Question: Hi Tom Hess. My dream is to become a guitarist of a band one day. I don't want to be the world's best guitarist (well, I do, but let's be serious), but I would like to be somewhat in the public eye, playing stadiums and such. My question is: should I go to college and study another interest of mine, like engineering, and expect to meet my bandmates there, or should I go to a college specifically for studying music, or should I work on starting a band before I have to go to college? What's the best thing I can do to end up in a band that's "out there"?

Tom Hess's Answer: Going to a music school can help you to build your musical skills (which is important of course) but it has very little direct benefit for helping you to develop a successful music career from the ‘career/business’ perspective. Why? Because the teachers who generally teach music in music schools either are not in the music business fully (instead they are in the business of academia) and their job is to teach music, not music business. Some music schools offer music business classes which can be helpful, but typically these classes are based around teaching how things generally work and not teaching you specifically how to work IN the music business (there is a huge difference between those two things!). The point is, music school is good, but it is not the only thing you need to do.

If your only reason for considering music school is to help your ‘music career’ take off, my advice is to not go to music school. Although it is true that you “might” find potential band members there for your future band, is it worth investing 4 years of your life and tens of thousands of dollars to find this out?

I do NOT suggest going to a college or University to study a subject not directly related to music or building a music career if your primary goal is to be a professional musician! To find out why, read this article on how to start a music career.

If you want to join an existing band that already has some success or is in the public eye, you need to find something to offer them that would make them interested in having you join their band. A lot of times it takes much more than your musical skills to make the band interested in bringing you into the lineup. I’m talking about something that would help them to sell more records, have access to more (new) fans, and ultimately help everyone to make more money by having you in the band vs. someone else. Yes of course your musical skills are important, as is your personality, but if the band has any idea what they are doing and is serious about making it in the music business, they will be looking for things in you beyond your musical skills.

Good bands (just like record labels) can find talented musicians anywhere, you need to bring more value and the least amount of risk possible. For more on the topic of adding value and reducing risk read my music career articles.

If you're dedicated to achieving your musical goals, read this page on how to become a successful professional musician.