Band in College

[HotCrossBunsClub]

4 hours ago, oddlynormal said:

And I will have to disagree with your disagreement.  I understand what you are saying about there being great junior colleges and community colleges.  I am not discounting the value of what you can learn there.  However, I do have a music education bachelors and a masters.  I also have been teaching for quite awhile.  My point is every university has its own system of music theory and common language.  Some universities use movable Do for sight singing and some used fixed Do.  Some use La based minor.  This can cause a major headache for transfer students who expect to transfer theory, aural skills, and keyboard credits over to their selected university.  When you audition as a transfer you do typically get placed in to your music core classes based on your understanding of these skills in adherence to their system.  If you are not successful on their terms then you get to start all over in the first portion of each of these classes.  Piano is a BIG one that gets a lot of transfer students.  

 

I am not at all discounting your post, but I have lived these experiences and I have had many students of mine go off to college to be music majors.  If you do choose to go to community college it is my personal view that you avoid taking music classes if you intend to go to a full 4 year university.  More often than not your College or School of Music will not take your transfer credits as anything more than an elective unless you can ace their placement test.  And even then, you have to do things their way to graduate.  Unless the community college you go to is somehow connected to the 4 year university you are going to, which is VERY unlikely, you may find your self with wasted money and time.  I have always told my students to take your common core classes at a community college during the summer and mini-mesters, and only do your music classes at your chosen university.  

 

Again, there are GREAT community college teachers, but you can find yourself on an entirely different system when you arrive to your university.  

MMMM KKKK

I also hold a bachelors and masters in Music and have been teaching quite a while. So basically what you are saying is that once you start music theory somewhere its impossible to transfer? What if you transfer from 4 year to another? I did this by the way and I was fine. Yes I had to work my way back to be able to pass a piano proficiency because I had been out of piano for a long time and I was not that great of a piano player to begin with, but I practiced and worked it out. ALSO my daughter has already decided where she is transferring to and they are accepting all her music classes. In Texas if you receive an Associates all of those credits must transfer. You clearly think you know and that is fine, but I am living it right now with my kid and your information is incorrect. 

[ClaireAnnette07isoldnow]

On 1/30/2025 at 12:03 PM, Serardian said:

Somehow I found this thread I started almost 20 years ago, darn! How many of yall are band directors now?? Lol

Don’t ask me how or why I ended up trying into break into my old account….out of boredom I guess….but this is the former ClaireAnnette07! I had to make a new account to reply to this because I did not know my old password lol.

Im definitely not a band director, but DID major in history at UT and joined the Symphony Band for a few semesters! Now I’m a high school counselor whose students are probably snooping through here now lol. (Hiiiii 👋🏻)

[clarinetistkai05]

My name is Kai and I am currently attending the University of North Texas (not as a music major). Last year I was a member of the Green Brigade and the UNT Concert Band, I am sad to report I had to drop music as a whole for mental health reasons. I have thought about going back; however, it’s just not in the cards for me with how my life is right now. If I do go back, it’ll likely just be for marching band. I’ll forever miss band but I know I made good memories.

[gregorydf01]

15 hours ago, clarinetistkai05 said:

My name is Kai and I am currently attending the University of North Texas (not as a music major). Last year I was a member of the Green Brigade and the UNT Concert Band, I am sad to report I had to drop music as a whole for mental health reasons. I have thought about going back; however, it’s just not in the cards for me with how my life is right now. If I do go back, it’ll likely just be for marching band. I’ll forever miss band but I know I made good memories.

So glad you are making decisions to take good care of yourself and hope you will still be watching and posting!   I have always enjoyed your thoughtful and cheerful input to TX Bands!   

[clarinetistkai05]

1 hour ago, gregorydf01 said:

So glad you are making decisions to take good care of yourself and hope you will still be watching and posting!   I have always enjoyed your thoughtful and cheerful input to TX Bands!   

Thank you! I never came out about it till now, but I made the decision myself after thinking it over. 

(To clarify: I’m only going back for concert band, not marching band. Marching is somewhat of the main factor as to why I quit)