I decided to pursue a career in music

[Da_Funk420]

Yeah, everyone wants to be a rockstar and so do I but I just want to get real and make a career out of music. I dont care about the money.

I recently "graduated" high school but I only walked and they denied my diploma because I was apparently missing 2 credits. I'm thinking about getting my GED.
Everyone tells me I need to go to college and seek a real career or whatever but I didn't have the highest GPA in school or anything because I was a troublemaker and so the idea of getting a scholarship might be out the door for me. And a loan, I could most likely get, BUT, at the moment I'd be getting in debt for nothing. I don't know what I would want to major in. All do know is that I enjoy playing the guitar and all the other instruments and recently realized that THIS is what I want to do for a living in one way or another but I'm lost with this too because I don't know many musicians or people who could give me some advice on what I should do to get properly prepared and accredited for a professional career in music.
I don't want to be a doctor, or a corporate person working behind a desk all day, and I dont want to be bagging groceries for 7.50 all my life either.

One school that has caught my attention though has been The Musicians' Institute in Hollywood, California. They have all the tools and learning I need to develop myself as a musician but I hear its expensive and all this other crap. I don't want to go to a college feeling lost like I did in high school. I've never been in a band, and I'm trying to start one with some people but I can't convince these guys to agree on a strict schedule or regiment for practicing and rehearsing actual music rather than just noodling around and making noise. I've been playing for roughly 2 to 3 years and am self taught and I need to get serious now and take a direction that has me around the music making atmosphere and environment. I NEED IT AND CRAVE IT!!

I tried talking to my HS councelor and other people who are knowledgable about going to college and getting normal degrees and **** but they say I need to get off cloud 9 and get real and get a career in something more realistic.. **** THAT!

This is the first time I've posted or told anyone about this because my family and peers think I'm just a dreaming idiot who needs to wake up...I dont care, I'll do whatever it takes to be a respectable musician.

Is there anyone out there that could give me some advice or criticism on what I should do to pursue this?

[El_Goodo]

Wow this thread seems eerily similar to the one in the guitar forum!

[Da_Funk420]

**** you

[El_Goodo]

That was hurtful and unnecesarry.

[Da_Funk420]

im sorry

[Angelicrock]

Dont go to the musicians institute. Ive looked into it and its crap. I talked to some of their "recruiters" and a lot of the instructors dont have degrees in music. What you should do is at least get your GED and take some music classes at a community college. Bring your GPA up there and then find a college that has a great music program. That is your best bet right now. I dont want to seem like a dick but that is really the only way people are going to take you serious. You need the degree. Musicians arent well respected in the world especially when they arent musically educated, so to get a decent job you will need it. Anyway, I wish the best of luck to you and if you have any questions about the college process let me know. I am currently studying music in college and am on the road to get a degree.

Also, are you in Southern California or are you just interested in the institute here?

[Da_Funk420]

im interested in the Institue. I live in Arkansas.
Like in Novemeber we had a career planning class and we took an aptitude test and all kinds of other sh*t, the results came out that I'd excel in the entertainment industry(acting, music, theatre, radio) and showed me some schools that could had programs and MIT stood out the most to me.


Do you have an email address or some other way to chat with you about the college process?

[MikeyB11]

im interested in the Institue. I live in Arkansas.

Do you have an email address or some other way to chat with you about the college process?


do you have a continuation school or adult school you can attend? The same thing happened to me (er sort of, kinda just stopped going senior year.) Went to an adult school on the other side of town, I learned so much more about responsibility and myself there since the teachers there actually cared! it was a bitch to get through but I busted my arse and was able to finish about 3 months after I started. If you can get your high school diploma somehow its much more worth it than the GED.

Its true employers can't seperate a GED from someone with a diploma at time of being hired, but if you want a promotion most of the time theyll go with the person with the high school diploma, or higher education. Always educated yourself, and achieve your goals. Also dont go to Musicians institute, youll get nothing done there but probably get drunk and end some corner of hollywood blvd every day. (oh wait the campus is off of some corner on hollywood blvd) its shady man, much better places to go.

[the_only_singer]

You say you want a career in music, yet you don't care about the money?

As much as us true music lovers and musicians like to say we don't want to do it for the money we still need the money if we are truly trying to make a career from creating music. Though I totally understand the concept and I too am in it for the love of music but let's face it, I love the green as well.

[telewhore]

the_only_singer said what I was gonna say.


You've got to care about making money, it's your job. Try being straving living in your car playing to shows of 4 kids. Just try it.

[moogoogaipan]

I don't know what to tell you, but I will give you support.

Go for it... seriously. I hate pessimistic bull****, and that's what a majority of people will give you. It's ****ing infuriating.

If you want to do it, there's nothing stopping your except for yourself. So... get out there and do something about it.

[Merkaba]

Get the GED....and do it NOW before you get lazy. NOW!!

Then do whatever you like. ANd yes, care about the money. Its cliche to say that anyways now...everyone cares about money if you like having clean clothes, decent clean food, and a place to live. And are you gonna ride a bike?

Anyways...best wishes.

[Angelicrock]

my e-mail address is aaronevil@gmail.com

[telewhore]

I don't know what to tell you, but I will give you support.

Go for it... seriously. I hate pessimistic bull****, and that's what a majority of people will give you. It's ****ing infuriating.

If you want to do it, there's nothing stopping your except for yourself. So... get out there and do something about it.
Hell yea, if it's what he wants to do, then by all means do it. I'm just saying think it through first. Don't just wake up and decide, "I wanna sing in a band." or some such other nonsense. If you wanna make this a living, you've gotta treat it just like anyother job. You need to make money. You're selling yourself. Your image, your music. It's a hard job. hard as hell, and I wouldn't want to do it.

[Aus_rock_god]

Okay dude, listen up.

I know how you feel, because I'm doing the same thing, so I'm going to give you the honest truth about what it's like.

A career in music is very realistic, but you have to take it seriously.

The first thing I'll tell you is that a career in music is about dedication, and dedication is like bacon and eggs:
The chicken is involved, but the pig is dedicated.

Here's some tips:

Get as much sleep as you can, when you can. Because you're not going to get a lot of it. When you're on the road, you won't be getting a lot of sleep.

Get used to sleeping in unusual places. You'll be sleeping on a lot of couches for many years, you have to get used to it.

This may sound a little strange but work on your ability to get a one night stand. When the rest of the band is sleeping on couches, and eating salada biscuts, it's a good feeling when you know that you get to sleep in a soft bed, get a free feed and cop a root at the same time.

Know where you can get a good bargin when it comes to food. Never order the lobster until you get that million doller contract, settle for stuff from bakerys, and pasta.

Don't blow your money on drugs. Because you'll go hungry, and when you're stoned the hunger is worse.

Know when you've got a good musician in your band, and know when you have a sh!t one. If you end up bringing somone in your band that turns out to be sh!t, don't be afraid to boot them. Every day you have somone holding the band back because they can't play, is another week you won't have any good gigs.

Only have musicians that want a career in music in your band. Hobby guys will get in the way. They might be fun to jam with, but when you're pulling them along, and they really aren't interested in playing music for a living, don't keep them in your band, it will only p!ss you off.

Treat your band like a job that you enjoy. Your bandmates are your workmates. You're a team. They are your best friends, your family, your support and your buisiness partners. But the more time you spend getting drunk or stoned during band rehursal is less time you'll get in the studio.

Don't be afraid to ask for your money. Reality is, you're in it for the music, and you don't care about the money, but you want to do this as a career. You'll have rent to pay, food to buy, equiptment to maintain and petrol to syphon to get to the next gig or rehursal.

If 10 people each pay you $5 short, you've just lost $50, which is 5 days of food.

Even if you get ripped off 50c, ask for it, because as a local band, if you don't get used to demanding that 50c, you won't know what to do when you get ripped off $6,000.

Don't forget your musical morals. NEVER EVER EVER change your musical style because that's what people are buying. This is an act of desperation, and we all know that this is why no-one likes Simple Plan, and why they'll be gone in a year.

Iron Maiden have been around for 35 years, because they do what they love. Blink 182 were only around for 6 because they sold out.

Realise there's a reason why big rock stars live in mansions. Life in music is NOT glamourous. It is tough, stressful and at times terrifying. You might be living like a bum for a decade. This is why when rock stars hit the big time, they go and get a mansion. It's a reward. But away from that mansion, even huge bands like Metallica or Coldplay are doing the same things you'll be doing: Not showering for days because you don't have time, eating cheep food, sleeping on busses and planes when you get the chance, putting up with having to share a hotel room with your bandmates, while they get layed and you don't.

When you see a rock star in person, the person you'll see is completely different to the one you see on TV, or in a filmclip. Often, they're just like you.

Learn EVERYTHING there is to know about music. Even knowing the buisness and technical side will help you with your career.

Be patient. Even if you know you're the greatest guitarist/bassist/drummer on the planet, you're not going to get anywhere unless you know the right people. The more you get to meet people, even on the local level, the more potential you'll have to making it.

It could take years, but if you're patent and put the feelers out for people with the same dream, you'll find them.

Don't rush, there's nothing worse you can do for your career, but know when you have to work harder.

Exchange phone numbers. With bands, fans, roadies, agents, anyone with anything to do with music. No-one is going to give you a hot tip, or refer you to somone, unless they know your number. Likewise, you'll find that there will come a time when you wish you grabbed that roadie's number, or you hear that a band that supported you just hit the big time and you want to call them up for congratulations (and to try and get a support slot).

You also, never know when you'll lose a member of your band, and you need somone new in.

Don't be afraid to ask for help. Know when running your career is interfereing with being a musician, and don't be afraid to look for a manager or agent, to take care of all that annoying paperwork.

Never forget why you started. There will come a time when you don't like who you've become. The months of sleeping on couches, having one night stands so you can have a bed and a free feed, getting ripped off, copping abuse from the audience, fights with bandmates will wear you down and turn you into a very bitter person (it happens to everyone). Some musicians turn to drugs to help this, others quit music, others kill themselves, but the best thing to do is remember why you started music in the first place, and how much you love it.

Don't aim for your band to become rich, aim for them to become immortal. Don't try to write music or make a sound that will sell well, write music that will be remembered. What song do you remember better? Lou Baker - Mambo Number 5, or Queen - Bohemian Rapsody?


The longer you stay in the game, and play ball, and stand up for yourself, the more successful you will be.

[Trigger_003]

Mambo No. 5; this kid near us has some obsession with it and plays it full blast all the time. Annoys the hell outta me. :p

Haha, anyway, this guy was one I had in mind when I suggested you come here.
And The K of course, but I don't see him round much any more :(.

Great advice there man :).

You say you want a career out of music, but do you specifically mean rocking it out on stage?
There are heaps and heaps of musical careers that don't necessarily mean you're out there in a band or going solo. Managers/A&R/producers/event managers/agents, sound and lighting techs, music lawyer (though this might be out of the question - not sure how your education system really works over there), recording, heaps of other areas in promotion, music journalist, author of musically related books, publisher, songwriter/composer/jingle writer (yes, you can get a job in this)/score writer/arranger, band master/conductor, examiner, tutor, researcher (huh? Well, for instance, in musicology, ethnomusicology, anything related to integrating music to IT...), instructional teacher, school music teacher, lecturer, instrument maker/tech... I could go on for ages, but I think you get the idea.

Many musicians are exceptionally happy with these. They get a lot of joy seeing their students grow or whatever, still usually get to play, and it (can be) far less stressful than going on tour, having fights with your band mates, feeling groggy and dirty all the time for the reasons Jason mentioned... I don't know, that lifestyle just isn't for some people. But just remember that there are a lot of other ways that you can still play music and/or be surrounded by it each day, and you can still do what you love.

That's not to say that you shouldn't go for performing if you think you'll have the dedication to achieve that. I just don't want you giving up if you feel you're not going anywhere and turning to a lousy office job that you don't want to be in. You may or may not be the kind of person to do that and from what I know of you so far, I can't come to an accurate conclusion.
Another thing to think of is getting a reasonably stable career in the music industry and building up your performance stuff on the side. Many people talk of a "backup", but rarely point out that can be in another area of the music industry, not in another career all together. And this way, you're entirely able to get known by more and more musicians because you're surrounded by them all the time.

Music is a real career. It's just as real as getting into IT, accounting, whatever. You've still got to put in the hard work to get a sustainable job.
The common misconception, as you're obviously seeing, is that music is not. But those people, most of the time, are not involved with anyone in the music industry, and base it all upon what they see and hear about pop artists.

Even some of the older people in my family (despite having a very musically inclined extended family with several doing well in the States and here) sometimes burst out with comments like "Ah, but music's so hard to get into!" and "But you're academic, you can get into a great job!"
Yeah, music is a pretty great job.

Seriously, if you know you can do it, it's just as achievable as anything else you might set your heart on. The majority of the task is working out what you want to do and a really good set of reasons for why (a lot more detailed than "I like music"). If you've got a strong enough incentive, the 'how' works out for you.

On another note, if your band is fighting already, as Jase said, do something about it now. Find some other musicians, or solve the problem if possible. As a band you've gotta be able to work together, and if that isn't happening, there are strong chances that they won't in the near future. The chances are something you'll have to work out for yourself. But yeah, don't be afraid to kick out a member.
If you're dedicated, you WANT dedication. Dedicated members + those who want to stuff around =/= (generally) a successful band.

If your councillor is saying get a real career, don't go to them any more. There are others out there. Contact some other teachers about it, anyone involved with careers, subject selection, anything... most schools have more than one person you can talk to about it. Also get onto your school's music teacher and talk to them.

Also, you're going to want support from your family. It makes things a lot easier. If you take a really thorough and dedicated approach to it, and I mean amazingly dedicated, they should see that this is a viable option. Eventually, if you stick at it, they'll come around. Probably more so if you say you're looking into teaching music at school or whatever, as they're likely to see this as more of a "real" career.
If they're the kind of people that are easy to talk to, sit down with them some time once you've collected your ideas a bit. Some things you might wish to know are, more specifically, the areas you want to work in, what you need to get into these areas, where you want to go, what you're going to do about it, possibly how you're going to afford it and the income you're going to be able to achieve once you get there (if it's something that you can measure... being a teacher for instance; other things aren't as easy to tell with).
You might also like to bring someone else from the music industry into your discussions, or refer your parents to them. Finding someone convincing in the first place helps, sure, but if you're taking the advice above and getting out there in the industry, you should be able to find at least a few people that could be useful to your cause.

Most parents are going to care enough that if you prove to them that this IS what you want to and are going to do, they'll get behind you with it.

Hope that helps :thumb:

Oh and btw, there are many resources out there, but one site that you may want to look at is http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onemusic/howto/

[musicNEVERdies]

:thumb: If you're really serious you're gonna have to make lots of sacrifice.If you're ready to do that then go ahead and pursue your dream.Best of luck to you

[Da_Funk420]

Im thankful for all of your advice whether it was pessimistic or for the better.

Yes I totally understand that life on the road and performing is not glamorous. I know it takes many years, and dedication and sometimes luck to make it even out of your local scene or in it.

This decision to play music for a career has constantly been picking on my mind for the past 2 or 3 years. I've been playing guitar and getting better and even picking up jobs at a music pavillion in my town where I have learned a lot about setting instruments and sound on a professional stage. Big learning experience for me. I've been getting emails, and numbers of a few musicians who are playing gigs in my town. I wanted to go to college and pursue a normal career but nothing attracts me more than making music. Hell I was 3 years old and I was analyzing tapes of 80s music for hours and hours when that music was still somewhat popular. I analyzed it but I didnt know what I was looking for in the music...All I talk about is music. All I think about is music. its nearly unhealthy. I want to do music. It would be nice to get rich doing this but at the moment I just want to get my foot in the door properly. So Im seeking advice from people who are more knowledgable.
I could go to my local high school and join one of those emo bands but none of those kids are in it for the long haul. They are of no use to me....

And I think I'm gonna stop jamming with the guys I was starting a band with because all they truly care about is trying to get laid by chicks that wont give it up and doing drugs, I called them up the past 2 days to jam but they're always already doing something and so I'll schedule a time to jam and then I'll call them to see if they're ready and they apologize saying that they forgot. I'm going nowhere with these guys.

I think I'm just going to chill out and practice for a few more months in my room with a metronome and find a few guitar lessons before i seek out to start another band or join one.

[Moseph]

Lou Baker - Mambo Number 5, or Queen - Bohemian Rapsody?

I find it especially poignant that the guy's name is Lou Bega. Not Baker.

If that doesn't stress his point, nothing will.

[Lifes A Bath Sex Is Water]

Ok, don't go to music school if you want to be a rockstar. A degree won't do anything for you if that's your plan. If you want to do the realistic thing and not plan on getting famous, then you have some serious work ahead of you.
You're self taught so, sorry to say it, but kiss the idea of a scholarship goodbye. Unless you are some kind of hardcore genius then no school is going to consider you scholarship worthy. Also, because you're self taught school is probably going to be really hard for the first year at least.

But go for it if you beleive in god or something.

good luck

[gunsNroses9167]

go to berklee school of music in boston. steve vai and john petrucci went there, and alot of other people. Try prodiction, or if you realy wanna play maybe and session guitarist?