Audition Day....college rant...

Today was audition day. This leaves me astonished that I've lasted as long as I have here... 2 years down, unsure about how many more to go.

I have a problem with introducing myself to people... Not necessarily new people, like new people in the dorms, but people that are considering to come here for school. The worst thing I said today was "psh....yea... music majors are forced to have like 30 credit hours per semester here if they want to graduate in 4 years".

Now, that was not a lie. I can't help but to blurt out stuff like that, since as an upcoming college freshman, I was quite naive. I figure it's best not to sugarcoat reality, so I'm going to tell you how it is for a music major. I'm not complaining, since I signed up for it, but this is the real truth.

First off, my initial plan was to graduate in 4 years, as the handbook suggests that it takes 4 years to get a bachelor's degree in the event that you don't transfer or drop classes. Why do I want to graduate in 4 years? It isn't because I want to get married and have kids, nor is it because I am desperate for a job and a life out from under my parent's roof. Although that would be nice, I don't mind the situation I'm in right now. The real reason I want to graduate in 4 years is because scholarships run out after 4 years. This is definitely not fair for music majors. Nationally, it takes 5 years for a music ed. major to graduate without killing over.

Why is this not fair???
I'm not sure if most people know this, but the majority of students have to have special permission from the Provost to take more than 18 credit hours. That's different for music majors. The maximum number of credit hours we're allowed to take before we have to get permission to take more is 21. 21 credit hours? Oh, it's only 3 more than the average student here...
NO. WRONG.
The average number of credit hours among Glenville State College music majors is 23. 23 hours. I'm one of the low ones, averaging 18.6 hours/semester. That number continues to rise per semester.
Lets see... We're required to take concert band and choir every semester, along with an additional ensemble. We get 1 credit hour for each ensemble, when the time spent with each ensemble per week runs as follows:
concert choir: 3 hours
marching band (fall): 6 hours plus home football games
concert band (spring): 3 hours
percussion ensemble: 4 hours, plus quite a few weekends...weekends count as 6 hours in themselves.
chamber singers, jazz band, brass ensemble, woodwind ensemble: 3 hours/week each
The average number of hours per week in rehearsal for these ensembles does not include individual practice time and concerts.
All of those are 1 credit hour? How is that fair?
My favorite class is music theory. It is fairly weighed at 4 credit hours.
Applied lessons= 1 credit hour. How many hours per week do you think I practice piano? Let's say at least 7. Probably more, plus I'm dealing with recital stuff.
Oh... don't forget pedagogy classes. We get 2 credit hours for those, which is actually about right.

Besides that, we have to take all the education courses and general studies. Am I seriously going to use college algebra or have a need to distinguish between sandstone and granite when I'm conducting a choir? No. There's that extra year or two of my time and money. General studies suck.

While I think it is important to be a well-rounded person, I also believe that college should be intended to prepare you for YOUR field. More emphasis should be placed on that without all of this "well-rounded" nonsense. I realize that survey courses are designed to give you a broad understanding of the subject, but I am NEVER going to use square roots, even while teaching the mathematical components of music, just like a Biology major is probably never going to need to know about Bach's contribution to key signatures. I would much rather spend the 3 hours of time in Earth Science lab on seriously learning the fingerings for clarinet, although I hate clarinet. I appreciate all of the other subjects, but I really don't care. Then again, I can't convince everyone that music is awesome. There has to be a desire to learn.

What might I use out of general studies?
Basic math- fractions are used in music all the time, plus I'll need to be able to balance my checkbook and average grades. I learned that in middle school.
English- Since I speak everyday, I suppose English is up there on the priority list. Do I give a hoot about Shakespeare? No, but after 19 years of experience with the language, I think I can write a fairly cohesive sentence and speak eloquently if need be. What it all boils down to is communication, and although one of my biggest pet peeves is incorrect word-usage, like "my shoes are over their", I'm fine as long as the point gets across.
Science- I suppose it would be useful to understand anatomy and physiology for breath support purposes, and a little bit of biology to maintain health and wellness within a band/choir. At some point, I may have to explain why having sex on the back of the band bus is not a wise decision, or I may have to decide to stay inside and work on music if it is too hot outside to practice a field show... Gotta keep the students healthy.

That's it. I do not need to know the atomic number of Helium.

I am also angry that the fine arts survey courses are not taken seriously. If they want people to be well rounded, why am I forced to spend so much time with Earth Science, Biology, and another science, when the non-music majors are only required to take 2 credits of fine arts survey classes? I did not buy a book for my survey of arts class because of the reputation of the class. Why can't they make the music survey class as difficult as my Earth Science class, which, by the way, is a 101 level SURVEY course that is treated like a higher level class.

We learn in educational psychology about the theory that people are predisposed to a certain subject or talent. Even Howard Gardner states that although people possess some qualities of all the intelligences, they are usually only really proficient with one or sometimes two of the intelligences. Why force subjects into people's brains when everyone is different?