So heres a thing for people to ponder...
Mrs Jetfire is a lucky thing and lots of development opp's have landed in her lap recently in terms of her main career/job so her career is going really well with lots of training etc etc. As I get older (40 next year!), I wish more and more that Id done something different with my life and not studied what I was good at (i.e Business Studies in school). I half joked with her that I would just take a bank loan/Credit card out and go and get a music degree. To my surprize, she responded that maybe I should. After reviewing the costs of online Music education (DIME, WaterBear, Berklee etc), it seems to work out at £3.5k to £4.5k per year for a 4 year part time, distance learning, degree course.
My query really is this:
For £5k p/a, would I be better setting that aside, having 1 to 1 lessons with the best tutors in the country on a regular basis or signing up for the degree and doing it that way? Its not the first time Ive wonder this and I think its time to S*** or get off the potty on it.
Anyone had any similar thoughts, helpful advice or suggestions?
Comments
What is it that you want to get out of music?
Will the pressure of having to conform in content and timeline to a set curriculum be a help or hinderence to your love of music and music goals?
It is late here, so I will detail my reasons tomorrow.
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Part of me thinks having 1 to 1 lessons regularly with a really good tutor would do what I need. I've tried the Truefire, Jam Track central, guitopia method and lessons via YouTube but I don't feel the value of doing it that way.
But lessons from a good tutor most certainly will.
They are for different things.
I did think about having lessons privately from a good tutor would help develop, though when I was at ACM I was having "lessons" everyday as opposed to once a week. Also I wasn't just learning stuff on guitar but for other instruments too, bass, drums, vocals, keys, arranging etc. So I grew as a musician as opposed to just a guitarist.
Now I'm teaching a guy who has moved to the UK from abroad who doesn't have ACM's and BIMM's in his country, he wants to become a pro and is doing the RGT grades. He does want to go to an academy or an institute but I said just stick with the lessons, its cheaper and he doesn't have to study music culture and business, 2 units I didn't really need to study much in my time.
Structured learning under a tutor is the option that should get you playing better. The tutor should be able to detect your technical deficiencies and suggest relevant finger exercises to achieve improvement. The tutor should also push you into doing some things that you might prefer to avoid.
The tutor I would like to recommend retired a few years ago. It might be worth contacting him anyway to ask whom he would recommend in your area.
Music schools are basically money making machines for the company that sets up the business.
It is a bit of an open secret that it isn't as good for the student in terms of their learning, because in order for music schools to be accredited they have to take on all sorts of extra stuff in order to look legit- they have to demonstrate a breadth of learning through an established syllabus, rather than giving you what you need on the next step on the path of what is your personal musical journey.
When I went to music school we had to spend the first year doing musicology, percussion, vocals etc.
You have similar sorts of things on second year and the third year you are basically on your own to write your dissertation, which is mostly a ball ache with minimal, if any, actual learning that happens.
That is fine in one sense but really it just pads out the course, provided employment to teachers and costs way more (for the student) to get any sense of value but quite a bit less than is needed to run the music school well.
None of the learning is targeted- it is a scatter gun approach to what you should know, rather than your specific educational requirements.
Private lessons with the right teacher (finding the right teacher is a non-trivial task) is a much better approach provided you do the work.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
Last year i decided I had spent way too much of my life not doing the things I want. With that in mind I bought a new practice amp and restrung my epi dot studio. A month or so later and a chance encounter and I decided to take lessons and see how things went. My first lesson was great an assessment of what I could and couldn't do and then a bit of a plan.
So just over a year later I'm regularly playing open mic nights and blues jams and now talking about possible gig opportunities and wether I should focus on solo work or look at a band of some description.
My tutor has been brilliant and has pushed me to step out of my comfort zone and really develop as a musician both in my playing and singing.
As a conclusion I'd suggest look at your outcome goals is it playing/performance or are you just wanting to study, is it practical or theory driven ? I'm sure that will help your decision as to which way to go. For the record doing a degree would have done nothing for me except add more letters after my name that I don't use - Good Luck
If you want to be a better song writer with a greater understanding of theory and notation definitely go for the Berklee course
Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
a good teacher can also assess where you are at, at this stage and what tweaks are required to how you currently play
A one to one and the teacher can assess each weeks progress - If you read an on-line lesson, then it can become an interpretation and as such you might be playing it wrong - The teacher will be able to assess and re-direct accordingly + add tips as you go along to further improve - Be it timing, phrasing, pick control + many other facets
A lesson each week, or whatever it is, is a commitment that you will keep - an on-line lesson and you might think I can't be bothered today so I'll do it tomorrow instead
As pointed out above by others you need to find a teacher you can work with and develop that relationship - ie no use learning shred if playing country etc
If it’s entirely about technical/ musical skill sets then private tuition (as you might still have to do this if paying for a degree anyway)seems the way forward.
“Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay
There is a case that many self taught players and businessmen are 'unknowingly competent' - Nothing wrong with that and better than being 'knowingly incompetent' - But because you are self taught, you often don't know why you do it the right way, or the way that works for you - As such hard to explain/show to others the correct method
First off, whoever said above that a degree course is full of fluff is absolutely right in my experience.
However, a lot of this depends on how you become motivated to do things and apply yourself. I've done a fair amount of listening to youtube gurus over the years and have reflected on my own progress and the number one thing holding me back has been the lack of consistent application/practice. Most students I observe on my courses attempt to do the absolute minimum in order to pass.
There have been times when I've got the metronome out, planned to learn some skill/song and really nailed it, but those times are few and far between. I genuinely believe that if I could have sustained that approach for the many years that I've been playing I'd be a pretty good player by now (well at least a lot better than I actually am).
So I think the question you have to ask yourself is how you get motivated about a task. I can imagine being a full time music student surrounded by loads of great musicians to be really inspiring (or terrifying!). For me, working with a one to one tutor would be less inspiring I think. It doesn't really matter what works for me though, but what works for you. One benefit of the university/exam approach is that you have hard deadlines for things so it can be good at focussing your effort, albeit probably not the absolute best way of doing it.
I would also agree with those people above who have commented on being clear on your goals. I would actually start really drilling into these. It's not good enough to set your goal to be a 'good guitar player' or 'doing 1 gig a week'. I'm a fairly average player and I could probably wangle a gig per week if I tried hard enough.
What are the things you want to be able to do, to play, the skills and do you have any specific measurable targets?
Good luck!
Allen
PS Have you tried to learn anything recently? I know that sounds odd, but sometimes rather than talking about doing something you can just start. About a year ago I decided to learn all of the notes on the fretboard, it took some work, but it wasn't 'hard' and after a while I actually knew them. Box ticked - and it was a little step on my personal path to improving.
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