DIY vs. Education Guidance

Chaseg89

New member
Hey everyone. New guy here just looking for some insight from those more experienced than myself. Music and playing has always been a huge part of my life but lost the passion for a while partly due to some poor life choices and partly because I never had the desire to be a performer. Long story short, pursued school/ a career path over the past ten years which left me very little time for music but have recently had my passion ignited again for music and the thought of being able to pursue a creative outlet. I love the thought of being able to have a career that could also serve as an outlet for musical creativity, however, I have a realistic view on careers in music.

I feel like I am behind the curve but have decided to start with just learning some music theory and trying to understand fundamentals. Have been considering pursuing some type of music production program/degree but the investment, especially from some of the more reputable schools, is a bit daunting. I’m not looking to get a degree because I necessarily think it will help me get a job, more because I feel like it will help me learn what I need to learn more quickly than I can DIY. Just trying to make the most informed decision I can before investing in school or in some equipment and DIY route.

Does anybody have any experience with a degree program? Has it been beneficial and would you recommend a degree program or would you choose a different route? Any insight or suggestions from those who have pursued an education or DIY would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
The decision depends on the kind of learner you naturally are. When I was doing the PGCE teaching course because I stupidly wanted to teach in a college, so much of the course was padding, but just a few really useful modules were in it - that, at the time, were just 'interesting', but in the 12 years I taught, really made sense.

People learn best by certain things happening. Some people like to sit and be taught in words (uni lecture style) - being talked at, often with little two way communication, or by one to one where two way communication works all the time. Others now need to watch YouTube exclusively. Other people can read about it, others have to physically get involved - the 'touchy-feelie' people. If you learn best being lectured to - then uni is an immediate match. You do however need to be able to do proper research, you need to be able to write properly, so if writing reports, collecting evidence and producing conclusions is your thing, then again - Uni is a winner. If you like to do things yourself, do your own private research and experiment - uni could be dull and unstimulating. I've always been what's called a kinaesthetic learner. So my audio experience was all based on my own experiences, development and critically, mistakes. I need to do it myself - I learn from the process. It means many blind alleys - course reversals and re-inventions, but they are learning experiences too. I hate lectures, I hate death by powerpoint and I hate going at the pace of the slowest learner. I learned to speed read when I was 9 (a school experiment my mum signed up for). It means that when a teacher says "right turn to page 103 and read to the end of the chapter" I'm done so fast, I get bored waiting for the slow ones. University is also very variable in quality. They are outside of the quality systems used in schools and colleges (at least in the UK) so very often university is the place where the education is available but they expect you to teach yourself using their facilities for much of the time. That can be good or bad, depending on you and how you need to learn. I cut my PGCE course down by three months because I raced ahead, completed the set works and had the craftiness to realise which module components were essential and which were padding - put in to fill it out by the course tutors. We were all older learners from different backgrounds and we soon spotted when we'd run to the end of each session plan, because that was she'd say "Right, in groups of 6, use the whiteboards to feedback ......" This was what she did every time we completed. Me and two others handed our years work in, told them we'd passed and that was that! We were warned it would have to go to the university board because we'd fail education sub-system management (which I found out was NOT even in the course, but was the tutor's specialist subject.) We said fine, take to to the board, and we all passed fine!

For me - the best way to learn a new subject is to have a need - a real one. My best advances have alway been when I say yes to something and then have to learn it as I work best under real pressure. Give me a 3 month deadline and I'll get turned right off. Give me a 3 day deadline and I'm off. I love the excitement of pressure of the right kind. My first pro music event was when somebody wanted a bass player who could sing and was struggling. Do you know anyone? I said - I'll do it! Really? Yep, no sweat. I got given two 60 min sets, three written out, the rest as mp3s to listen with the backing left and BV and bass right. 3 days later I wander out on stage in front of 5000 people and really had a great time. Don't think I slept much in three days - because although I can play bass, I'd never actually tried singing and playing at the same time. Good way to learn. I love saying yes to things I've never done and then having a mega learning curve. It suits me, but other people would find that impossible. I for example really struggle with words. melodies are fine, but words for even well known songs are so difficult to learn because I have to read them. Listening to them doesn't work.

Do you think uni is best for you? I know you asked us, but the answers will all be individual and might not work for you.
Try one of these tests to settle your style in your head.
What's Your Learning Style? 20 Questions
 
Thanks for such a thorough response! I hadn’t really considered my learning style in my decision making. I definitely tend to be a more experiential learner. I think I am a more “hands on” learner, or at least retain what I learn better with that method. I guess the biggest appeal of a school environment is the structure aspect. I have already been a little overwhelmed trying to determine where to start on my own. I would be able to make an investment in all the equipment I would need to get started on a home scale but there is so much to learn it’s hard to know where to start, getting overwhelmed usually leads to decision paralysis for me. Haha.
 
One further thing to consider. How old are you? If you have been out of education for a while is that you might be thinking that university=structure, and because people pay (LOTS in the UK, not sure where you are) then they'll all be mega keen. This is so wrong. Loads of people on the courses are there for very odd reasons. Few seem to know anything about the real world, work, and some don't have any interest. My colleague's son has Asbergers and found it overwhelming when he wanted to learn and soak it up, he was in small groups with totally disinterested people. In music and music technology, you need other people. If you want to record you need musicians, and he found it exasperating when he'd arrange studio time, book equipment and then the band wouldn't turn up.

Go to see the places but instead of being shepherded around by the staff, nobble the students and ask them questions. Imagine working with them - would they be useful, or a hindrance.
 
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