BMus or BA?

Fbjm

It's the million dollar question for me.

I love music, it's my life. I've stuff on iTunes, stuff on YouTube, honours and distinctions in piano grades up to grade 7, fleadh medals for trad etc. I live, eat and breathe music.

The downside of this though is the lack of job opportunities; I can't really think of anything other than a teaching career, possibly a career on the production side of things too but that's it.

With arts I'd do English music and an as-yet-unnamed subject, thus leaving my options wide open.

However, a BMus would be undoubtably more enjoyable, and I would be able to go on to get a PHD in music with the BMus whereas I don't know if I'd be able to bring myself to go on to do a masters, let alone a PHD if I was still dragging English and the yet to be named subject along.

My dad says English is hell that involves a lot of work and if it's not my vocation (which it's not) I should stick with the music (which is) and take it all the way.

The CAO closes in a matter of days now; what should I do?

randylonghorn

Fbjm wrote: »

With arts I'd do English music and an as-yet-unnamed subject, thus leaving my options wide open.

Where? 0_o

If it's NUIM, you just do the third subject in First Year, then take two subjects for Second and Third Year.

I think most colleges would be similar.

Fbjm

Yeah randy, it's nuim. Forgot to mention

Still though, even with only two subjects I think it'd be a struggle to keep going after getting my undergrad degree

God I hate these life-changing decisions... And only a week to decide...

randylonghorn

Tbh, I think you've answered your own question ...

Fbjm wrote: »

I love music, it's my life. I've stuff on iTunes, stuff on YouTube, honours and distinctions in piano grades up to grade 7, fleadh medals for trad etc. I live, eat and breathe music.

Fbjm

Yeah, but every time I tell people I'm going for a BMus they assume I want to be a teacher. I've nothing against teachers or anything, nothing at all. I wouldn't want to be one though, I've heard the pay isn't that great.

What good is an enjoyable course if you can't get a decent job out of it?

eVeNtInE

This post has been deleted.

randylonghorn

Tell people that you're going to do English and Music, and they will be even quicker to slot you into teaching in their heads. It really doesn't matter what people assume tbh.

Teachers are paid reasonably well considering other perks, e.g. decent holidays, and while it's not brilliant money when young, it does get a fair bit better with seniority. The real issue is more the lack of full-time permanent jobs at the moment, or probably in the medium-term.

Actually, the real issue is whether you find you enjoy teaching or not; it's probably too early to know yet, esp. with something like music.

And it's far from the only direction people can go with it, though admittedly unless you're really really good and quite lucky to boot, you might never be a millionaire. Is that more important than enjoying what you do, though?

Fbjm wrote: »

My dad says English is hell that involves a lot of work and if it's not my vocation (which it's not) I should stick with the music (which is) and take it all the way.

I wouldn't agree that English is hell, but if you don't enjoy it, it might begin to feel that way. But then so would any subject if you're not into it.

There IS a a lot of work and reading involved, your Dad is right there.

I can't tell you what to do; neither can your Dad; but I think both of us would agree that if you love something enough, that's what you should do. There's no guarantee that it will work out perfectly ... but there's a pretty good guarantee that if you do something you don't enjoy, the result will be the opposite of perfect!

randylonghorn

eV, gerrout of my head!!! :mad:

coffeelover

I always had it in my head that if you did a BA then you would have better job opportunities than just doing BMus.
But if your passion is music I think you should go for the BMus

scottg4life

I'm going into 5th Year in September and thinking of doing Music as well. I doing Grade 8 in September and in all of my piano exam with the Royal Irish Academy of Music I have not gotten lower that honours in all my Grades. I just love CLASSICAL music and I want to become a concert pianist. Hoping to study at the R.I.A.M. or DIT OR NUI Maynooth.
Any one who wants to talk about music courses or just music in general chat with me.

ceol1991

DO NOT DO ENGLISH ..I made the mistake of doing BA instead of BMUS even though I passed the audition etc ..was the exact same as you LIVE for music but I went on and studied Music, English and Anthropology through arts in NUIM ...I loved English in secondary school but it is NOT in any way shape or form similar in College and the people in the English department are not very approachable where as in Music they are amazing:) I study in first performance singing classically so its amazing I regret not having done BMUS because of my parents saying they're will be no jobs out of it bleh so I'm going back to 1st year:)

so do the BMus or don't pick English

Fbjm

thanks everyone for the advice, ended up putting BMus as my first choice and got the offer today, DELIGHTED thanks again

randylonghorn

Fbjm wrote: »

thanks everyone for the advice, ended up putting BMus as my first choice and got the offer today, DELIGHTED thanks again

Good for you! Very best of luck, hope you enjoy it immensely.