Story Idea: Music Strikes Note with Students

Music Strikes Note with Students Despite Economy’s Sad Song

In an economy where jobs hard to come by, you might expect a surge in interest in majors where jobs are plentiful, like health care, education and green industries…but music? Saint Mary’s College, like colleges around the country, is seeing a significant increase in students entering its music program. At this small Catholic, all-women’s, liberal arts college, there are 15 first-year music majors. A normal freshman class would have about seven. To further put that into perspective, there are 25 music majors in total at the College. So what’s the appeal?

“I think one reason for the rise in music majors is that many students realize they will eventually have to get advanced degrees and their only chance to study intensively what they love the most is in their undergraduate degree program,” says music professor Jeffrey Jacob, who has taught at the College for 32 years. Interest in music is not limited to music majors. Fifty-five students are enrolled in Jacob’s Monday night Music Appreciation class. That’s the second largest class offered by the Department of Music in the last 35 years.

Applications are soaring at music schools across the country despite the economy, according to a Chicago Tribune article published earlier this year. The article states that at Columbia College Chicago, music applications and enrollments more than doubled in the past five years and Indiana University in Bloomington saw music applications increase by 50 percent from 2000 to 2008. This news comes at a time when opportunities to find work with orchestras may be fading (Bloomberg article).

Music majors probably know they won’t be working in the music industry upon graduating, Jacob says. “It’s extremely difficult for music majors to find jobs (except music education majors). However, many business and law school graduate schools are very interested in students with backgrounds in the arts. The same is true for medical schools. They don’t want a class full of exactly the same type of students with exactly the same background, and many are particularly interested in students with music degrees.” 

Saint Mary’s student Erin Brown '13 of Redmond, Washington, who is a member of the University of Notre Dame marching band, is not worried about her future in music. The music education major plans to teach music in high school. “The recession hasn’t had a huge impact on my tentative plans. As long as music is still being taught in schools, that’s where I hope to make a difference.”

Saint Mary’s College’s music program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music and is one of the College’s six accredited programs. The faculty has a national and international reputation. Every year they perform, have their compositions performed and recorded, and deliver papers throughout the U.S and Europe.

Media: If you are interested in this story idea, contact Gwen O'Brien, director of media relations, at gobrien@saintmarys.edu or (574) 284-4579.

About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women’s institution offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study. Saint Mary’s College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary's College ranks among the nation's top 100 liberal arts colleges in U.S. News & World Report's 2010 annual survey. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary’s is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.