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what should I minor in

Started by August 22, 2006 03:11 PM
3 comments, last by hplus0603 18 years, 3 months ago
I am going to getting my undergrad and am getting a major in muic composition but what minor should I go for? What will look best on a resume to studios looking to hire me. I would like to minor in philosophy or psycology but I thought they wouldnt do me any good. I thought business would be a smart choice but it sounds so boring!!! I also thought about minoring in education because I teach guitar right now for a living but it doesnt seem like they give me an option to minor only to major.
Jim Welch
WelchCompositions
Most won't care if you even have a degree is music but I would suggest that if you have a music technology program, to minor in that, or along with your composition degree, attend a recording workshop, and get a recording engineers certificate.

Business is also nice, but I would suggest just taking a few classes in business as well.
Sean Beeson | Composer for Media
www.seanbeeson.com
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Sound Engineering / Music Production is very important to learn because it will help you a lot in the future.

As for studios looking for hire, they just want a really skilled person, they don't care what you learn in theory.

If your primary goal is to get hired full-time by a game development studio, I'd be hesitant to pursue a traditional music major like performance, education, or music theory. I think you might be better off doing music technology or synthesis, or music/audio production and engineering. Studios seem to be a lot more interested in hiring full-time people with technical music and audio backgrounds than "pure" music degrees. For in-house people they usually seem to want people who can talk tech with the other departments. There are exceptions to this, but this has been the general case I have observed in dealing with clients. I think it also has a lot to do with the fact that people with technical skills are easier to evaluate from an hiring perspective. Most interviewers are unable to identify quality musical skills and experience, and most companies are unable to justify the full-time salary that a truly skilled and experienced musician would demand. Thus, they turn to outside contractors for composing and other music services.

I have a music degree, but all the work I do is as a contractor (mainly consulting, orchestration, music preparation, and composition). Many of my clients are also from the world of film and television because that's where I started. It was only in the last five years or so that game projects became more interesting and profitable to me from a business standpoint. Nonetheless, my experience is that the non-game clients currently pay better and provide fewer headaches. The game industry is young and still a little green and unsophisticated when it comes to music production.

I realize that I'm painting with a broad brush here, but I hope my observations help you to focus your thinking.
You might want to minor in Comp Sci, if you have somewhat of a bent for techy stuff. Or math. No matter who you are, and what you do, you'll always find a use for math :-)

Honestly, though: what is your interest, and what is your talent? Pick something that complements that.
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