Music history vs organic chemistry

It turns out that Music History tends scare off a lot of would-be music majors from wanting to continue to pursue music performance (or education) as a long-term career.

Organic Chemistry, in (subtle) constrast, is widely considered the course that often filters out the most committed med-students from the one’s who don't care as much. No one wants a lazy brain surgeon after all.

The Dip can be a great experience when it sorts out the insolent from the industrious. But when it's used to discourage curiosity, to merely obstruct someone's dreams, it can be a profound waste of resources, talent and potential.

The question for any educator to ask is: is there a good reason why this course is astonishingly difficult? Or are you merely making more arduous than it needs to be.

If the goal isn't to filter the have’s and the have nots, maybe you should focus on making learning easier, more enjoyable, and less burdensome, instead.