“A new study from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce used U.S. census data to analyze wages for workers from 137 college majors,” write Brian Wise and Naomi Lewin on Friday (6/12) at New York classical radio station WQXR. “It found that the popularity of majors doesn’t always match earnings potential: For bachelor’s degrees, music ranks 36th in popularity but 113th in terms of earnings (graduate music degrees rank 31st in popularity, and 121st in earnings). The median national income for a musician with a bachelor’s is $49,000 (top-paying fields are in science and business). Anthony P. Carnevale, the lead author of the study, tells us that while music falls low in the pay scale, it is possible to make a solid middle-class living in the arts…. Carnevale added that students should follow their passion but be mindful.” Included is an audio conversation with Carnevale, clarinetist Weixiong Wang, recent graduate of the Juilliard School, and soprano Maria Natale, recent graduate of the Manhattan School of Music.
Posted June 12, 2015
