Analysing Factors That Influence Undergraduate Music Students in Malaysia on Choosing a Career in Music

Abstract

Choosing a profession is a vital stage in life. It is a complex process that leaves an enormous impact on student life. This research examines the factors which influence undergraduate music students’ career choices in Malaysian public universities. A total of 489 respondents responded to the questionnaire using a survey method. The results indicate that the individual factors are the most influential factors that affect undergraduate music students’ career choices. The results also show that male students are influenced by individual and societal factors in their decision to pursue a career in music. The One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test reports a significant difference between the type of instruments they play and the universities they attend on factors influencing the choice of music career among undergraduate music students. The students, educators, and instructors in learning institutions will find the information very useful to prepare students for their future careers.

Intrinsic Factors Influencing Career Choice of Music Graduates in Fujian, China

“…To illustrate, the sense of self-worth derived from previous successful music experiences like performing and teaching increased the intention among music graduates to pursue professional music work. This study showed an increased influence of musical experiences on career choice [12] and corroborated earlier findings that ensemble [35] and music teaching experiences [69] significantly influenced students' career choices.…”

“…A strong commitment to the music profession was confirmed by the music graduates' career choices, as only 11.8% of participants worked in non-music industries. This study agrees with earlier observations showing that the majority of university music students were willing to pursue careers in music and were eager to connect their present studies to their future employment [12]. However, this finding conflicts with Mohd Sheriff and Chang's [12] studies, which suggested that the desire to pursue a music career ranked second in importance after interest in the individual influencing factors [12].…”

“…To illustrate, professional musicians probably have such a deep involvement in music that they view most parts of their lives as connected to music [11]. Previous studies have confirmed that the primary determinants that impact the job choices of undergraduate music students are individual factors [12].…”

“…Advocacy efforts have achieved a great deal in music career studies among high school students [23][24][25] and music students in colleges [12,[26][27][28]. However, some career studies showed that there are differences between the career expectations and realities of professional practice [29].…”