Music Facts – AAA Program and courses

1. The AAA degree is designed to transfer to a baccalaureate program; the student is usually accepted at junior status after COMPLETING the AAA degree.
   
   
2. AAA graduates can transfer into the following concentrations, depending on availability at the transfer institution: Music performance (B.M.), Music Education (B.M.E.), Music B.A., Music Therapy pre-specialization.
   
   
3. There are suggested sequences for two-year and three-year completion of the degree. Contact John Negri (523-5534, jnegri@reynolds.edu) for details.
   
   
4. “Applied Music” means private lessons. $375 required in addition to the 2-credit tuition. Compare our prices and instructor credentials with those at local music stores.
   
   
5. There are private lesson sign-up sheets at the beginning of the semester on the bulletin board opposite Room 466, DTC.  Instructors may also contact students by phone in the first week of class.
   
   
6. All Music majors must jury (perform for 2+ faculty) at the end of the semester. Selections will be taken from the standard repertoire, and appropriate to the semester level.
   
   
7. Non-Music majors do not have to jury, and may take lessons in any style of music mastered by the instructor.
   
   
8. Music Theory I-II (MUS 111-112), and Music Appreciation I (MUS 121) are Liberal Arts electives, open to ALL JSRCC students.
   
   
9. Experienced Music Majors may test out of Class Piano and Music Theory I-II courses, but NOT private lessons. See instructor for test-out requirements.
   
   
10. There is usually a tutor for Music Theory available through Student Services, DTC Room 174.
    
    
11.  Our ensembles – Jazz Band (MUS 149) and Chorus (MUS 137) are open to non-Music majors by audition. All Music majors are required to take three ensemble courses.
    
    
12. The Department has a Music Database available to all students, containing much contact info pertinent to musicians around the Richmond area: venues, music stores, studios, churches, schools, organizations, etc.  See John Negri for a copy (bring own floppy disc/CD).
    
    
13. There is a JSRCC Music Club. It is open to all JSRCC students, regardless of major, and exists to increase the level of musical activity – both performing and listening – at the College. It currently meets at 12:40 on Wednesdays in Room 414, DTC.

What do Musicians do?

According to the US Department of Labor, they may perform solo or as part of a group. Musicians, singers, and related workers entertain live audiences in nightclubs, concert halls, and theaters featuring opera, musical theater, or dance. Many of these entertainers play for live audiences; others perform exclusively for recording or production studios. Regardless of the setting, musicians, singers, and related workers spend considerable time practicing, alone and with their bands, orchestras, or other musical ensembles.

Musicians often gain their reputation or professional standing by exhibiting a high level of professionalism and proficiency in a particular kind of music or performance. However, those who learn several related instruments and who can perform equally well in several musical styles have better employment opportunities. Instrumental musicians, for example, may play in a symphony orchestra, rock group, or jazz combo one night, appear in another ensemble the next, and work in a studio band the following day. Some play a variety of string, brass, woodwind, or percussion instruments or electronic synthesizers.

Singers interpret music and text, using their knowledge of voice production, melody, and harmony. They sing character parts or perform in their own individual style. Singers are often classified according to their voice range—soprano, contralto, tenor, baritone, or bass—or by the type of music they sing, such as opera, rock, popular, folk, rap, or country and western.

Music directors
conduct, direct, plan, and lead instrumental or vocal performances by musical groups, such as orchestras, choirs, and glee clubs.

Conductors
lead instrumental music groups, such as symphony orchestras, dance bands, show bands, and various popular ensembles. These leaders audition and select musicians, choose the music most appropriate for their talents and abilities, and direct rehearsals and performances. Choral directors lead choirs and glee clubs, sometimes working with a band or an orchestra conductor. Directors audition and select singers and lead them at rehearsals and performances to achieve harmony, rhythm, tempo, shading, and other desired musical effects.

Composers create original music such as symphonies, operas, sonatas, radio and television jingles, film scores, and popular songs. They transcribe ideas into musical notation, using harmony, rhythm, melody, and tonal structure. Although most composers and songwriters practice their craft on instruments and transcribe the notes with pen and paper, some use computer software to compose and edit their music.

Arrangers transcribe and adapt musical composi-tions to a particular style for orchestras, bands, choral groups, or individuals. Components of music—including tempo, volume, and the mix of instruments needed— are arranged to express the composer’s message. While some arrangers write directly into a musical composition, others use computer software to make changes. 


How much money do Musicians make?

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, median hourly earnings of musicians and singers were $17.85 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $9.68 and $30.75. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $6.47, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $53.59. Median hourly earnings were $20.70 in performing arts companies and $12.17 in religious organizations. Annual earnings data for musicians and singers were not available, because of the wide variation in the number of hours worked by musicians and singers and the short-term nature of many jobs, which may last for 1 day or 1 week; it is extremely rare for musicians and singers to have guaranteed employment that exceeds 3 to 6 months.

Median annual earnings of salaried music directors and composers were $34,570 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $24,040 and $51,770. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $15,960, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $75,380.

Yearly earnings typically reflect the number of gigs a freelance musician or singer played or the number of hours and weeks of salaried contract work, in addition to a performer’s professional reputation and setting: performers who can fill large concert halls, arenas, or outdoor stadiums generally command higher pay than those who perform in local clubs. Soloists or headliners usually receive higher earnings than band members or opening acts. The most successful musicians earn performance or recording fees that far exceed the median earnings.

According to the American Federation of Musicians, weekly minimum salaries in major orchestras ranged from about $700 to $2,080 during the 2004–05 performing season. Each orchestra works out a separate contract with its local union, but individual musicians may negotiate higher salaries. Top orchestras have a season ranging from 24 to 52 weeks, with 18 orchestras reporting 52-week contracts. In regional orchestras, minimum salaries are often less because fewer performances are scheduled. Regional orchestra musicians often are paid for their services, without any guarantee of future employment. Community orchestras often have even more limited levels of funding and offer salaries that are much lower for seasons of shorter duration.

Although musicians employed by some symphony orchestras work under master wage agreements, which guarantee a season’s work up to 52 weeks, many other musicians face relatively long periods of unemployment between jobs. Even when employed, many musicians and singers work part time in unrelated occupations. Thus, their earnings usually are lower than earnings in many other occupations. Moreover, because they may not work steadily for one employer, some performers cannot qualify for unemployment compensation, and few have typical benefits such as sick leave or paid vacations. For these reasons, many musicians give private lessons or take jobs unrelated to music to supplement their earnings as performers.

Many musicians belong to a local of the American Federation of Musicians. Professional singers who perform live often belong to a branch of the American Guild of Musical Artists; those who record for the broadcast industries may belong to the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.