Music Major

Choosing to be a music major is a commitment like no other. It took me all the way until the end of my junior year for me to figure out I wanted to do it. However, the hard part is deciding on whether to pursue an education or a performance track. A music education degree is essentially two degrees in one, but for what seems like the same amount of credit hours. You are still required to have a primary instrument that you focus on and have to play adequately as well, because the music school has to decide to retain you each semester based on a jury. On the other hand, a performance major just has to get the music degree and has a lot of time set aside for just practicing. They also have to perform in more recitals and ensembles than an education major and also must pass a barrier performance at the end of their sophomore year.

I eventually could not choose between either track. I love playing too much to give it up most of it later in life, but I still wanted the education degree. I use the performance side of my two degrees to have a reason to push myself in my practice. I also chose Kennesaw State University because I wanted to follow my teacher in order to get the best lessons I can, because she is one of the best teachers around.  I still will have to go to graduate school like many other music majors in order to actually get a job in my field. It is best to study with well known teachers,that have the teaching styles you like, in order to build a resume.

 

Everyday Research

Music Research

On an everyday basis, I am always listening to reference recordings for the pieces I am playing. I spend many hours finding different recordings, so I can extend my perspectives on the piece I am listening to. Most of the time I use Spotify and Youtube for my recordings because they usually have professional artists and groups featured. This is to make sure I am getting the most out of the recording and I am not listening to mistakes. Also, the origin of the recording is very important, because different regions play pieces in varying styles.

Travel Research

Another area in my life I tend to do research is when I travel places, so I can create a timeline in order to be as efficient as possible. Google maps tends to be my choice of website, because of all of its useful features such as, checking traffic for the specific times of day and having a large amount of points of interest in its database. 

General Research

For general research throughout the day I use Google's card feature to find information. Google is usually great about immediately having reliable information about anything you search for with its algorithms. This makes it incredibly easy to find things like store hours, definitions, what movie that actor is from, etc. Also, these features are built right into the search engine, so you can dig deeper into the websites Google pulls up, and can help when the information is not readily available or might differ because of what day it is or any other reason.