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The Benefits of Studying Music
by Genevieve
Music, as an arts subject, can be a great hobby. You might already play an instrument (check out our musical instrument pages for more info), or be part of a choir or band. Whether or not you have any musical inclination already, it is always up for debate as to whether actually studying music is necessary. “Surely”, you may think, “many of the great current musicians haven’t even studied music”.
Now, this may be true to some extent – many of the musicians currently in the spotlight have not studied for music degrees or had classical training. However, this does not necessarily mean they haven’t invested in themselves as musicians.
Studying music at degree level or at school essentially involves you investing a lot of time into learning, but with guidance and music lessons from professional musicians. Of course, you could learn on your own too, and without formal qualifications like many pop stars. However, this does not always work for everyone, and people often find formal qualifications good motivation to perform well and progress more rapidly. In fact, studying music does not only benefit full time musicians; it can benefit anyone.
Music – can it help those outside the music industry?
Let us take Albert Einstein for instance, who famously stated: “I see my life in terms of music”.
Known for his theories of relativity and gravitation, Einstein could well be the world’s most revolutionary theoretical physicist. He received a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his services to physics, but also had a large influence on the philosophy of science.
What many people may not know however, is that Einstein was also an accomplished pianist and violinist.
You may think that such excellence in a field comes from an intense specialisation in physics from an early age, to the detriment of other subjects. However, Einstein was the recipient of a very balanced education which included the arts and humanities, which lead to his love of music.
In 1915, Einstein sent his eleven year old son a letter, in which he advises him to “mainly play the things on the piano which please you”, arguing that this “is the way to learn the most”, and confessing that he is “sometimes so wrapped up in my work that [he] forgets about the noon meal”.
Here Einstein points out one of the best parts of music: the way that it can take you away from normal life and thought. Sometimes, when you have properly escaped from your main work, you end up being more inspired and willing to engage with it when you come back to it. Music encourages creativity and self-expression, which not only helps your overall mental health, but also could put you on top form for your other studies or work projects.
For Einstein, it seems that really studying music is letting yourself get completely absorbed in it and allowing it to take you away from your daily life. Einstein was not a full-time musician, but it does seem that it was still a big part of his life, and certainly of benefit to him.
If music is something that interests you, why not take it in to your own hands and see if you can reach the same level of transcendence Einstein reached? You never know where it may take you!
Music – not just a hobby?
Music can function well as light relief to your busy student or working life. Sometimes it may seem that studying music would make it a chore. While this may be true for some people, a good balance can generally be found.
For instance, you may keep singing as a hobby, and sing in a choir purely for fun in your spare time. At the same time, you may study music ‘A’ level, learning to better improve your aural skills, and getting better at sight-reading and more familiar with instruments from the whole orchestra.
In this case, the skills from your ‘A’ level would only compliment your hobby of singing, and your practice of singing would compliment your studies. You could still keep singing fairly separate, so even if writing out Bach chorales becomes a chore, singing does not!
If you love music as a hobby, there is a large chance you would love studying it as well, and so it is probably worth trying to make studying it work for you.
A great thing about studying music is that there are many genres that you could learn about, and the formal qualifications that you might choose to take do reflect this.
Music qualifications
Whether you love classical music, folk or rock, there is a qualification for you. Most typical qualifications span a wide range of different genres, but there are also some qualifications that focus on certain aspects of music.
‘A’ level music syllabuses tend to cover a broad span of genres. They are highly theoretical, and so you will get to grips with the technicalities of music, but also involve practical elements. Check out the Edexcel, OCR and AQA qualifications for more details.
Another ‘A’ level qualification is Music Technology, which focuses more on aspects of the music industry such as sound production and composition. Take a look at the Edexcel syllabus – Edexcel is the only major exam board that provides this ‘A’ level.
BTEC qualifications in music performance are also great options if you want something practical and performance based. Level 3 qualifications are broadly equivalent to three ‘A’ levels. The Edexcel syllabus will give you a good indication of what it involves.
If you are thinking of a music degree, there are a plethora of courses available to you! You could study music production, sound engineering, or go for a more classical music course. You might even choose to audition for a conservatoire. Take a look at the music league tables, the Which? University music page, and this informative page on conservatoires.
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