added, “When I started writing my own music, after college, I taught myself how to play
acoustic guitar, which is what I’ve used to write my songs until the last couple years.
Now I mostly write on the piano.”
For those seeking a musical career a college or university level education might be in
order. This is especially important, actually mandatory, for classical musicians, music
teachers as well as other positions in the field. While many universities and colleges offer
music majors and advanced musical degrees, the schools that often come to mind are Ju-
liard, The Manhattan School of Music and Berklee. These schools offer a broad array of
curriculum in addition to instrument studies. For example, Juliard offers Ear Training,
Principles of Harmony along with a variety of Liberal Arts courses.
Wendy Hayes is a jazz vocalist based in Asheville, North Carolina whose path took
her through higher education. Wendy noted, “I have a Bachelor’s and Masters in Vocal
performance from Appalachian State University. I studied opera and only recently discov-
ered a passion for singing jazz. I have been attending jazz workshops, working on my
own, and conferring with other jazz musicians. Jazz is largely an aural tradition so that
goes a long way in being authentic. Of course, book knowledge never hurt anyone either
and I do love to study.”
Drummer, Brian Doherty, works as both a professional musician and a music teacher.
He said, “I’m formally educated in music and education. I have a Master and Bachelor of
Music from The Manhattan School of Music. I also have a Master of Education from The
City College of NY. However, I am completely self-taught in the area of business.”
As mentioned, many musical positions require a formal college or university level ed-
ucation. But I find it interesting that in his study, Formal and Informal Music Learning: