Music Career Advising

A Guide for Students, Parents, and Teachers

By (author) Eric Branscome

Not available to order

Publication date:

02 May 2013

Length of book:

170 pages

Publisher

R&L Education

ISBN-13: 9781610488471

As students begin finalizing college and career decisions, they are faced with tough choices that impact the next 2 to 42 years of their lives. While career decisions can be challenging for anyone, they seem more difficult for students who are considering careers in music. Although there are many viable music career options, there is considerable uncertainty regarding the types of jobs available, and the skills and other traits that help student musicians determine if they will be a good fit in their chosen careers. As a result, music students commonly feel lost regarding music career decisions, turning to parents and teachers who feel just as ill-equipped to provide insight.

Music Career Advising: A Guide for Parents Students and Teachers answers the most common music career questions through research-based career advising strategies, a comprehensive inventory of music careers, bibliography of print and on-line music career resources, and additional information gathered through interviews with leading musicians in the field, and faculty members in some of the most prestigious university music programs in the country.
Over time the number of college/university music majors has remained low. Designed for pre-college readers, this volume by Branscome attempts to counteract this situation by preparing students for college-level music study and succeeding careers. Arranged in part by the different types of bachelor's degrees that one can earn in music, the book outlines musical, business, and personal skills necessary for success in the various careers available to music majors. For each degree, the book describes the courses generally offered, the types of careers that graduates generally go into, the availability of jobs in those areas, and the general locations for those jobs. Branscome treats careers in music librarianship, conducting, and instrument repair in separate chapters. The information he provides should prove helpful to those contemplating music as a college major, high school counselors, and parents. While Branscome provides sound advice, he fails to point out that the skills developed through the study of music can be mapped to any number of careers outside of music, particularly those that require a degree of creativity, the ability to think abstractly, or the need for intense concentration. This volume is a welcome resource for college and career planning. Summing Up: Recommended. High-school students, first year college/university students, counselors, and parents.