Can't make a living out of a music college? So everyone with a literature degree is a writer?

You may have heard this phrase at least once from music students: "Even if you graduate from a music college, you will not be able to make a living. It is said as if "going to a music college means you are sure to be poor in the future. However, let me ask you this question. Do all graduates of literature departments become writers?

That is not true. On the contrary, most graduates of literature departments are in professions that have nothing to do with writers. So why is it that only music colleges are treated as representative of "faculties that are not good for jobs after graduation"? Let us consider this unfair image thoroughly.

◆Who decided that "literature = writer"?

There are many reasons why students enter the Faculty of Arts and Letters. Some genuinely love literature, while others are vaguely interested in studying humanities. And their career paths are as diverse as editors, teachers, civil servants, salespeople in general business, human resources, and marketing.

But consider this. Not all of them make a living in the literary field just because they graduated from a literature department. Rather, the percentage of literature graduates who can make a living as "pure literary scholars" should not be much different from the percentage of music college graduates who can eat as "pure musicians.

If one were to criticize that "music college graduates cannot eat," then by the same logic one would have to say that "literature graduates cannot be writers, so it is meaningless." However, few people would make such a claim. This is a public prejudice against music.

◆It's not a question of "can't eat" but "how to make the best use of it

Next, let us consider the root of the assertion that "you can't eat out of a music college." This phrase implicitly includes the assumption that the career path for a music college graduate is narrow. But is it true?

For example, a literature graduate may work in a bank or go into advertising. In short, most of them "do not make a living from literature itself. What about graduates of music colleges, then?

A music college graduate may become not only a performer, but also a music teacher, a composer/arranger, a music event organizer, a sales representative for a musical instrument manufacturer, a sound engineer, a music therapist, or even an employee of a general corporation.

In other words, to think that because one graduated from a music college, one must become a musician is as much nonsense as to think that all literature graduates should become writers. Rather, the skills developed at music colleges (expressive, creative, and communication skills) can be applied to any profession.

Narrow-mindedness of those who say "music college graduates can't eat

I would like to ask those who claim that "music graduates can't eat." Do you have any idea how diverse the music profession is?

To begin with, there are endless paths available after graduation, not only in music, but also in arts and humanities studies. Literature departments, philosophy departments, history departments, and art departments ...... all have one thing in common in that they all have a limited number of "directly related professions". However, it is too shortsighted to dismiss them as "inedible" for that reason.

Rather, music colleges are more likely to lead to distinct occupations such as "music education," "performance," "music industry," and "performing arts."

The College of Music is a place to open the future

How one lives after graduating from a music college is up to him or her. However, this is true no matter which faculty you graduate from.

Not all literature students become writers, and not all economics graduates become economists. In the same way, it is not necessary that all music school graduates become musicians.

It is up to the individual to decide how to apply the knowledge and experience gained at a music college. Rather, it is the "tendency to think that studying music is meaningless" that undermines the richness of society.

That is why I will say it out loud.

Hooray for music academies!