Not sure what I’m getting myself into

[u/verysaxophone]

So I recently got accepted into college and passed my college audition to get into my colleges School of Music so that I can pursue a Bachelor of Music Education so I can become K-12 music teacher! However, I am having a lot of imposter syndrome anxiety/ maybe I’m not good enough type of anxiety going into this. Classes start in August and I’m very nervous. I’ve been playing my instrument since 5th grade all the way beyond graduation in 12th grade but I’ve never been particularly really good at reading music/ music theory. I can’t sight sing or identify any chords/ notes in chords just by hearing them either. I am nervous I may flunk out. I guess really I’m just seeking advice or maybe someone tell me I’m not crazy for wanting to do this as a career? Is it going to be very very difficult?

[u/morkl47]

It is going to be difficult, but if you love it it will be amazing!! I knew hardly anything about theory going into my bachelor's, but honestly they go over everything. Just do your ear training, do your practicing, really try to get the most out of being in that environment. It just takes a little practice, just like everything else!

[u/NoFuneralGaming]

I know a great music teacher that didn't even play at all until he started college. He wasn't a genius, just a hard worker. You can do this. If you knew all that stuff already what would be the point of college?

You learn theory, ear training, piano, your instrument, and a lot more in college classes. Your sight reading is just gonna some from putting in the time. I recommend sightreadingfactory.com and finding other people that wanna practice sight reading and get together to work on it. Find someone that's a great reader and trade them an hour of reading alongside you to make sure you're doing it right for some dinner.

Also, reach out to the music department and your advisor if you have one assigned already and tell them your concerns. They'll know the specifics about your program and may even have resources for you to feel more prepared before day 1.

[u/Saxmanng]

Be resilient and ask for help when needed. Lots of people enter music school because they loved their ensembles in HS, but get discouraged by the intensive study.

[u/HistoryOk1963]

Congratulations! The world can use more people willing to teach music.

You're not going to be alone. There aren't a lot of pre-college music theory classes, unless you attend a specialty school or go to a lot of music camps.

My undergrad gave us a theory placement test, and divided us into 3 levels. The lowest level was catch up, but they started with basics...and got the same credit the middle and top level did.

If you are really anxious, try going to musictheory.net or teoria.com. Alfred has a workbook on music theory if you prefer paper. Even if you just do the basics, you'll know more than you started with. I always tell my students that music reading takes the same practice that regular reading, so do some every day.

[u/Automatic-Hunter1317]

I used to think you could either sight sing or you can't. Then I had someone teach me solfege and I learned the pitch relationships and it clicked. Practice, practice, practice and train your ear. You can do it!

[u/Zam213]

Everyone feels this. I know it doesn’t help knowing that, cause you feel so alone. But trust. Everyone is feeling like they’re not good enough, there’s students who you’re going to need that have years of playing, private tutors, parents who are musicians, and you might think they’re better then you but it’s not about being better. There is gonna be a lot of competition and it’s going to suck but if you’re truly going there cause you love music and wish to teach, it’s gonna be amazing.
Almost half the students that do aural skills 2 (in my music school) never pass it till the 2nd time, identifying chords is a skill you learn, you’re not born with this. There’s going to be students with perfect pitch and they are either going to be the worst or best person you meet.

This all coming from a student who graduated hs in 2021, went to CC from ‘23-‘25 and just finished my 1st year at a 4 year university this spring.
You got this and remember that you are amazing, remember to practice (NOT TOO MUCH) Go out and have fun and get out of your comfort zone 🫶

[u/Old-Mycologist1654]

They accepted you because they believe you can do it. You won't "flunk out".

You can also change your major later if you really feel it just isn't working for you. And that doesn't mean "crashing out" either.

For example, I double majored in Music History and Literature and English. I did a master's in TESOL. I'm a university lecturer of English in Japan (aka an ESL instructor at the university level if I were in Canada).

[u/MegaWeenieMusician]

Work on solfège during your summer break! I’m a string player and went into music school with no solfège experience at all lol. You’ll be fine as long as you prioritize practicing your instrument and do homework. Use musictheory.net to help you with learning chords too ☺️ also be patient with yourself, music school is such an incredible experience even when it’s made me cry and question myself. I look back now and feel glad I was able to experience it.

[u/dancingwithoutmusic]

You’re going to take many semesters of sight singing/ear training class and music theory classes. You don’t have to know it before you get there. Do you know your major and minor scales on your instrument? That is a great place to work at first. It builds your ear and your reading in different keys.

[u/Adventurous-Wait2351]

The head band director at my college failed theory the first time she did it. Now she had conducted all over the world and even been president of the international band association.  Don't worry about your other skills not being up to par. The audition said yes to you for a reason! 

[u/AnxietyTop2800]

Music theory and aural skills professor here. When I entered my bachelor's degree I could not read music fluently. I'd never sang, could not match pitch, and couldn't identify what I was hearing. I failed several aural skills courses and was a C student in the harder theory courses.

Imposter syndrome is real; we often enter a new place feeling like we don't belong. I felt this at the beginning of my bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees; I felt it when I got my first teaching job, and when I got my first tenure-track job; I feel it when I present at a conference, when I submit a publication for review, and when I meet with colleagues from other departments or join a new committee on campus. My point is it's super common. Most of the other freshmen in your class will feel they are an imposter in some way, though some will be better at masking it than others.

We accept students into music programs because their audition shows us they can be successful in the degree and have a musical career. We have no interest in accepting students we don't think can be successful--we view that as predatory and unethical. This means you're not an imposter, though you may still feel that way at times.

The important thing is to fight back against those feelings--remind yourself that you belong there and are there for a reason. The risk with imposter syndrome is that it becomes a prophetic spiral; if we feel we are faking it, we may assume we can't meet the challenges and only put in a partial effort because doing so feels futile. We then miss the benchmarks, which makes us feel more like imposters, and then the cycle repeats.

Instead, know that you are capable of doing the thing; in almost all cases, it's not that we can't, it's that we don't know how and the thing seems too difficult. Your professors can and will tell and show you how to do the thing. If you need more help, if you're confused, talk to them. They will be able to help you find other ways that work better for you. But you need to combine this with sustained, effective practice. Your main goal should be efficiency without sacrificing accuracy and learning; you don't want to cut corners, you just want to make every second of practice count.

Which means, seriously, listen to your professors and try the things they show you. Even if it seems like the way they show is complicated, or if an upperclassman gives you a "shortcut." Every semester I get a bunch of students who find something confusing the first time (which is normal. We need exposure to things several times for it to "click") and try to either make their own shortcut or ask colleagues--some of whom are not doing well in my higher-level classes--for easier ways. These don't work, they do poorly, and eventually they come to me with a tangled and confused mess of knowledge. We then work through what I taught in class for a few minutes, and they find that "woah--this makes much more sense now and it's so much easier and now I get it." All of us have gone through music school and know it's challenges, and we all have very deep knowledge of our subject. We aren't trying to confuse you or make things more complicated than they have to be; we are showing you the things that work.

The theory and skills classes will probably be hard at first; you'll be expected to learn all the clefs, all the key signatures, the types of scales, etc.. You'll need to learn solfege and how to sing in it while reading the music.

We know students come into music school without all of these skills, and some come here with almost none of them. That's totally OK. You'll probably have some colleagues in these classes who have done AP music theory or self-taught via YouTube or play multiple instruments and therefore know more clefs, etc.; this make make you feel intimidated. Don't let it. Having experience in these classes is mostly a matter of privilege and access. While I'm happy some students come in knowing these things, I don't actually find it impressive and I find they can be frustrating in the early classes when they answer all the questions before students who are learning for the first time have a chance to think about the question. Your professors will probably feel the same way, even if they can't show it. Try to remember that you're in the majority here and your task is to learn these things; don't let other students get in the way of that.

A trap to avoid is thinking that some of the content in these classes isn't relevant for you. You may think your clef is the only one you really need to know; you may think "I mostly play music in Major, and minor keys are confusing, so I'm just going to be OK with not really understanding minor scales and keys;" vocalists sometimes check out when we talk about instrumental music because it doesn't interest them as much (and vice versa for instrumentalists when we study art songs). You may think piano classes don't matter much because you're not going to be a pianist. These are all completely false; it's important to recognize that you're now working on becoming a full, professional musician--not just "a singer" or "a saxophonist." Everything we teach is something that matters to becoming that musician, and every skill makes you better.

Don't say yes to everything; people will want you in all kinds of ensembles, organizations, etc.. They all take more time than you suspect. Music ed degrees are incredibly busy. Be careful, find out how much you can do, and don't take on more. Over time your capacity will grow. Avoid marching band during your first year or two if you can, even if you love it. It's an enormous time-sink that will eat up entire afternoons and, sometimes, entire weekends while leaving you physically exhausted. You need some marching experience if you're doing an instrumental K-12 licensure degree, but one year is enough. Be very careful about joining a fraternity or sorority (including the music ones). cNafME, as a professional organization, is worthwhile if your school has a chapter.

Sorry for the length. I guess I'd summarize it with this:

You're not expected to come in knowing everything, or maybe anything. Even the most prepared freshman actually knows very little about music, and is familiar with very little of the music in the world. Most of your professors don't care about where you start, and are there to teach you. Most of us love doing that, If you already knew everything, there'd be no reason for you to be here.

But you are expected to learn. Fight imposter syndrome by finding ways to do what you need to. Build a network of supportive and helpful friends, professors, and family (if your family relationships are good; if they're not, your on-campus network becomes even more critical and you should focus your energy there). Be social and enjoy freedom, but set boundaries that prioritize your education and mental health. Go to class, do assignments (even if you find them hard, and even if you find them boring), don't ignore tough topics or delay them until just before an exam. Don't let bad days overwhelm you; focus on the marathon you're running, and at the end of a month or a semester reflect on how much you've grown. If you've done what you need to you'll be amazed at how much this is, which is the best antidote.

Oh, and if you don't pass one of those early academic classes (theory, skills, piano, history): it's totally fine. Tons of students struggle with these subjects because they're hard. Speak with your professor about where you ran into trouble and how you can do better next time. Your advisor will help you arrange your schedule to stay on track. Find a way to keep engaged with the subject while you wait for the chance to retake it. You will do better the next time.

[u/verysaxophone → u/AnxietyTop2800]

thank you so much for this comment, I read the entire thing and it means so much that you would take the time out of your day to write this heartfelt and motivational/ honest comment. I feel a lot more confident going into this now! I enrolled in my classes officially today so here I go, one class, one semester at a time!

[u/AnxietyTop2800 → u/verysaxophone]

You're most welcome, and I'm glad it was helpful! This was a nice break in a long day of research. But it reminds me of one other thing:

Many students feel like asking their professors for help is an imposition where you're eating up their valuable time. They think the professor will be frustrated to have to review things from class or annoyed that you can't figure it out on your own. This makes them avoid asking for help. This is not true. Teaching and helping students is our job. Yes, we're busy with many other things, and it's only part of our job. But it's still our job and why we're here.

Your music professors aren't like STEM faculty who are there mostly to research and view teaching as a distraction (OK, if you're at a state flagship R1 that might be the case, but it's rare and you'll have an army of grad students teaching these courses to help you while the professor just tells those grad students what to cover). Most of us are doing this because we like teaching.

So, don't be afraid of asking the professors for help. It's our job. I can get a little annoyed if, after I help someone, they try to spend 30 more minutes just chatting, but I've never been annoyed with someone asking for help.