They were a group of college educators that, in 1892 established the American High School education system.

Their standardization would separate the college-bound and working-class students from the start. In other words, this group created the grades K-12.

Their curriculum established how we think today as a society of automatons, brainwashed with the idea of Go to school, get good grades, go to college, work for an employer for 40 years, retire and die.

Sorry, to be blunt. =)

Many working musicians today are also a victim of this insanity with mounds of debt. I’d like to state that God did not create us as slaves or automatons, but as free thinkers, and creators.

In God We Trust.

Not! In Government We Trust!

I’d like to throw out a list of known musicians that dropped out of school and still achieved success.

I’m not anti-education I’m anti-unnecessary education tagged with a high price tag.

Our society as a whole has indoctrinated us to believe that we need a costly college education in order to succeed as musicians or songwriters and in general.

Far from the truth…

The current list of successful musicians proves my point.

102 Famous Musicians that were college dropouts.

1. Bryan Adams, singer, songwriter. High school dropout.
2. William Adams, aka Will.i.am, singer, songwriter, music producer, founder of the Black Eyed Peas, actor, entrepreneur. Never attended college.
3. Adele, Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, singer. Intended to go to college but got signed to a recording deal just after her high school graduation.
4. Trace Adkins, country music singer. Attended Louisiana Tech University but never officially graduated. Worked on an oil rig instead.
5. Christina Aguilera, singer, songwriter. Never finished high school.
6. Peter Allen, singer, songwriter, composer. High school dropout
7. Rick Allen, member of Def Leppard. High school dropout.
8. Billie Joe Armstrong, frontman for Green Day punk rock band. High school dropout.
9. Louis Armstrong, jazz musician. Dropped out of high school.
10. Eddy Arnold, country music singer and member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. He debuted at the Grand Ole Opry in 1943. Between 1945 and 1983, 145 of his songs made the country charts, with 28 of them at #1. He sold more than 85 million records.
11. Chet Atkins, country singer. High school dropout.
12. Mickey Baker, rhythm and blues guitarist. Did not finish high school.
13. Count Basie, bandleader, pianist. Dropped out of high school.
14. Natasha Bedingfield, singer. Dropped out of college after her freshman year to pursue a music career. Her Unwritten album debuted at #1 in England.
15. André Benjamin, aka André 3000, rapper, singer, songwriter, member of OutKast. Dropped out of high school.
16. Tony Bennett, aka Anthony Benedetto, singer, artist. Attended New York City’s High School of Industrial Art but dropped out at the age of 16.
17. Irving Berlin, Oscar-winning songwriter, composer. When his father died when he was 8 years old, he had to work to survive. Wrote such long-lasting hits as God Bless America, White Christmas, There’s No Business Like Show Business, etc.
18. Chuck Berry, rock singer. High school dropout, left in the 11th grade.
19. Clint Black, Grammy-winning country singer, songwriter, record producer, actor. Dropped out of Stratford High School in Houston, Texas.
20. Mary J. Blige, Grammy-winning singer, songwriter. Dropped out of high school in the eleventh grade.
21. Michael Bolton, Grammy-winning singer, songwriter. High school dropout.
22. David Bowie, singer, songwriter, actor, record producer. Sold 136 million records. May not have graduated from high school.
23. Ray Charles, singer. Dropped out of high school.
24. Kelly Clarkson, pop singer. Got several college music scholarships but passed on them to move to Los Angeles to pursue a singing career.
25. Phil Collins, singer, songwriter, drummer, keyboardist. Never attended college. Solo singer as well as lead singer for Genesis.
26. Sean John Combs, rapper, producer, fashion designer, entertainer, actor, and entrepreneur. Did not finish college.
27. Harry Connick, Jr., Grammy-winning pianist, singer, actor. Has sold over 25 million albums. At the age of 18, he left New Orleans to move to New York City. Did study at Loyola University, Hunter College, and the Manhattan School of Music, but apparently did not graduate.
28. Miley Cyrus, singer, actress. Did not attend college.
29. Sammy Davis, Jr., singer, actor. Never finished high school.
30. Jimmy Dean, singer, songwriter, actor. Dropped out in the 9th grade to join the Merchant Marines at the age of 16. After getting out of the Air Force, he and his band, the Texas Wildcats, developed a following in Washington state
31. Snoop Dogg, rapper, and actor. Never attended college.
32. Bob Dylan, singer, and songwriter. Dropped out of the University of Minnesota and moved to New York City to seek out his idol Woody Guthrie.
33. Duke Ellington, bandleader, composer. Dropped out of high school.
34. Fergie, aka Stacy Ann Ferguson, singer, songwriter. A straight-A student and cheerleader in high school. Never attended college.
35. Ella Fitzgerald, singer. Dropped out of high school.
36. Caleb Followill, rock musician, Kings of Leon. Has not yet attended college.
37. Nathan Followill, rock musician, Kings of Leon. Has not yet attended college.
38. Lady Gaga, aka Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, rock singer and songwriter. Dropped out of NYU at the age of 19 to pursue her music career full time.
39. George Gershwin, songwriter, composer. High school dropout.
40. Dizzy Gillespie, musician, songwriter. Dropped out of high school.
41. Benny Goodman, clarinetist, bandleader. Dropped out of high school.
42. Beck Hansen, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist. Dropped out of high school to pursue his musical career.
43. Jimi Hendrix, rock ‘n roll guitarist. A high school dropout.
44. Whitney Houston, Grammy-winning singer, and actress. At the age of 19, she was discovered singing in a New York City supper club by Clive Davis, who immediately signed her to a contract with Arista Records. Her first album, and the next six, all went multi-platinum. She is in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the most awarded female artist of all time.
45. Gregory Isaacs, reggae singer. Did not attend college.
46. Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson III, rapper, entrepreneur, producer, actor, book author, amateur boxer. Dropped out of high school in the 10th grade.
47. Etta James, singer, queen of R&B. Signed as a recording artist when she was still a teenager. Never attended college.
48. Quincy Jones, musician, composer, music producer, music executive, and more. Attended the Berklee College of Music but left when he got the opportunity to tour with Lionel Hampton’s band as a trumpeter, arranger, and pianist.
49. Toby Keith, country music singer. After high school, he joined his father to work in the oil fields.
50. Alicia Keys, singer and songwriter. Graduated from New York’s Professional Performing Arts School at age 16. She enrolled at Columbia University but dropped out after a semester to sign with Columbia Records.
51. Jewel Kilcher, singer, and songwriter. Scored a major recording contract at the age of 18. Her first album sold 11 million copies. Has not attended college.
52. B.B. King, blues musician, songwriter, and legend. Never finished high school.
53. Chad Kroeger, frontman for Nickelback rock group. In a Playboy magazine interview, he noted that “I didn’t go to school. I mean, after the eighth or ninth grade, I don’t remember going to school five days out of the week, ever.” He was a few credits short of graduating from high school when he left school and took to the road.
54. Nick Lachey, singer, and actor. “I was trying to be an athletic trainer. That’s what I was studying in school when I quit doing music.”
55. Miranda Lambert, country singer. Began singing as a professional while still in high school. Did not attend college.
56. Cyndi Lauper, singer, songwriter, actress. Left home at 17 to work a number of odd jobs and sing in bars until she was able to break through as a bestselling singer.
57. Avril Lavigne, singer, songwriter. Dropped out of high school.
58. Demi Lovato, singer, and actress. Did not attend college.
59. Bruno Mars, singer, songwriter, music producer. After graduating from high school, he moved to Los Angeles and signed with Motown Records.
60. John Mayer, Grammy-winning singer, and songwriter. Left the Berklee College of Music after two semesters to pursue a singing career in Atlanta, Georgia.
61. Martina McBride, country music singer. After high school, she traveled around Kansas playing and singing with various bands. Did not attend college.
62. Bret Michaels, rock singer, reality TV show star. Graduated high school with a GED degree. Has not attended college.
63. Nicki Minaj, aka Onika Tanya Maraj, singer, and songwriter. After graduating from high school, she worked as a waitress and other odd jobs while trying to land a record deal.
64. Moby, author, rock star, tea-shop proprietor. Sold more than 15 million albums. A college dropout.
65. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, classical music composer, and performer. In his early years, his father taught him music, languages, and other academic subjects. He never attended high school or college.
66. Sinead O’Connor, singer. Never attended college.
67. George Alan O’Dowd, aka Boy George, singer, songwriter, fashion designer, photographer. High school dropout. Never attended college.
68. John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne, heavy metal singer, songwriter, and reality TV star. Left school at the age of 15.
69. Charlie “Bird” Parker, jazz musician and father of modern jazz. Attended Lincoln High School in Kansas City, Missouri but left after a year and a half to join the local musicians union.
70. Katy Perry, singer. Left home at the age of 14 to make it on her own in Nashville; then moved to Los Angeles at the age of 17. Did not attend college.
71. Lisa Marie Presley, singer. Dropped out of high school.
72. Usher Raymond IV, quadruple platinum singer. He won the Star Search male teen vocalist competition when he was 18. He was signed to a music label immediately thereafter.
73. Trent Reznor, musician, Nine Inch Nails. Dropped out of Allegheny College after one year to pursue a career in music.
74. Charlie Rich, Grammy-winning country, and blues singer and songwriter. Dropped out of the University of Arkansas to join the Air Force.
75. Rihanna, aka Robyn Rihanna Fenty, singer, actress. At the age of 15, she formed a singing trio in Barbados. At the age of 16, she went to live with songwriter Evan Rogers and his wife in Connecticut. At the age of 17, she signed a singing contract with Def Jam records. Has not yet attended college.
76. Asher Roth, hip-hop artist, I Love College hit song. Dropped out of West Chester University after being signed.
77. Kelly Rowland, singer. Has not yet attended college.
78. Seal, aka Seal Henry Olusugun Olumide Adeola Samuel, R&B singer, and songwriter. He received a two-year associate’s degree in architecture. He struck out on his own at the age of 15.
79. Shakira, aka Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, Grammy-winning singer, and songwriter who has sold more than 50 million albums. Attended a modeling school for a while.
80. Blake Shelton, country singer, reality competition panelist. Left home right after high school and went to Nashville to try to make it as a country singer. Never attended college.
81. Robert Sherman, Oscar-winning songwriter. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the Army. After World War II, he returned to write a novel but was soon encouraged to partner with his brother Richard in writing songs
82. Harper Simon, musician son of singer/songwriter Paul Simon. Enrolled at the Berklee College of Music but quit before graduating.
83. Will Smith, Grammy-winning rapper, actor. Did not attend college. As the Fresh Prince, he and DJ Jazzy Jeff released their first album before he finished high school. They received the first Grammy for a hip-hop act. Due to the success of that first album, Smith decided to forgo college for show business.
84. Phoebe Snow, singer, songwriter. Dropped out of college to perform in clubs and coffeehouses.
85. Britney Spears, singer, actress, youngest woman to have five albums debut at #1 on the Billboard list. Dropped out of high school.
86. Jamie Lynn Spears, actress. Dropped out of high school.
87. Rick Springfield, singer, and actor. Never attended college.
88. Bruce Springsteen, Grammy-winning and Oscar-winning singer and songwriter. Never attended college.
89. Ringo Starr, drummer for the Beatles. He did not attend college.
90. Gwen Stefani, singer, and songwriter, No Doubt. Struggled in school. Never attended college.
91. Barbra Streisand, singer, and actress. Started her singing career at the age of 18. Did not attend college.
92. Taylor Swift, singer, and songwriter. Released her first album at the age of 16; left high school at the same age. Has not yet attended college.
93. Ashley Tisdale, singer, and actress. Has not yet attended college.
94. Derek Trucks, singer, and musician. Attended high school on the road while playing for the Allman Brothers Band. Never attended college.
95. Donnie Wahlberg Jr., singer (New Kids on the Block), actor, music producer. Never attended college. Started his singing career at the age of 15.
96. Lil Wayne (Dwayne Carter), rapper. Never attended college.
97. Kanye West, rapper, record producer. Attended the American Academy of Art in Chicago for one semester and then transferred to Chicago State University, but dropped out to focus on his music career. Had a hit album called The College Dropout.
98. Gretchen Wilson, country singer. Quit school after the eighth grade. Finally earned her GED equivalency degree in 2009.
99. Lee Ann Womack, country music singer. Attended South Plains Junior College for one year. Then took a few classes at Belmont University. Never graduated.
100. Adam Yauch, aka MCA of the Beastie Boys, rapper, songwriter, film director, Buddhist. He attended Bard College for two years before dropping out.
101. Jay-Z (Shawn Carter), rapper, entrepreneur, owner of Rocawear clothing, co-owner of New Jersey Nets basketball team. Never attended college. “I’m a thinker. I figure things out. I don’t have a high level of education, but I’m practical–and I have great instincts.”
102. Frank Zappa, rock musician. Probably dropped out of college. As he noted in liner notes for his Freak Out album, “Drop out of school before your mind rots from our mediocre educational system.

Conclusion

The purpose of this list is to show that expensive college degrees were not catalysts for their success.

The accumulation of the list was referenced from collegedropoutshalloffame.com

I will repeat. I am not anti-education. This monster list shows that all one needs is a true desire, and persistence.

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Matthew 7:7

I should create a shirt with this verse on it.

You’re probably wondering why I’m I addressing this issue.

The reason is our society has endowed with fear and obedience and in turn controls our futures. We need to break these sacred cows.

Don’t hesitate to voice your opinion in the comments section below.

You guys are awesome!

And please let me know. Was higher education a key component to your success?

Did you know…..

Student loan debt has surpassed 1 trillion dollars?

More than mortgage debt, consumer credit card debt, car debt, etc..

The worst part of it is you can’t get out of it. You can’t file bankruptcy you’re stuck with it the rest of your life. Unless you receive debt forgiveness. When does that really happen?

Probably never!

My buddy came over to my house the other day. We were chatting about church, music, Jesus and other things. Out of nowhere I blurted out to him.

“Did you know that student loan debt in this country has surpassed 1 trillion dollars?”

He said, “I believe it, I’m over $30,000 in student loan debt.”

“What? 15 years we’ve known each other. How come you never told me?” I mentioned. “You never asked.” He responded.

Geez!!

“… the borrower is slave to the lender.” 

Proverbs 22:7

Mini-Story

When I graduated high school almost 20 years ago. My school of choice was Cal Arts in Valencia, Ca. They had a great music and animation program.

These were the fields I was interested in. When I received the costs of tuition my eyes flew out of my sockets. “Who was gonna pay this?” I thought to myself.

My mom or dad don’t have any cash, I could receive financial aid but even that won’t cover everything. I would still owe thousands of dollars.

I decided to take an alternative route to community college. As of today I’m glad I did.

Don’t let financial burdens make you lose hope. It will effect the way you worship God.

If you’re thinking of attending college or a prestigious university please rethink your motives. I have various alternatives that are super cost savings.

Here are the 9 Alternatives to Music College.

1. Music Heroes: In today’s age communication is awesome. Go online and google your top favorite musicians on the planet. Nine times out of ten your favorite music hero has an email address.

Email them and be courteous. Introduce yourself and ask if they give lessons. If they don’t then move on if they do and they have internet access it doesn’t matter what part of the world they live in you can set up a skype lesson. Isn’t technology awesome.

Try it! It doesn’t hurt to ask.

2. Community College: Even though college tuition has skyrocketed 1000%. Community college is most likely a more affordable option.

Learning your diatonic modes is the same at a community college then at a 4 year university. I guess the only difference is the tuition.

3. Local Music Teachers: Many times your favorite musicians are local teachers at a private school. There are also many undiscovered music teachers at your local private school where tuition is on a monthly basis.

The average monthly tuition here in LA is $120 per month for a 30 minute session per week. That’s $1440 per year and $5,760 for 4 years.

Even if you took 1 hour sessions just double it at $11,520.

Tuition at Berklee School of Music each year is over $30,000.

What a deal! Not!

4. Books: Most of the time in college you’ll be learning from their curriculum. Hop on their website and search for the books that their music program uses.

Go to Amazon.com and you’ll most likely find all the material at a super deal!

5. YouTube Videos: All your music heroes nine times out of ten have a video on YouTube where they could be performing or even teaching.

Plus, there are millions of music tutorials where you can most likely find anything. Check it out.

6. Blogs: There is an abundance of music education out there for free. Many great teachers have come out of the woodworks and created their own websites and have grown a fan base.

Great teachers like Mike Johnston from Mikeslessons.com and JaneK Gwizdala from videobasslessons.tv have grown an enormous student community that have helped thousands.  Check them out.

There is also Justin Sandercoe at justinguitar.com. Great site.

Oops! Don’t forget mine.

7. Audit College Courses: One of my goals in life is to be a film composer. A few years back I researched many universities in my area, went to their websites and found the professors that teach composition, found their emails and emailed them.

I asked if I can audit their classes. Out of 5 professors I emailed 2 responded back. I ended up auditing the orchestration class at Cal State Long Beach.

I eventually couldn’t finish the entire course because of work but I learned a lot and plus I didn’t have to cough up thousands of dollars in the process.

8. Online Classes: This is great way to receive your education on your own time. It doesn’t necessarily have to be courses from a university like I said before.

There are many blogs and websites filled with wonderful music instructors where you can purchase their video course, webinars and monthly services.

9. Networking: Many times I hear from folks that mention colleges will give you gig opportunities. While some of that appears to be true, the majority is not the case.

I’ve been in the music business for 15 years and all the major gigs that I’ve acquired was not because of my college degree. It was purely based on my network.

Nobody ever asked for my degree!

Depending on where you live you would have to locate where all the major players in your town flock too. There many local jam sessions here in LA where many big players mingle and perform.

This is your chance to build your network. I don’t need to justify $100,000 to network. All I need is $10 for gas money to drive to the local jam session.

Here is a list of famous musicians with or without college degrees that had nothing to do with their success.

Chis Tomlin: Degree in Psychology
Sting: Degree in Education
Michael Jackson: No degree
Steve Wonder: No degree
Johnny Cash: No degree
Jimi Hendrix: No degree
Stevie Ray Vaughan: No degree, high school dropout.
Ray Charles: No degree
Prince: No degree
Bob Dylan: No degree
Taylor Swift: No degree
Justin Beiber: No degree
Usher: No degree
Rihanna: No degree
Lady Gaga: No degree

As you can see it doesn’t take a college degree to be a successful musician.

I am not against education. What I am against is the unnecessary education that are prerequisites at these high cost institutions.

Here is list of the music schools in the country plus tuition costs of 2014-2015 not including: room and board, books and supplies, and expenses.

Juilliard School: Tuition: $38,190 x 4 years = $152,760
Berklee School of Music: Tuition: $37,800 x 4 years = $151,200
USC: Tuition: $60,700 x 4 years = $242,800
Musicians Institute: Tuition: $20,250 x 4 years = $81,000
Boston University: Tuition: $47,422 x 4 years = $88,256
Cal State Long Beach: Tuition: $6,452 x 4 years = $25,808
Cal State LA: Tuition: $6,343 x 4 years = $25,372
Cal State Northridge: Tuition: $6,520 x 4 years = $26,080
New England Conservatory of Music: Tuition: $40,950 x 4 years = $183,800
Eastman School of Music: Tuition: $31,350 x 4 years = $125,400
Manhattan School of Music: Tuition: $37,250 x 4 years = $149,000

Even if you did have financial aid, they don’t cover everything unless you won a scholarship.

My story

I dropped out of Cerritos college and Fullerton college. The reason why is I took all the music classes that I needed in order to be self sufficient in a music environment.

In order to graduate and receive my associates degree I had to take theses unnecessary GE courses.

No, thanks! They’re not taking my money!

In my early twenties I applied to over 80 private music schools in the greater Los Angeles and Orange county area. My resume wasn’t that impressive and I still applied either way.

Out of 80 schools I remember receiving about 11 responses and out of those 11 responses I received 4 interviews and out of those 4 interviews I was accepted at 3 schools including Yamaha music school in Yorba Linda, Ca.

I turned one down due to distance.

It took a couple of years to build my students up to about 40. Plus auditioning and gigging that supplemented my income. I was raking in at about $35,000-$40,000 per year.

Not bad for someone with no college degree and bit of persistence.

Remember

 A, D major scale, Dbm7 chord, and alternate guitar picking, are taught the same way whether you’re at 4 year university, community college, local private instructor, book, and online.

Don’t be fooled by the masses. Protect your pocket book and your future.

I can’t name one well known successful musician that have stated their college degree was the secret to their success.

Inflation is kicking our pants, make sure you keep yours on.

Hope you enjoyed this new light and if you did please share it with friends.

Please let me know what your opinion is on the comment section below.

Peace

Roland

As a church musician should you get paid to serve at church?

That’s the long heated debate. Just to let you know I don’t get paid the cheddar at my home church Oasis. The main music director is on staff and gets paid of course. I do get paid to play at a small church every Sunday playing piano.

Here’s my take on it.

There’s nothing wrong with it.

And… It depends.

There are two types of musicians at church.

1. Professional musician
2. Amateur musician

Let’s dissect the two.

Professional Musician:

Simply put, pros make a living with music. The pay their bills, rent, gas, insurance, etc. using the gift of music that God gave them to make a living. God wants us to use our gifts to earn a living and serve others. Statistics state that most talented individuals do not use their talents to earn a living. Which is why most folks hate their 9 to 5 job.

There are many jobs as a musician, you can be: freelance, session musician, instructor, music director, composer, songwriter, etc. Plenty of musicians have families that they need to provide for and others probably don’t have families but they have personal needs.

Professionalism is also a mindset. Being prepared, highly trained, being on time to rehearsals and gigs, having the right attitude, getting the job done, like ability. Nobody likes divas, drama queens, or even anti-social musicians.

Attitude and mindset is probably one the key factors that differentiates between amateurs and pros.

Amateur Musician:

Amateurs get paid and don’t get paid. I have seen it both ways. But most amateurs earn a living through their regular day jobs.

I have seen many amateurs that are amazing musicians and others that are average. They do have a different mindset though.

In both, highly trained and poorly trained I have seen great attitudes but mostly poor attitudes.

They don’t learn the tunes, don’t come to practice, have poor attitudes, their commitment is average, arrive late, don’t call or text to let everyone know they are coming or not and it goes on and on.

I can’t speak for all churches but I have worshipped in many different denominations and churches across the globe in different cultures. There is definitely a pattern of amateurism and professionalism no matter what church.

Conclusion

Looking for that church cheddar?

If you would like to get paid as a church musician there many opportunities out there. You just have to find the right one, which is tough. But when you find the right church it will be very steady work for you. As opposed to finding a steady secular gig which is even tougher.

It does depend on the church, not the church size. Believe it or not regardless of the size a lot of churches do not know how to manage their finances well or they’re just a bunch of tightwads and don’t value the spiritual gifts that you are providing.

I have experienced both. Run away from those poorly run churches. God will take care of them for not providing for their flock.

They are churches that pay and others that are voluntary. You pick and choose what you are looking for. If it is just for extra cash to spend on a new toy and not to provide for yourself or family then maybe you should question is it about you or God.

In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it. (1 Corinthians 9:14 NLT)

I pray that this opens up for discussion, please leave a comment below. Also, please share this post by clicking on one of the share buttons below.

Keep seeking and you will find. Matt 7:7

Roland