Music School: Is It Worth the Money?

Every single person in history who has ever played an instrument has at one point wished they were better at it. And at that moment one thought usually follows: music school. I might not be that well-versed in the arts of playing my guitar, but as a recent college desperate job seeker graduate the same principles of going to journalism school can be applied to music school as well. The school itself plays an important part, but the most important factor is YOU.

Trey Xavier of Gear Gods just published a thought-provoking editorial on the matter. Here’s an excerpt:

If you’re not at least a little bit of a self-starter, your teachers are going to become babysitters holding your hand instead of guiding your musical journey. You need to be actively pursuing your own education – teachers don’t go out of their way to help you get where you want to go if you’re not also putting in the work at home, or you haven’t done enough on your own before getting to school.

And it’s a good point. Just like going to a four-year university, you need to be self-motivated to work. Unlike high school, your instructors aren’t going to lord over you and try to make sure you’re learning. No one is going to MAKE you go to your classes or do the work, but if you don’t then you won’t learn. And that can become even more difficult when you take into consideration that you don’t actually have to be there if you don’t want to be.

More importantly than all of that, school isn’t always a good decision financially, which is even more true with music than almost anything else. Everything you could ever want to learn about how to play the guitar or any other instrument can be found online, which takes away the cost and time commitment of a formal music school.

So, what do you think: do you know you need an instructor to help push you to learn, or are you better off learning on the internet?

Here’s the link to the full editorial on Gear Gods once again.