Music courses

Cakeguts

I didn't know where to put this so if this isn't the right place can someone please move it?

There is a problem with understanding what some music courses are because you can't always tell from the name what you are going to be paying for. I have raised this with a member of staff at one of the institutions that seems to be confusing people.

Generally speaking if a music course is 3 years it is a university course. If it is 4 years it is a conservatoire course. The problem comes when a music department of a university is called ..... college of music because this doesn't sound like a the music department of a university which is what it actually is. The course is 3 years like a normal university course. It is based in London which means that those people who don't realise that this is not a music college course but a university music course have to pay London living costs. There are other university music courses in places that are cheaper to live.

I have told a member of staff at the university that is causing me concern that some of their students do not realise that they are not going to get a job as a playing musician if they attend this university course because these jobs go to students who have attended the music conservatoire courses that are also based in London and which have much higher performance entry standards. The reply from the member of staff was that the students must realise. Well in my experience they don't.

I can't say it is a scam because all the information is available on the website. I do however think that the name of the music department is causing students to waste money on a course that isn't what they think it is. I do also think that the name of the department is misleading.

agrinnall

Wouldn't you be better posting it on a place where students are likely to be looking, such as thestudentroom? I don't see that it's something for MSE at all.

Cakeguts

agrinnall wrote: »

Wouldn't you be better posting it on a place where students are likely to be looking, such as thestudentroom? I don't see that it's something for MSE at all.

I expect you are right. Shall I delete it? I was trying to save people some money and time.

agrinnall

It won't hurt to leave it, and you might get some replies, but I think it's more a course selection warning than anything to do directly with money saving.

Spendless

Though I wasn't aware of what you are saying, I do understand. Not because I'm a student, but I'm a parent of a young teen who would like to go to drama school, which has a similar issue. Not being from a 'performing arts' world, it is all quite alien to me and I've done a bit of digging about, so I can at least be able to give some advice to DD, when the time comes. Drama degrees are not the same as Acting degrees and via the Universities you don't (or don't always?) get the agents showcase at the end of the course. For this you need the Drama schools, mostly in London but some elsewhere.

My suggestion to you, is you put info on related websites. I know there's TheStudentRoom which has been suggested already. There's a website called 'Not a Pushy Mum' which is primarily aimed at parents of younger performing children, but has quite a few threads from parents about post16/18 training.

http://notapushymum.com/phpbb/index.php