I think the reason why piano is the main "theory" instrument is because it's very visual. Sure, guitar is, but it's less easily understandable to anyone as piano would be. C is next do D, as E is next to F and so on. It's just very easy to show people things on the piano. I don't think schools want to just force you to learn a certain instrument, and they're not doing that either. They just want to teach you enough to get it.
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Nashville, Tennessee
On the other end of the spectrum, I've been at Belmont for two and a half years. I've had maybe one useful class (sound reinforcement) and the rest has not been very useful... Long story short, I just dropped out to take on music full time. It really all depends what you are looking to do and if you need that fancy piece of paper to do it.
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Milwaukee, WI
smiletron wrote:
On the other end of the spectrum, I've been at Belmont for two and a half years. I've had maybe one useful class (sound reinforcement) and the rest has not been very useful... Long story short, I just dropped out to take on music full time. It really all depends what you are looking to do and if you need that fancy piece of paper to do it.
Interesting. Admittedly jumping straight in like that scares me, and if education could help my chances then I'm all for it. I'd like to find a place that does prove to be useful. 
Also: My sister is a piano performance major, I've been picking up bits and pieces over the years, I'm going to take lessons junior and senior year too.
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As a current college student who was in your shoes a few years ago, I'm going to echo some of the sentiments here and say that if you're passionate about music and musical engineering, chase those endeavors in your free time, perhaps taking a few classes to compliment your self-education, and don't limit yourself to schools with such specific programs and work hard to get into a very GOOD school, because odds are you'll be changing your mind about what you wanna do... Trust me, you'll be much happier at a great school than a great "musical engineering" school. Half of college is the experience, after all! 
Just as an example, I'm currently a Sophomore at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. And, in all honesty, it's a school I don't think anyone can go wrong with. Look at the numbers, after all. Not to mention the fact that, for your interests, Michigan's engineering program and music school are among the best in the country, if not the world. I've also had aspirations of going into music for years, but the field of audio engineering has reached a point where schools, certification, etc. aren't worth nearly as much as they used to be in a shrinking industry. People care about your skills, not your pedigree.
I guess my overarching point with all this babbling is this: If you feel that you need formal education to make you good enough at what you want to do to get a job in it, then by all means do so. However, in the unstable modern world we live in, I'd recommend you supplement your love of music with a minor of some sort, and major in something else you're interested in that complements those abilities (for example, electrical engineering or computer science). You'll have a way easier time finding a job, and ultimately, keeping a job in the field you wanna work in.
Sorry for the long-winded reply, but I hope this helps!
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Milwaukee, WI
Kokoro wrote:
As a current college student who was in your shoes a few years ago, I'm going to echo some of the sentiments here and say that if you're passionate about music and musical engineering, chase those endeavors in your free time, perhaps taking a few classes to compliment your self-education, and don't limit yourself to schools with such specific programs and work hard to get into a very GOOD school, because odds are you'll be changing your mind about what you wanna do... Trust me, you'll be much happier at a great school than a great "musical engineering" school. Half of college is the experience, after all!
Just as an example, I'm currently a Sophomore at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. And, in all honesty, it's a school I don't think anyone can go wrong with. Look at the numbers, after all. Not to mention the fact that, for your interests, Michigan's engineering program and music school are among the best in the country, if not the world. I've also had aspirations of going into music for years, but the field of audio engineering has reached a point where schools, certification, etc. aren't worth nearly as much as they used to be in a shrinking industry. People care about your skills, not your pedigree.
I guess my overarching point with all this babbling is this: If you feel that you need formal education to make you good enough at what you want to do to get a job in it, then by all means do so. However, in the unstable modern world we live in, I'd recommend you supplement your love of music with a minor of some sort, and major in something else you're interested in that complements those abilities (for example, electrical engineering or computer science). You'll have a way easier time finding a job, and ultimately, keeping a job in the field you wanna work in.
Sorry for the long-winded reply, but I hope this helps!
Thank you! Interesting take from you. To me, I'm just itching to focus 100% on music and technology. Although it would be "safer" to major in something else, I don't think I'd learn as much about what I'm really passionate about. And I'm not expecting it to instantly launch me into the industry either. I will continue to cultivate my skills and if a pedigree can help, then I'm all for it! I'm also in WI and your Bachelor of Science in Sound Engineering looks very nice! Thanks for taking the time to write a reply.
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No problem! U of M really does have a lot of amazing opportunities, so you should check it out. And I hope you didn't think I was trying to dissuade you from your passions for the sake of career options, that wasn't my intent; I'm just saying keep an open mind. Four years ago, I was CONVINCED I wanted to go into audio engineering. Two major changes later, I'm now studying American Culture with a concentration in Musicology and minoring in Japanese Language, and I still manage to spend hours every week in Logic Pro. Passions shift and take new forms, and I guarantee you you're going to find out you love something in college that you didn't before you got there.
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montreal, qc
"...the field of audio engineering has reached a point where schools, certification, etc. aren't worth nearly as much as they used to be in a shrinking industry. People care about your skills, not your pedigree. "
^THIS
whatever you do, don't waste your time on any sort of BFA program.
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Matthew Joseph Payne
I was actually discussing this with a percussion major at our school who is interested in audio engineering. The market is saturated with people who have graduated from Berklee or e'xpression and are recording rappers for free in their basements trying to "build a portfolio" so they can start doing real work. I don't know where someone graduating from a more traditional university fits into this, but right now the people making waves are the people who are self-taught and driven.