Studying Classical Guitar at Univeristy in the United States – Is it worth it?
by Simon Powis
For the majority of classical guitarists, income derived from performances and CD sales is far from sufficient to pay monthly bills. Teaching, administration positions, and jobs unrelated to music are often the pillars of a classical guitarists’ financial base. These facts are hardly revelatory for many of us, but they are important to understand and accept.
In the United States there are two institutions (that I know of) that offer full tuition scholarships to all of their guitar students. Yale School of Music (which offers graduate programs) and the newly minted guitar department at Curtis. Wonderful as they are, Yale and Curtis represent a small sliver of the ubiquitous guitar programs around the country and many of the students in those programs would be very lucky not to graduate with a substantial amount of debt.
With yearly school fees ranging from $5000 in state to $30,ooo and up, for out of state and private institutions, classical guitar graduates are left with often staggering amounts of debt. So the question is: are these expensive degrees worth the large amounts of money we pay for them?
Universities can offer a wide range of services and an invaluable educational experience, however, if the goal of any given music school is to prepare their graduates for a career in music performance, how can they reasonably grind their students into decades of debt? Debt that will prevent these young musicians from taking many opportunities that are vital to their career, that often necessitate travel, financial investment, and above all, time.
Graduates are not only hindered by financial woes after they graduate but also from a universal watering down of degrees. Doctoral degrees are becoming more and more common, (in my experience), and if one of the country’s coveted teaching positions do happen to become available, there is a wave of CVs that get sent in all bearing the regular fare of acronyms… BMMMADDMA
Can I buy a vowel?
In the end, a job appointment will depend on the quality of the applicants musicianship, teaching experience, and above all, industry connections and reputation. In many respects the same can be said for any given performance/teaching opportunity.
So really, we are back to square one. You need to play well, teach well, and have good networking.
Do we need to go to university to get these skills? And do we need to fork out 100k+ for these skills?
It seems to me that that it is a waste of time and money. While the skills are important, there just doesn’t seem to be much appreciation of the art except by the artist themselves.
All those US students going for PhD’s make me laugh.
The title is absolutely worthless.
To prove this: Look at Chen Zhi – he has no title, no formal training
(in fact he was a performer of acoustic hawaii guitar. Look it up – it’s true!)
But today he’s regarded as one of the most important pedagogues and he can count numerous top international players and competition-winners as his students.
The point is: dedication and inspiration is what matters. (Not the number of degrees you have – they’ll only make people suspicious, and see through all the bull: “The guy is a fricking nobody, but he’s got a PhD!”
)
I agree Jeff, but consider one thing. Chen Zhi has a privilege position. He was abut the only guitar teacher after China’s cultural revolution (no competition). He has an inmense population of young girl guitarists (5 years old and up) that if they do not measure up he has 300 more applicants dying to get her spot (consider China’s population). These girls are in constant pressure and they practice 8 to 10 hours a day. The forbidden city is fairly close to his studio and many of them never been there!!! Every time he had a great guitarist visit them he asked them to fingered pieces for him or to give him his fingerings. As a Cuban guitarist I know what the communist tracking system is all about. Is not about enjoyment but rather like a sports you are trained from a very early age to go to the Olympics and being # 2 is not a choice. Music is about accumulating live experiences and understand them through your music. As a matter of paying any University, I feel is wrong to make a business out of education and it should be government subsidize like in Europe.
A PhD can be gotten so cheaply today! Particularly in the USA.
It can even be gotten by playing a few pieces and writing a short essay on the compositions.
The written stuff often comes across like badly-written liner notes.
The ONLY person in the USA who currently has a *worthy* PhD thesis, is Thomas Heck, with his stunning 532 pages of real research and hard work.
I’m interested the standards that universities and music-schools have.
Because no matter where you studied, in the end you end up with you degree. Batchelor, Master, DMA
But are all Master’s graduates equally good?
Are there any institutions where a degree is easier to obtain, and others where the level is much higher and it’s much tougher?
Dear Simon!
There’s no need to delete a part of a message which is presented neutrally, in a manner such that everyone can make up his/her own opinion.
It’s in no way offence or anything.
The message just states given facts; without even judging.
Hi Arthur, thanks for your comments and input. I just prefer not to single out individuals (which could potentially be negative) in this discussion.
I am thankful that I was able to be a part of the (just started) guitar program at the University of South Carolina back in the seventies. I was lucky, as well, to be going to school on the GI Bill. If I had to do it again today at today’s costs, would I? I don’t think so. I would try to find a good teacher and pluck it out on my own.
Simon,
You’re question is a good one. “Do we need to go to university to get these skills? And do we need to fork out 100k+ for these skills?” The obvious answer is no.
The history of any discipline is loaded with successful and influential individuals who have not attended university. In our own american history, Harry Truman might be a good example.
But most of us won’t be that leading charismatic example. Attending a university should allow talented individuals to perfect their craft. Whether its guitar or macro economics. But the other element that a university provides is a breadth of experience outside of our core passion. I know it’s New Haven and that in and of itself is nothing notable. But Yale. I’m betting that the total experience at Yale is larger than just your core study. And it will be at any high quality university.
It is a hell of a lot of money. But in life we need to pursue that which is most important. And we do get what we pay for. Particularly when we consider the entire experience. University is never just what we went there for.
Simon,
I got my MM (classical guitar) from the Peabody Conservatory in 1999. I learned two valuable lessons… 1) I was a very good student, but not a very good musician, and 2) You can’t learn to be a musician at a conservatory, you can only refine the musician you already are.
I did, however, get to study with/near some top classical guitar talent (Franco Platino, Berta Rojas). It was very important for me to see how good I needed to be to have a shot at a real performing career… I was nowhere near good enough.
That’s not a sad story, though. What would have been sad was if I had deluded myself for the rest of my life into thinking that one day I would “play Carnegie Hall.” I’m a happy guy these days. I have a day job, run my website, and play in a local cover band on the weekends.
So was it worth it? Monetarily… no. I still haven’t made that money back yet (and may never). But in some ways… yes. I found a lot out about myself and I never have to wonder if I could have been a big star.
Dan
I believe that masterclasses and workshops are far better than any music school in the world. Unfortunately these kind of occations take place mostly on music facilities for a limited amount of people. This puts the music into a hygenic atmosphere which is not a good thing to do. Art must be for all the people and must be on streets. Art must be dirty and provocative. These features of music cannot be taught in conservatories. Every year thousands of young musicians graduate from music schools. However only a few of them are master performers or creative artists.
Is it worth it?
Hell no.
It’s just a spread of mediocrity. Look at all the guitarists in the world. Do you think they are all good performers?
No way, Jose.
So how do they survive? By giving lessons.
BUT THAT’S THE CRUX.
You have all these incompetent teachers, teaching people who’ll also become incompetent teachers.
Because an incompetent teacher is too threatened to allow students and pupils to blossom, they will rather keep them at par.
So do you want to become another incompetent teacher?
Then go study at one of those institutions and feed the incompetent teachers there with your money.
You’ll be rewarded with a crappy piece of paper, that’ll give you the same rights, and so the frickking circle completes.
It is the desire of colleges, universities and conservatories to make money which causes them to accept great numbers of students they know will never have a career in guitar, or in music in general. A great deal of American “higher education” is a scam intended to keep the teachers and administrators gainfully employed, and they do so to the detriment of many an unaware prospective student of guitar,
or art, or acting, etc…
monetarily no, it may not be worth it, but any good college education for any profession is over priced.
the argument basically is that all the best classical guitarists never went to school and that you can give lessons to make money without a degree. but a degree in music education is different because it is directed at public school teaching and you cant really do that without a degree, unless you are ridiculously gifted and talented, which im not.
so whether or not the cost is worth it ill still be able to hone in on my skills that need work and progress to the point where ill be able to get a job. the degree alone isnt enough, you have to be a good musician more importantly than anything, and studying music and education at a university would help anybody with a passion for music to do what they love.
Actually the point that Frick, Howard and Jeff Logan (above) make, is that… not only is a university degree is not enough to make you a good performer or teacher; but even more so and severer:
university studies can be a hindrence where good musicians learn to do what a teacher wants… and nothing else.
And I agree with this spread of mediocricy, under the guise of acadamic knowledge.
Until not so long ago, the USA had incredibly bad teachers.
To this day you can find teachers who enforce a bent right-hand rist (as had poor Segovia), with fingers at 90 degrees to the strings… This is of course a source of bad tone, and more a worship of lost heros (Segovia), than it is… giving students a real musical education. But it’s not just the hand-position… it’s mediocrity wherever you look. Fortunately things are changing… but it’s a slow change.
If you want a good education… do it youself.
If you a degree really is a must… then go and enroll at a German University or Conservatory. At least you’ll have teachers such as Tilman Hoppstock, Hubert Käppel, Thomas Müller-Pering, Michael Tröster, Ricardo Gallen, Roberto Aussel, who not what music is really about… plus an education that – at least from the outside – has the features that are important.
Or just take masterclasses at guitar festivals such as those at Koblenz, Iserlohn, Nürtingen and you’ll learn more than a US degree program will ever teach you.
i think the guitar instructors at my school know what they are doing and woldnt lead me in the wrong direction. i just need a degree to be able to get a job teaching somewhere and at this point i cant go far from home so im commuting at the place that is best for me.
besides.. its not the teachrs that make the student, its the student that creates a name for themselves and the school they went to. anybody whogoes to school for classical music and expects to graduate a virtuoso is ignorant