Article: An Impossible Choice: Music Majors, COVID-19, and an Uncertain Future

We are living through remarkable times. I was explaining to my six-year-old the other day that literally no one alive has ever lived through something like this. That applies to people and to institutions.

Higher ed has been under some immense pressure of late for a number of reasons. And this pandemic has really accelerated a lot of those pressures, which is putting it lightly.

This article by Zach Finkelstein and Dana Lynne Varga dives into the choices that current and former college music majors are currently faced with. There are no good choices.

“With fewer or no opportunities to perform live at school, can music degrees live up to their mandate to prepare students for a career? In other words, what is the value of a socially distanced degree in music performance? And if the value is significantly reduced, and given the extraordinary financial stress on young music students and their families, what is the best course of action?”

Particularly interesting is the end of the article where the authors map out how a student who is either deferring or taking a year off could continue their education on their own for a fraction of the cost of attending college this upcoming year.

It will be fascinating to see how all of this plays out, both this year and moving forward.

Did I mention we are living through remarkable times?

Click here to read the article.