HI! I'm an Oboe player and from where I come from, people don't know what that is. I live in the country at a very small school, so its expected. I kinda wanted to be a musician one day.
I was wondering if you had to go to a musical college to be accepted anywhere to play, because musicians don't make very much money and I have to go to a college and major in something else first. Its required in my family.
I also wanted to know how fierce the competition is in the Oboe section. I'm not really competitive, I mean, I was getting there when the other Oboe player was with me but now I'm alone. I have some pretty bad nerves, even in rehearsal but I'm a young player. I think I can overcome everything and just play. I just wanted to know the conditions.
Got anything?

It is not my intention to be negative but . . . .

The world of music, as a living, can be a very cruel creature. Competition is fierce. Of the hundreds of Oboe players who leave college with performance degrees I think there are maybe six openings any given year. The politics involved in music are insane. Many decision are based on who you know and how well you get along with others.

Do you need to go to a music college? Technically no. You can't walk into an audition and say look here I have a degree so hire me. But studying music at the college level will teach you things you won't learn on your own. (an example would be when you see notes with a slur line over them and dots on top of the notes, what do you do?) It would depend on when the piece was written and who wrote it.

If you are a great player you can make good money. These are few and far between, but I have friends who are making a good six figures as a muscian. Many make less than that. Some people only want to play and don't want to teach, some want to do both, some want to only teach. If you love music but don't want the competition, don't want to have to play 3 hours each and every day. . . . . .
then there is nothing wrong with getting a "regular" day job. Study something useful in school and take music as a minor. Have your day job and then do music in the evenings and weekends.

I've gone both ways. I played only music for several years - that was my job. Then I got very disappointed with the music business and stopped. I got a regular day job and taught and played in the evening and weekends. It's nice to have a regular job with good pay and benefits and then music be an elective. And it can be a very substantial second income. I am now swinging back to music full time. I am more mature to handle the politics and posturing.

Always keep music in your life and always be sure you are having fun doing it. It doesn't have to be easy, but it does need to be fun.