A Brief foreword
I posted the following on Facebook on July 25, 2020:
“To my music teacher friends:
I’ve been reflecting a bit on whether or not my decision to pursue a dual degree in music and an outside field was a good one and I realized that, at the time I made the decision, I didn’t have any perspective from someone who had done it before. I might’ve liked to have that.
So: Would it be helpful to you to have a document to refer your students to that compiles information about what that life is like and questions they should ask themselves before jumping in?
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it and I think I have a lot of good insights, but just don’t know if they actually have value to others or if it’s best left as an internal exercise in reflection and introspection.”
With many of my friends affirming the value of such a document, I set about creating it. This document is the result of that work. I hope it equips students with more of the information they need to make decisions about their musical futures.
I should note that, in the rest of the document, I don’t articulate an opinion as to whether a student should or shouldn’t pursue a dual degree in music and an outside field. However, I’ll say here that I’m generally very supportive of the idea in the abstract - my experiences in both music and engineering have irreplaceably enriched my life. Additionally, I want to note explicitly that my intention to avoid articulating this opinion applies to the situations of students who are currently not considering a dual degree in music and an outside field but are maybe feeling some (external) pressure to consider it.
I plan for this document to evolve as I survey people with relevant experiences and incorporate their perspectives - major revisions will be noted below. Please feel free to contact me with questions and comments.
R.C.
July 28, 2020
Orlando, FL
N.B. Throughout this document, I use “DDMOF” to refer to “dual degree in music and an outside field” and “OF” to refer to “outside field.”
Version 1.0 - July 28, 2020