college question

[daniel_hood]

I was looking at starting college again soon, and I'm looking at either Metropolitan State of Denver or CU Denver. Metro would only be like $2100 a semester after fee/book stuff, and CU Denver would probably be around $3500 a semester. Can anyone give any input on which would be a better choice? I want to be a piano teacher so I would take a music

Comments

[hasacat]

Good question, hmmmm. CU Denver probably has a better rep in general, but I would say choose the school that offers the better curriculum if it's within your budget, and keep in mind that what it really comes down to is how skilled you end up being, which ultimately has more to do with what you put into it than anything else. Someone with better credentials may get more interview opportunities, but without a solid skill they'll have trouble holding onto any job they get. If you have made skills but a sketchy resume, it may take longer to get off the ground, but once you start getting exposure you'll build your reputation and resume that way.

Also, I'd imagine that any music teacher's resume would include examples/demonstrations of your ability both to play and to teach, so presumably you'd be able to show off your abilities no matter what (unless they're only looking at ink on paper? I'd be kinda surprised by that, but I don't really know), and no matter what school you go to you should probably try doing a lot of teaching on the side as you go. I'd bet satisfied students make good references!

What school has the better community of musicians? Getting involved in a network of creative, invested people is invaluable both to your learning as well as forming relationships with people who might put in a good word for you at some point (my experience is that having a friend who works somewhere is the most reliable way to get an interview there).

That's some general, off-the-top-of-the-head sort of stuff.. you should talk to people at the schools (or music teaching communities on the net?) and get more specifics!