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Singing for their supper

Students turn music from hobby to career

Genevieve Erickson ERI03003@BYUI.EDU Scroll Staff

BYU-Idaho offers many opportunities for its students to develop their love of music. The campus offers four orchestras, six bands, six choirs and many other smaller groups formed by students. About 80 percent of student participating in these ensembles are not music majors.

For many people, music makes a great hobby. But for some students it’s more than just a hobby — they plan on making it into a career.

Students who aren’t music majors might be surprised at just how many opportunities there are for music majors.

Most of the music majors at BYU-I are majoring in music education. This career has many positions available.

“Last year alone 5,000 classrooms [nationally] went unfilled because they lacked a music teacher,” said James Brague, the music department chair at BYU-I.

An often overlooked part of the music industry is the business side. Students who combine music and business degrees open a whole range of careers — anything from owning a music store to working in the recording industry.

“It helps if you’ve got some music background. Otherwise, how do you know if you’ve got a good recording or a bad one?” Brague said.

Within the last 20 years, a new career in music has developed. The study of music as therapy is becoming more popular. Music therapy helps people, particularly young children, with either learning or mental disabilities.

Another area of music difficult to find a job in, is music performance.

"It’s a knock-down, drag-out scene,” Brague said. “There are lots of people all competing for the same jobs.”

But for those people who are willing to work hard, there might be opportunities available.

“I’m awfully proud of our students here,” Brague said. “We might have some who can make it up here at school, but the competition is extremely stiff.”

It’s also possible to start out small and work your way up to bigger and better jobs.

Anna Wessel, a music performance major, and a junior from Glendale, Ariz., plans to start out at a small-scale symphony and then work her way up.

“We can perfect our major for the rest of our lives. Too often other people get done with school and think that’s the end of their learning. We can practice really hard and move up,” Wessel said.

Succeeding in the world of music all comes down to developing talent, Brague said.

“Developing that talent is the difference between being a good [musician] and an exceptional one,” Brague said.

Being a music major isn’t all fun and games. It requires hard work and many hours spent in practicing.

Pursuing a career in the music field isn’t for everyone who loves music. “For some students music is far better as an avocation than as a vocation,” Brague said.