Every college major has its challenges, misconceptions and benefits, and this does not exclude the Vocal Music major. As a vocal student, I have found that both entering students and people outside of the program often falsely assume that Music majors do not have a lot of work in their program, making it an easy major. Ironically, through my own experience and interviewing other students, time and workload hold the top positions of the biggest challenges for vocal students. Despite the heavy workload, life as a music student has many benefits — some of which students in other fields can enjoy by participating in programs and events open to students from all majors.
People often think Music majors do not have a heavy workload.
“I always get, ‘oh, I am going to study music because it is an easy major,’” Jennifer Smith, a 2012 graduate of Sinclair’s Music department said.
When asked if he had any misconceptions about the Music major when entering the program, Matt Poliachik, a new voice student and Vice President of Sinclair’s Choral Music Association said, “It is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be.”
In my own experiences, I have found that the amount of work involved in the vocal program actually surprises people.
Like other fields at Sinclair, Music majors must fulfill a variety of general education requirements, as well as degree-specific requirements. Vocal students take classes in Music Theory, Ear-Training, Applied Voice, Music History, Vocal Ensembles and more.
Smith reports that she had to take about 20 credit hours a term in order to graduate in two years.
As I finish up my program this year, I am taking seven different courses that only add up to 12 credit hours of coursework, because music classes range from one to three credit hours per course. Just because a music class is only worth one credit, does not necessarily mean it requires less work. Students will find that their Aural Skills (Ear-training) course, worth one credit hour, meets for two and a half hours each week and involves about six hours of homework a week.
Because of the many hours of coursework and practice time required, many vocal students agree that a lack of time tops the list of the biggest challenges for Vocal majors.
Both Smith and Poliachik report practicing their Applied Voice music for approximately 10 hours a week. Music classes start early in the morning, and many of the ensembles meet late into the night, so some students may find themselves on campus for more than 12 hours during select days of the week. Some other common challenges include taking care of one’s voice, staying focused and having to process a lot of information at once.
Majoring in music has its frustrations and difficulties, but Music majors find that the benefits outweigh the challenges.
Poliachik enjoys the opportunities that music gives him to express himself and Smith said she enjoys the connections she made while on campus.
Because many of the courses in the music program are two-year sequences, Smith said, “The people you start with in this program usually follow through till the end of the program.”
She also said that Sinclair’s program adequately prepared her for a smooth transition into her bachelors degree when she transferred to the University of Dayton.
In my experiences, I have found that my vocal studies have helped me in other areas of academia, such as teaching me the importance of consistent study, body language and vocal projection.
Sinclair’s Music department offers many opportunities for both Vocal majors and non-majors to get involved on campus. All of Sinclair’s music ensembles offer open auditions to any student regardless of major. Sinclair’s Choral Music Association Club actively works to spread awareness of musical activities on campus, and students automatically join the club upon entrance into an ensemble. None of the music concerts charge admission, so students and the general public can enjoy vocal and instrumental ensemble and solo performances free of charge.
Though the Vocal Music program has more challenges than many people assume, we enjoy the many benefits of our program, and we welcome people from every field to join us in creating music.