For me, choosing a major was both an easy and a difficult decision. I had been playing the cello since I was ten years old, and music was my favorite thing. I played in school orchestra, I started several bands throughout middle school and high school, and music was generally a big part of my life. I also had a lot of other things going on. I had an after school job at a floral shop, that I loved. I was into visual art – painting, drawing, ceramics, and photography, as well as literature and poetry.
During my junior year of high school, I had to decide whether I would audition for college music schools. The audition process happens senior year of high school, for admission to music programs. I remember it being a difficult decision – I knew I loved music, but I also had other interests. I knew that if I decided to pursue music school, I would have to really focus on that goal, meaning increasing my practice time, and having less time for other things. I decided to go for it, because I had a deep love for music, and was intrigued by the idea of entering a college program that would allow me to pursue that love in a very focused way.
I got a new (and more serious) cello teacher. She was a substitute cellist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and she helped me prepare for college auditions. With my parents’ support, I quit my job at the floral shop, and I focused my efforts on preparing for college auditions. Until this point, I had never practiced so many hours, or so intensely, and as a result I ended up getting tendonitis, and having to wear a wrist brace for much of my senior year. All of this – the long hours, the intensity, the injury concerns – was, as it turned out, a glimpse into what life in music school, and ultimately, life as a freelance musician, would be.
I ended up being accepted to the DePaul University School of Music in Chicago, as a cello performance major. I was also accepted to University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign, but I chose DePaul because I really wanted to live in a city. The program was “conservatory style,” meaning my schedule was heavy on music classes and light on liberal arts classes. I sometimes wonder if I might have made a different decision if I had been able to choose a major after starting college, rather than before. But these decisions are never easy, no matter when we make them.
How are you going about choosing your major?
by Ellen
KU Career Center 