Hello,
My son is fortunate enough to be finishing his year as a pop music songwriting major at USC. I know I am his mom but he is very talented in guitar and songwriting. Two of his songs are in an upcoming movie and he is really flourishing at USC.
He has joined an improv troupe (he used to be shy?), is putting out an EP with a new band that sounds fantastic, and has straight As.
When he was navigating the audition/college search process, it came down to USC Pop Music or UMiami Hornsby. USC won out. Long story short, while he loves LOVES his pop music friends, the program, and USC, what he hates and he learned about after the fact is that it is almost impossible to double major or do what is so important for many young adults: explore other courses and possible majors. In addition to music, he loves languages and traveled to Africa on a gap year and studied Wolof and Pulaar, as well as strengthened his fluent French (now with a Senegalese accent). Cultures, languages, and music are really his thing.
He just sent me a text telling me he is not sure he wants to stay a pop music major. He also loves languages (that ear thing I guess) and had to really struggle to fit a simple Mandarin I class in his very packed with requirements for the music school along wiith Gen Eds (his high school did not have Ap classes). He had to only take an online most of the week and meet one day a week Mandarin class that was frustrating for him. We are supporting his desire to go to Taiwan for four weeks in an immersion program through USC so that he can make it into Mandarin III in the Fall. We would not have had to take this step if their had been more flexibility at USC..
He is asking me for advice. I am not sure how to assist him and want to navigate him in the right direction. I hate the idea of him leaving this program (although I know it is his life). As his parent, I know how important music has always been to him and he has been a songwriter since around first grade. But, I also know that 70% of students change their majors in college.
If anyone, especially pop music parents, has any advice on how perhaps they advised their own children, it would be helpful. Upon reflection, perhaps Umiami would have been a better choice given the ease of multiple majors and exploration. USC with its high walls between schools and majors make it difficult.
Thanks for any advice or support. It is frustrating being an east coast parent trying to help my west coast son.
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