Outcomes by College Major

[Jonathan Whatley]

I think sometimes about a letter from the president to parents of prospective students that used to be up on the website of Berklee College of Music, the college of contemporary music where courses include Creating Tracks for Hip-Hop Songs and Advanced Stylistic Comping – Roots/Rock.

The bit about "career insurance," emphasis mine, is like what Jennifer's friend has found.

Understandably, many parents have anxieties about their children aspiring to have a career in music. I'm reminded of the Willie Nelson lyric, "Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys. Don't let them pick guitars and drive them old trucks, let them be doctors and lawyers and such." Aspirations for careers in music might be right next to cowboys in generating parental anxiety. I believe the music industry, though no cakewalk, is not nearly as limited or treacherous as the average parent believes. I have discovered alumni working in fields I didn't even know existed, such as composers of music for video games or designers of electronic instruments. We have successful alums who have gone on to law school and become agents, while others start companies in the digital music space. Some teach in public schools, and some work in hospitals as music therapists. The ability to teach an instrument is a powerful form of career insurance—music teachers abound in every village and hamlet on the planet.

A Berklee degree is excellent preparation for a music career, but even if the graduate chooses a different path, the degree gives a student the discipline to master an instrument through daily practice; the leadership skills to organize and prepare ensembles for performances; the analytical and problem-solving skills that come from studying composition, harmony, counterpoint, and music theory; and the creativity to express oneself in a unique and authentic way.

The President's Letter to Parents of Prospective Students (Berklee College, via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine)