Lighting the Way: Making Paths Clearer for Musicians on the Next Step

A huge block in the road for prospective music students may reach them when they are looking forward to the next step in their music education: the application and selection process for higher institutions of music education differs significantly from the application process that most students go through to attend college. Without the proper guidance from teachers, counselors, and other mentors in their high school education, students may find themselves completely lost in a discipline that can tend to make assumptions about student goals and cost lots of money in the process. Throughout this thesis, undergraduate music students will offer insight about the paths that they took to receiving their degrees alongside advice from college professionals that devote their professional lives to helping ensure that these students are successful. In addition, the culture and accepted curricula of collegiate music will be analyzed with a close lens to try and answer questions of what universities and other institutions of higher learning tend to value in the music discipline. In concluding remarks, this information will be synthesized to offer specific advice to help future college music students find their way.