A phrase that strikes fear in many parents that have high school seniors is, “I think I’ll be a music major.”
Even I, someone who looks at music as something vital to life, had doubts about my son taking music as a career path. Well, we’re just about three years in, so let me tell you how things are going.
First, let me tell you that he is enjoying his college experience. I do believe this is the most important component of learning. You have to at least somewhat enjoy the experience to gain any significant knowledge.
Secondly, and a bit more surprisingly, he’s already making money playing music. It’s not enough to buy beachfront property in Malibu, but he’ll be buying dinner at Sullivan’s when he comes home this summer.
Nathaniel is a music education major and has been given an hourly rate to teach double bass to a high school student. Next year he will have a student teacher position within a formal classroom. He has been asked by a neighboring university to play his double bass as part of an orchestra ensemble, and those checks have hit his bank account. He is about to play his electric bass guitar in a local theater production of the musical Rent, for which he will also receive compensation. I won’t bore you with other paid gigs that he’s landed, but you get the point.
