Would you like to work in music? If so, you may be interested in completing a music business degree. Music schools tend to be in locations with excellent music scenes, local bands, and recording studios. Interestingly, there are different options available to you in order to get a degree. Let’s take a look at those options and their pros and cons.
- College Music Schools
A lot of colleges now include audio and recording programs. The best degrees will emphasize issues such as audio production. The benefit of this is that you will be immersed in a college environment, getting a broad education. Hence, you don’t just learn about recording, but about everything else as well. The downside, however, is that you may not get truly specialized training, resulting in a generalized degree. With the competitiveness of the music business, this may not be enough to put you ahead of the thousands of others who want to get in.
- Specialized Recording Schools
Going to schools that actually specialize in music, music business, production, and recording, may be a better option. You do need to make sure that these schools are accredited, however, which means that you need to do some research. The benefit of this type of education is that you gain a really specialized education, which means that you are more competitive. However, in order to truly be competitive, you need to have worked with the most up to date equipment, and the cost of remaining up to date is passed on to you. This means that the cost of these schools can be substantially higher.
- Mentor-Apprentice Options
The mentor-apprentice option is becoming increasingly popular. This is because it provides students with hands on experience in the music business itself. Rather than being in a clinical, academic environment, they are placed in the thick of it and get to understand what the business is about not just in theory, but in practice as well. With these programs, you will generally work together with local professionals, which is really interesting as well. There are many benefits to this option, not in the least that it is highly efficient and not as costly. Furthermore, it enables you to build important connections and networks while you learn. However, it is not a very well-known form of education yet, which means that your skills and experience may not be recognized. As such, you may be limiting yourself to working solely for the company where you found your mentor as well.
When you are looking for a music business degree program, you need to consider how you intend to learn about this, and what the pros and cons are. Take the time to do your research, and make sure you review at least three options in each category. That way, you are sure to be able to find the solution that works best for your personal needs, requirements, and vision in terms of your own future career.