next »

[lenniel]

OP, you are getting, as usual, excellent advice here and I can only add my experience.

I am a musicologist and I also have an interdisciplinary degree.  By some incredible luck, I also have a job, but it is non-TT track and I don't teach music history.  Because of the nature of my research, I work in three sub-fields, though am primarily a musicologist and present and publish in that field.  All that being said, I am in a VERY rare sub-discipline, have a lot of teaching experience and am also still a performing artist, so I have a lot of different skills in which a school might be interested.

The job market for musicology is, as said above, absolutely abysmal.  There are simply no jobs, and I can't imagine art history is much different.  I personally know several people who went to top musicology programs, were fully funded, publish and are respected in the field who had to adjunct for at least 10 years before landing a TT job.  Many never do.  If you want to teach at university, I cannot recommend pursing a musicology degree unless it is at a top program and you have a desirable area of study.  Fortunately, you don't mention wanting to be a Bach or Mozart scholar, and I need to inform you there is a lot of research being done in the areas of interest you specify.

If you want to get a sense of the musicology job market and state of musicology in general, read over the studies available on the American Musicological Society's website.  Finding jobs for musicology graduates and the general state of the humanities has been the topic of much discussion in the Society. If you want to know more about musicology as a field, I'd be happy to give you more information, so feel free to send me a PM.

Basically, if you are going to pursue the degree thinking there is a job at the end, think again.  I'd strongly recommend against it and suggest you consider other areas, such as arts management, curating, music librarianship, not-for-profit, or other areas where you can work in music and art.  Or get certified to teach in public school.  None of these suggestions have great job prospects either, however, but might be marginally better.  It depends on your specialty, how flexible you can be in relocating and a lot of luck.

[ls150]

Thank you all. Everything is helpful, and some really offered some insight.

voxprincipalis - I know what you mean. I honestly don't think that is the case with art (considering I did do my undergrad and grad work in art, as well). My uncertainty in music is definitely partly due to a lack of interest. Though I absolutely love the area I researched, it is so specific and detailed, and cannot imagine loving any area of music the same way. I do not think that an interdisciplinary program is for me, anyway, and respect your opinion. I know the job market is tight, and maybe I don't want to be a tenure professor at the end of it. But I think that in order for me to pursue a career in the music and/or art, I feel like I would like more knowledge behind me (if that makes sense). I feel like I haven't "finished".


gekko - I definitely don't want an excuse for anything or to show "my mommy' I can do it... and I don't think I am lying to myself, either. I do know what I want to do, and I am hesitating because I wonder if there are more options that I think there are. I really appreciate your bluntness (really), because, well, no one else has been. And no (unfortunately?) I don't have a rich dad or spouse. You made a very good comment, which has helped a lot: a graduate program is not where to find myself. Thank you. I think that is something I needed to hear.


schoolmarm - I realize that about the CC, and the thing is, with my masters work, I wouldn't even feel comfortable working at a CC. A bit of the reason to do a PhD was because I wanted to increase my own knowledge, and go back to school to do it. Everything you said is helpful, and I don't necessarily want to go with music/art combined, but was trying to choose between the two. From what you're saying, it sounds like neither are a good option! I am not in any state (I don't live in the US), and wouldn't enjoy teaching music or art education. I wouldn't NOT enjoy it... I just wouldn't really prefer it. And yes, I know in this case with a degree like this I probably can't be too picky! However, you just really hit the nail on the head here with your other suggestions. No, I haven't considered writing program notes.. but I would LOVE something like that. I have thought about a museum, as well. That is the issue! I think I don't know what types of jobs are available for someone who has these interests. Other than a museum (or arts administration, which I would not enjoy), I am just not sure. Is there anything else that comes to mind? Please excuse my ignorance.

polly_mer - I would never go back to school for a BS, primarily because I dislike sciences, and would not enjoy school or work afterwards. I am not sure what you mean about a K-16 enrichment program attached to a college? What would that be? I do have day job(s) that pay my bills, so that is completely fine! I just want to pursue something in music and art.

lenniel - thank you for your response. I appreciate your advice regarding your experience. Perhaps it is because I am so used to (currently) working at 6 different jobs, adjunct positions for ten years pre-TT wouldn't sound terrible to me. In my view, I would still be doing something I love. But, I suppose that isn't really the way to think about it. And you're right, being a Bach or Mozart scholar isn't in the cards. I am familiar with the musicology wiki, and do see that this isn't going to guarantee me a job. As I mentioned to schoolmarm, I am maybe just ignorant to what else I can do that would allow me to continue in this area. One thing I was thinking about was to do a Masters in art history/curatorial studies, in order to continue in that area. What I do know is that I (a) would like to continue with some education and (b) regardless of how my post comes across, I am passionate about music and art.

[polly_mer]

I do have day job(s) that pay my bills, so that is completely fine! I just want to pursue something in music and art.

So do music and art.  If you are happy with your current set-up for finances, nothing prevents you from doing music and/or art.

The problem comes in when you want to go to school to be a professor.  Just say no and instead do music and art.  You say that you aren't in the US so I don't know what things are like where you are, but I know a good many people who have day jobs to support their art and music while they also apply for small grants to do things like perform at the local schools.

lenniel - thank you for your response. I appreciate your advice regarding your experience. Perhaps it is because I am so used to (currently) working at 6 different jobs, adjunct positions for ten years pre-TT wouldn't sound terrible to me. In my view, I would still be doing something I love. But, I suppose that isn't really the way to think about it. And you're right, being a Bach or Mozart scholar isn't in the cards. I am familiar with the musicology wiki, and do see that this isn't going to guarantee me a job. As I mentioned to schoolmarm, I am maybe just ignorant to what else I can do that would allow me to continue in this area. One thing I was thinking about was to do a Masters in art history/curatorial studies, in order to continue in that area. What I do know is that I (a) would like to continue with some education and (b) regardless of how my post comes across, I am passionate about music and art.


[/quote]

[ls150]

polly-mer - I think that my issue is, other than continuing with education and being a professor, I am not sure what else I could do with music and art. I am neither a performer nor an artist, and considered the PhD to at least let me continue learning and growing in both areas.

[polly_mer]

polly-mer - I think that my issue is, other than continuing with education and being a professor, I am not sure what else I could do with music and art. I am neither a performer nor an artist, and considered the PhD to at least let me continue learning and growing in both areas.

I am not in either art or music, but I can tell you that the number of people who love art and music and are capable of graduate work in the "about the field" areas far exceed the numbers of professor jobs in those areas.

Heck, half the engineering students I knew were musical and/or artistic*.  Wanting to study something isn't the same as wanting to teach something. 

You also don't need a graduate degree to study.  You can take classes just for the fun, if that's your thing.  You can become a patron of a museum.  You can become involved with performing arts centers, museums, and similar entities without having a doctorate.  Not having a doctorate will probably preclude you from becoming director of the entity, but lots of other things need to be done that can be done by bright, motivated people who are willing to learn new things.

*For that matter, half of my colleagues in science and engineering are still musical and/or artistic with day jobs in STEM and loves in the other fields--usually performing, though.

[karmann]

I have a PhD in musicology from a good school with a bigshot advisor.  I was on the market the year of the infamous suicide threat on the musicology job wiki, and I got a TT job.  That being said, you've probably never heard of my school, the media has called it a clown college (I love it here, but my nametag definitely doesn't impress anyone at the AMS) and only 40% of my job is musicology.  I'm employed because I'm lucky, and also because I have a diverse background within the field of music. I teach musicology, conduct an ensemble, and teach applied when needed.  The superstar of my doctoral cohort got a nearly identical job in another state.   In almost every interview I got, I was asked if I could teach theory or applied music, and the one "pure" musicology job I interviewed for still wanted to hear me play, just in case they needed to shuffle their applied faculty down the line.  I've recently heard discussion at conferences about the need for musicologists to cultivate other musical skills to become/remain employable, so I think that even the older generation of professors who did get the "pure" musicology jobs understand that times are changing have changed.

That being said, let me reiterate that I'm talking about diversity within the field of music, not a multidisciplinary degree. Vox is absolutely right here:

 

I am in music and have taught at three different kinds of institutions in the US. At none of them would we have looked twice at an application for a musicology position without a PhD in musicology unless your application was extraordinarily compelling, and even then it would be a rough go. Arts positions are not fungible.

I was in the running for a music job within an area studies program at a big R1.  Even that interdisciplinary department wanted a musicology PhD rather than an interdisciplinary or area studies PhD with music emphasis.  So, I can't imagine there are many places where an interdisciplinary degree would be preferred. 

[ls150]

Thanks, karmann, that really helps.

And thank you everyone - this put a lot into perspective for me, and I spoke to some friends and faculty over the last week and figured out some things. This was very helpful. I appreciate it!

[polly_mer]

You're welcome!