and minor scales and key relationships.

Vocal Ability All college music majors, no matter what their principle performance medium, must be able to sing intelligently and in tune. In fact, singing is required for most college entrance auditions. Students must be able to sing back pitches played within and outside their vocal range, sing back notes in a major and minor triad, and sing the major scale with numbers, letters, and solfeggio, and sight-sing simple folk tunes, among other things.

Keyboard Skills. All college music majors, no matter what their principal performance medium, must be able to play and read intermediate keyboard literature with ease and fluency. Students should also be able to sight-read one level of difficulty below their performance level and have a beginning knowledge of I, IV, and V harmonization of simple songs.

The Right Attitude. If students are passionate about and dedicated to music-as well as being aware of its rigors-then they belong in a college music program.

For some helpful hints on college auditions, click HERE.




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