[jazzysax08]

Hi..my name is Ciera and I'm a senior in high school..I really want to continue with my sax education after I graduate and I was thinking about majoring in jazz studies:saxophone, but I really want to major in psychobiology..I know they have double majors but I don't want to have too much on my plate.. I was thinking of minoring in it..could anyone help me and maybe give me some insight on what I could do..??? that would be great..

 

[Martinman]

I was going to do a music minor until I found out I can't get a minor as an ed major. It really depends on who you want to study with. If you want a big name teacher you will have to major. If you don't mind a grad student, be a minor.

 

[hakukani]

Hi..my name is Ciera and I'm a senior in high school..I really want to continue with my sax education after I graduate and I was thinking about majoring in jazz studies:saxophone, but I really want to major in psychobiology..I know they have double majors but I don't want to have too much on my plate.. I was thinking of minoring in it..could anyone help me and maybe give me some insight on what I could do..??? that would be great..

It really depends on the university. Not all universities have jazz programs, some don't have a music minor.

Do the music for the love, there's a great future in psychobiology. Concentrate on science courses in high school. If there are AP classes, take them. Be sure to learn Statistics and Probability, along with the other required maths. Get the best SAT scores you possibly can.

Don't forget to have fun.

 

[Agent27]

What do you want your career to be? If it's not in music then don't bother with the minor. Most music schools allow non-majors to participate in ensembles and take lessons (provided there's room in the studio). And if there isn't room in a studio, you could probably pay to take lessons with a senior or a grad student. The potential problem is the faculty showing favoritism to the music majors. Everybody in the top jazz ensemble at my alma mater was a music major and most were jazz majors. But there were a handful of non-majors or minors in the 2nd and 3rd bands.

Some courses like theory and ear training may be limited to music majors and minors. So if you REALLY want to take those classes, you'd have to do the minor. But even then, you could start the minor, take the classes you want, then drop the minor and avoid the classes you want to take. A minor in music is useless (aside from the knowledge gained) unless you think it will boost your resume or help you get into certain graduate programs that like that kind of stuff.

A double major would be tough. Music degree programs have a lot of 1 credit hour classes so you have to take more classes and spend more time to reach the approx. 130 hours needed for the degree. Also, unlike a lot other majors where you don't start taking classes in your field until around your junior year, music majors start with music classes immediately. This often mean spreading core classes over 5 years instead of getting them out of the way early. This probably causes conflicts when doing a double major.

 

[augustgarage]

Well...

I studied behavioral pharmacology and neuroscience as an undergraduate, and found the program to be quite demanding on its own (my college didn't offer minors but most of my electives were music courses).

In addition to your classes, you may wish to distinguish yourself by developing professional relationships with faculty, working as a research assistant, pursuing fellowships, securing internships, attending conferences, completing an honor's thesis, etc.

Don't be too discouraged though: I have a friend who is well on her way to becoming a respected chemist - she is doing her Ph.D at Rochester - but is also a very good soprano (singer). She always took private voice lessons, performed every year in chorus, and took as many music classes for electives as possible. In her limited spare time she continues to take classes (at Eastman) and perform publicly when possible.

In any case, may you find friends and colleagues who are supportive of your serious devotion to multiple vocations - a difficult task in this age of the specialist.

 

[Brendan Muse]

I'm double majoring in classics and jazz studies. It's a massive workload: I average 32 hours a week in class, not including time for practice and homework. I wouldn't even think about it if I hadn't taken a pile of AP tests in high school, and even with those, I'll probably be taking some summer school classes. Also, I can only manage it by not having any social life worth mentioning. Once in a blue moon, a friend will invite me over for dinner or a movie, but that's very rare. If you want anything like a normal (read: constantly drunk) freshman year, I would advise against it.

There's still nothing wrong with taking electives. I know at my school, non-majors can be in any of the bands or combos and can sign up for half-hour lessons. But we also have several minors and a major program that gives room for a double major. Other schools may be different.

 

[jmm1713]

you dont have to study music to be a good saxophone player .

 

[hakukani]

you dont have to study music to be a good saxophone player .

You don't have to study music at university to be a good saxophone player.

...but it's a lot easier.

 

[Martinman]

What colleges are you looking at?