Musician Wish

As a Berklee student, I was surprised to come across many students there who didn’t actually play an instrument, at least, not well! Depending on the major, this apparently wasn’t required, and yet, these students seemed to do well there. And as far as I know, many went on to have successful careers. Of course, this will likely be different at a conservatory, where technical proficiency is extremely important.

Do you have to play an instrument to major in music?

While learning an instrument will most definitely make it easier, you don’t technically have to play an instrument at all to major in music. For instance: singers, music business majors or even music producers and songwriters may never be required to learn an instrument – at least not well.

On the other hand, some music majors such as music therapy and music education will require one or more instruments to be learned on at least a basic level. While these instruments can be learned at school, it’s certainly a good idea to get a jump on things and start learning to play before you head off to college.

Do Most Music Majors Have to Be “Good” at an Instrument?

While many most majors will require you to learn an instrument, the point of doing won’t actually be to get really “good” at playing that instrument.

In all honestly, all music majors are likely to require at least one or more keyboarding (piano) classes, though you may not even have to play anything in front of others.

Some example reasons for being required to learn an instrument OTHER than performance proficiency may include:

• To better understand music theory
• To better be able to compose, write and compose music
• To be able to play just well enough to teach, or provide a therapeutic benefit to others

Example Music Majors That May Not Require Playing an Instrument

Here are some music majors that may not require you to learn an instrument at all, or may only require basic classes (such as keyboarding) for music theory or other requirements only.

Vocal Performance

The human voice may technically be considered and “instrument” by most, it’s unique in that it’s the only instrument that’s built in. It’s not something made by man that can or needs to be carried away.

Getting really good at singing doesn’t really require you to learn an instrument at all, and in fact some may consider doing so a distraction.

Music Business

Music business majors have little need to know how to play an instrument themselves. Their primary talent will lie in more in being analytical, sociable, spotting and creatively promoting talent in other musicians than in nourishing their own musical skills.

Music Technology / Production / Engineering

Unlike music business, these majors will require some creative skill, but playing an instrument may still not be necessary.

Learning some keyboard (piano) may be particularly useful, especially for producers creating beats or other electronic music. They can use a keyboard to record all kinds of sounds and “samples” of other instruments.

However, for a recording engineer or artist producer, their primary instrument is their gear, as well as their ears. A great recording engineer is INVALUABLE to a recording artist, and also essential to the creative and sound quality outcome of an album.

Example Music Majors That Will Definitely Require You to Play an Instrument

here are a few majors you can definitely expect to require some instrument proficiency, if not a high level of proficiency. Some may require a certain level of proficiency before acceptance into the major, or into the school itself.

Instrument Performance

While this may be an obvious one, performance is the one major that will require you to not only learn an instrument, but be really, really good. For instance, if you want to be a piano performance major, practicing and getting really good at piano will be your primary focus.

Of course you’ll learn a lot in school, not just about your instrument but also stage presence, music theory and more. However, you’ll definitely need to have a good grasp of your instrument of choice BEFORE you arrive at school, since you’ll likely need to audition to be accepted.

Music Education

You may not need to know any instruments before majoring in music ed, but you’ll likely have to learn the MOST instruments once you do! You likely won’t have to get really good at any one instrument, but you’ll have to get good enough to be able to teach it on a basic level.

Music Therapy

Music therapy majors don’t need to become extremely proficient at an instrument, but they will need to learn to play an instrument on a basic level. Most likely, this will be the guitar.

The reason for playing the instrument is to be able to use it as a tool for therapy, rather than “performance” per se. That said, it will need to be played in front of clients, and you’ll need to learn well enough to play simple songs so that your performance isn’t a distraction to you and others while providing the therapy.

Benefits of Learning an Instrument Before Majoring in Music

While learning an instrument may or may not ever be “necessary” to becoming a music major, it will only help you to at least learn the basics before entering or applying to a music college.

Any music school will require you to learn some amount of music theory, and understanding an instrument such as piano beforehand can make learning music theory easier (and vice versa).

If you already know you’re interested in a major that will require you to learn an instrument, any jumpstart you can get on those instruments will help you! It may even allow you to test out of one or more classes, which will save you some time (or open up space for more advanced or specialized classes), or allow you to save some money on credits and even graduate early.

Depending on your major and how proficient you become, you may even qualify for some scholarship money.

No matter what, already having some knowledge of an instrument will most definitely make your music college experience a little less stressful.

What Are the Most Useful Instruments to Learn?

For just about any musician, learning piano and/or guitar basics will come in handy. However, if I had to pick just one, the most useful would be piano. This is because the piano is laid out in a linear fashion, as in all of the notes are in line one after another, as opposed to a guitar where the notes span across multiple strings. Because of this, piano is just easier to visualize notes, intervals, chords and more.

Both piano and guitar are chordal instruments, meaning that they can play more than one note at a time (chords), rather than a melodic instrument that only plays single notes at a time (like a flute, trumpet, etc).

Chordal instruments can be used to accompany a singer, to write songs, and to learn about music theory.

Besides these reasons, piano and guitar are the top instruments that any music major may be required to learn anyway, so you may as well get a head start on learning one or both! Even if this knowledge is not required, it certainly won’t hurt anything, and will likely make your time as a music major much easier.

College Aside, Can You Be Successful in Music Without Playing an Instrument?

It is definitely possible to be successful in music without learning an instrument, or remaining at a beginner level. I’ve met some!

For instance, sometimes the best music producers and recording engineers can’t play themselves, but they have incredible ears for what sounds great, and/or how to get tech buttons to do what a recording artist hears in their head.

The same goes for music managers, booking agents, A&R reps, etc. Often they have a much stronger business sense than a performing artist, songwriter, etc. And that can be a good thing, considering that those on the more “Creative” end of the music spectrum often tend to hate self-promotion, thinking about finances, and networking. Having a great music biz mind in their corner can be a real asset!