something completely different. I have been thinking about becoming a music journalist and based on the majors and concentrations I have at my school (Ut Martin) I think I should major in Communications with a concentration in news editorial with a minor in music possibly? What do u think, is that the acurate major to go for if i want to be a music journalist or what?|||It%26#039;s tough to land good jobs as a humanities major--but then again, it%26#039;s tough to land a good job out of college regardless of your major.
If you are serious about music journalism, then the truth is your major doesn%26#039;t really matter all that much.
You need to get involved in your school%26#039;s newspaper (for starters), and you should also check into community newspapers / news magazines in your area. Also, you can write for the Campus Circle type websites (they take novice writers--you don%26#039;t get paid anything but you get experience and clips).
The thing you%26#039;ll need in order to get a good writing job is clips. (aka Articles you%26#039;ve written that have been published and are good...duh).
As for your major, take something that involves a lot of writing. A music minor is handy as it will help you get involved with the musicians in your school / community.
I don%26#039;t know what your major is right now, but you may want to stick with it in case you need a back-up job while you are waiting for the perfect music-writing job.
Also (and this is important) try to land an internship at the largest alternative print mag that you can. Being in TN, you shouldn%26#039;t have too big of a problem considering your proximity to Nashville. Depending on the kind of music you want to write about, consider summer internships in NYC or LA.
And finally, tap into your school%26#039;s Alumni Association--find out if there are any working music writers in the business that you can get in touch with. Don%26#039;t beg them for a job, just ask their advice and guidance. Try to build a rapport with them as much as you can.
Good luck--writing is a tough field to break into, but unlike many other areas--it is a real meritocracy. Those who work the hardest and are the best writers are the ones who make it.
As for the %26quot;type of job%26quot; you%26#039;ll land with this major. There is quite a range. If you do everything above, you could be able to get a reporting job at a small paper covering Arts %26amp; Entertainment. Your other choices are to go to one of the big mags (Rolling Stone, Spin, etc.) where you%26#039;d basically start in the mail room and have to work your way up. Other jobs you would be eligible for would be at a PR firm or a record label working in their press / publicity department.|||If there%26#039;s a minor is commercial music, I%26#039;d look into that. At my undergrad however, a music minor was very intense. You might consider being a friend of the department instead of a minor. I did that in political science and it allowed me to pick and choose the classes I wanted and avoid giant lecture classes. After your first job no one will care whether you had a minor or were a friend of the department.
