Music School: To Go or Not To Go?

Whether or not one should attend music school may depend on what sort of musician you are.  For classical musicians, music school offers the structured formality one will need to adapt to in order to make a career playing in the symphonies and orchestras of the world.  Jazz musicians also may benefit from music school where they can learn theory, site reading and other skills that can add depth and versatility to their playing.

Certainly most musicians can benefit from some training somewhere.  However many of our greatest artists are completely self-taught.

For rock and popular musicians in particular, the question of music school is a little trickier.  Do you know how many of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Who or Led Zeppelin attended music school?  None.  Nor did Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, the Strokes, Oasis, the White Stripes, Bob Dylan or Elvis Presley for that matter.

Music school offers a formalized style of musical training that cuts like a double-edged sword.  On the one hand it can improve your technique, increase your versatility and smooth over your rough edges.  On the other hand, in the arena of rock and pop music it is often our rough edges that define us.  Can you imagine Bob Dylan or Mick Jagger if they’d had vocal lessons and learned to sing smoothly like Bobby Darin?  I doubt that we’d even be talking about them now.

However there are people who come out of music school with great chops and become successful session players, backing up other artists either recording or on tour.  While these people may not be the innovators or the artists that define their cultural moment, they may enjoy successful careers doing what they love.  And in truth the music industry needs them to.  In fact skilled, versatile players and savvy producers are often what are needed to make the music of a diamond-in-the-rough creative type palatable to the mainstream.

The question of whether or not to attend music school largely comes down to the individual.  Knowing what kind of musician you are and what kind of career you want is important when making this decision.  Are you a classical virtuoso or a rock & roll renegade?  Are you an edgy guitar-poet or a jazz explorer? 

Knowing what your strengths and weaknesses are is also important.  Consider this.  If you’re a talented young artist with a distinct sound, attending music school may be taking yourself out of the running during the years when many artists carve out their success.  Money spent on an expensive music school could be put towards recording the demo or independent album that launches your career.

There is no doubting that music school can be very beneficial to many, many people.  However, it is certainly not for everyone.