Alright, time for a serious moment with the MacMan (me)

[Scott]

I've decided to quit school.

The course im taking is for audio production, but i've come to find that the course teaches much more than im interested in learning (Post Production stuff mainly) And charge accordingly.

I don't want to be a sound tech, or an assistant engineer, or an engineer or anything behind the console, unless im working on my own work. And the school teaches you everything you need to do that, but it's just overkill with all the excess classes.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's fine that the school is teaching Post Production and all, but it's just not something that I feel I need to know.

Like I said earlier, I don't want to record bands, or voice overdubs, or movie sountracks or game audio or anything like that. What I want to do is make the music with my guitar.

I'm not saying I want to be the next Vai, or be a rock star or anything. I just want to play.

I just feel that paying just shy of 20k for an education that consists alot of stuff i'm not interested in, is a bit much. Also, im honestly not that impressed with the school. They have great gear, SSL consoles out the ying-yang, and great instructors..but they are extremely unorganised with the students and their schedules.

I'll get a refund for my tuition minus the portion that was used, and im going to work to recoup the rest and pay off my line of credit, and take it from there. That shouldn't take all that long honestly. It's only about 4k i'll need to make.

I've yet to break this to my parents, but im sure i'll just get a "I told you so" Then they'll hate me when I say I plan on going to a 3 year music course. Should be fun

Discuss.

 

[metalfiend666]

If you don't feel it's right for you it's better to get out now than in a year or so. Good luck with what you do.

 

[Buzz762]

Yup. I did pretty much exactly that same thing. Somewhere among doing one of my production assignments I realized that isn't what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, even though it was kind of fun, and ended up taking some criminal justice classes, although now I'm premed but I have no clue how long that one will stick.

 

[Metal Ken]

i can relate dude, ive changed my major a fuckton of times. im finally settling on something that actually interests me, rather than settling on something just cause i can get a job with it.

 

[dpm]

Good for you Scott! No point wasting time and money doing something that's not right for you. If you hadn't have started the course you'd always have that 'what if ' factor, so know you know and can move on and find what is right.
From what I hear, there's about a trillian course graduates for every available job in that field anyway.

 

[Naren]

Music can be a hard career, but if you try as hard as you can, you can make a good living off of it. One thing you never want to do is get stuck in a job you hate. In that regard, I think you made a good choice. Good luck.

 

[darren]

Well, i guess it's better that you realize that now, rather than later, but i'm struggling to understand how you would think Metalworks Institute is anything but an audio engineering and post-production technical school.

How did you come to decide to go there as opposed to a music program?

And bear in mind that most post-secondary music programs are VERY intensive, demand a high level of proficiency to get in, and are, for the most part, rooted in jazz or classical composition and performance. Be prepared to learn theory. Lots of it.

 

[Leon]

...but they are extremely unorganized with the students and their schedules.

a liberal arts degree could do wonders

but seriously, having a degree can cost a lot, but can also pay off big time. i guess it just depends on what you want to do (career wise).

 

[lachrymose]

couldn't you transfer to a music performance course instead of a production one?

 

[Scott]

Well, i guess it's better that you realize that now, rather than later, but i'm struggling to understand how you would think Metalworks Institute is anything but an audio engineering and post-production technical school.

I knew what it was when I signed up for it. I was in the mentality that I wanted to do something with my life related to music, but have come to realise that I don't want to be the guy behind the SSL console. And I thought that it would be broken up a bit for those who were there for audio production, and those there for post production and so on.

couldn't you transfer to a music performance course instead of a production one?

No. MetalWorks Institute is a private career college. It isn't associated with any other schools to transfer to, and it only offers music theory as far as music performance goes. (Which I totally kicked ass at. That exam had nothing on me)

[action=Scott]is proud to have kicked ass in Music theory I [/action]

 

[lachrymose]

Music Theory I - Final Exam

1. Name the accidentals contained within the C Major scale
2. How many half steps are in a whole step?
3. Why did you even pay money to do this?
4. How many chords could a powerchord 'chord' if a powerchord could power chords?

 

[Leon]

...but have come to realize that I don't want to be the guy behind the SSL console.

shit, man, is that some sort of Canadian zed-hatred thing?

 

[metalfiend666]

shit, man, is that some sort of Canadian zed-hatred thing?

I guess they just spell their English the same way as the English do.

 

[rummy]

Were you going to school for a degree or for training? I would finish school. You never know what may happen, and it's good to have a back up plan. Whatever you do, best of luck.

 

[Drew]

Chalk another vote up for a liberal arts degree. I could try to explain myself, but instead, I will just point you towards the great Sean Malone:

http://www.seanmalone.net/News/index.html

Part 2: to major or not to major

It seems that entering college or university as a musician makes it easy to decide one's major: music, as either a performer or composer (few undergrad programs have theory as part of their bachelor program). At the end of four years (or possibly five, depending on the program) you'll be bestowed with a degree that indicates you play a certain instrument or, that you compose music. Along the way you've learned much about music theory, history, perhaps some elective courses in music technology and taken part in some ensembles. You've undoubtedly learned, but now what do you do? Of course, that all depends on some of the questions you may have asked yourself along the way, (in part 1) and perhaps steps you've taken to achieve those things. But at the end of the day, in some ways, you're back to where you started before you entered school - you came in with your guitar (or clarinet, etc.) and now you're leaving with it; better for having studied of course, but what can this degree do for you?

If you plan to teach - not very much, graduate school is in your future. If you plan to try and get your band signed, go on the road and all that stuff, labels usually aren't very interested or impressed with diplomas. Many undergraduate students in music find themselves wondering what to do as they come close to finishing their degrees, and if the answer doesn't involve more schooling, it sometimes turns into a crisis situation. Again, it all depends on the type of school and program you've entered - if you've completed a tech program in engineering there might very well be a placement program for graduates. What I'm speaking about is the performance degree.

This leads me to recommend something I have seen a few undergraduate students do when they get to this point - something for which you could plan ahead before a crisis occurs: become a music minor, and major in something else. By doing so, you get almost all of the music education you would as a major PLUS training in an area that could help you find a job to support you as you pursue a music career, in whatever capacity.

A combination I often see is majoring in computer science with a minor in music performance. With the tech market still wide open, the chances of getting a job are much better than, say, getting signed to Sony at the moment. By choosing to minor in music, you will still take all of the core classes and ensembles - the main difference is usually in the amount of contact hours you have with private lessons, as well as a smaller recital requirement. This way you get the best of both worlds: the music training you are looking for, and a diploma with which you can actually do something. Immediately upon graduating with a Bachelor's degree, you have employment opportunities that a performance major could only dream of. I know it might seem hard to make this choice, especially since you've been gearing yourself up for your Berklee audition and are dreaming about days and nights spent practicing and jamming with your friends. But, try to see yourself four years from now; what's your next move? Success in the music industry, however that may be measured, has very little to do with actual talent and ability. In many ways, your success sometimes depends on the things you don't do, and the rest is just being in the right place at the right time (but you can take measures to be in the right place...)

So, to summarize, it's possible to receive the music education you've been dreaming about and at the same time, receive training in other areas, making you all the more marketable. I've seen many undergrads take business classes with the idea it will help them both as performers (contracts, etc.) or possibly as band managers. There is also a tech/music combo that makes a musician invaluable to a recording studio - there are so many combinations and possibilities. Just beware of the performance degree if you are a music major - it might very well be it's just the first step on your way to an orchestral career, but if popular music is the field in which you're most interested, take advantage of every opportunity university has to offer.

Most importantly, take advantage of the counselors the university provides. They are the ones that can best help you plan your academic career, and make suggestions if you decide to make changes along the way.

 

[eleven59]

It's cool to hear an inside story of what Metalworks is like. I'm envious of the studios you got to see, but as far as organization and curriculum, I'm glad I made the choice I did. Music Industry Arts was exactly what I needed. It taught me production, engineering, post-production, some video work, MIDI sequencing, rehashed the theory I knew, gave some ear-training (including learning to identify frequency cuts/boosts in both pink-noise and full mixes, which I'm really glad for), as well as everything I need to know about the music business, or at least as much as can be done in a classroom.

 

[darren]

Any updates on this, Scott? Did you go through with your plan to quit? If so, what are you doing now/next?

 

[Chris]

Take up liberal arts somewhere dude - don't quit altogether. Hell, take one class a semester and at least get an Associate degree. Without a diploma, your job options are very limited regardless of the field, and your salary will most likely be low until you have a good deal of experience (which translates to working for 5-6 years for very low pay).

 

[Scott]

I have officially quit, yeah. It's been about 3 weeks now since. Right now, im just waiting for them to calculate how much money they owe me back.

I plan to slack off and do nothing until I come back from NS after Chrismas. From there, I plan to work to pay back whatever is left on my student line of credit.

I plan on going back to school in sept/07. Still working on that part.

Take up liberal arts somewhere dude - don't quit altogether. Hell, take one class a semester and at least get an Associate degree. Without a diploma, your job options are very limited regardless of the field, and your salary will most likely be low until you have a good deal of experience (which translates to working for 5-6 years for very low pay).

Im not quitting all together. But Metalworks is a private career college, so it only offers like, two courses. Audio production and music business.

 

[Leon]