I'm not sure if I should major in music.
The short response would be: If you're not sure, then choose something else. The music business is a very demanding field, and to achieve even modest success you must be extremely dedicated to learning as much as you can about every aspect of it. The performance, teaching, and business of music are all important. You need to understand how to put together a great performance, how to inspire others to create a great performance, and how to support a great performance. If a music career truly interests you, then go for it. If you think of it as merely a job, then you probably will be happier doing something else.

I want something to fall back on.
The study of music is so demanding that it will be difficult to find time for a degree in music and another discipline. The best solution in this situation is to major in something else and minor in music. It's easier to have a career in music without a music degree, than it is to have a career in business without a business degree.

I just want to make a living as a performer.
It is possible but the reality is-very few people are able to do that.  Most performers I know also have other sources of income such as teaching, booking other entertainers, working in recording studios, music stores, other technical areas of music, or they work a regular job outside the field of music.

I love music, but I'm not sure what area of it I want to pursue.
The best way to figure out what to do is to look ahead 5 or 10 years. What do you want to be doing at that time? What will be important to you when you are 30? 40? Then work back to the present and take action to achieve those dreams.

What is the best place to get an education? (Which college is the best?)
The answer to this question depends on what you want to become and who you are. When you go to college, you are buying that school's reputation. You still have to develop your own skills, but the school's reputation may open the correct doors for you. 

Locate schools that have a history of placing graduates successfully in the field that interests you. If you want to be a performer, then you need to go to a school with teachers who've created successful performers. If you want to be a band director in a leading school system, then go to a college that routinely places their students in these positions. If you want to run a recording studio, find a school that turns out graduates who work in recording studios. 

Also, you want to be in a setting where you will feel comfortable. Some students prefer a large, impersonal environment, others need a smaller, homey atmosphere with more individual attention. 

Keep in mind that every college is going to tell you how wonderful they are. To determine how effective the college will be for you, talk to some current students and recent graduates. Are any of these people doing what you want to be doing? How useful was their college experience? Would they recommend their school to a friend?

And a final piece of advice:
In the learning process we may get involved in situations that really don't bring us much musical enjoyment, but the discipline we learn is often the lesson we need to help us succeed. We may get stuck and forget that the system is a means to an end, not the end itself. Make the most of every situation you find yourself in, but focus on your end result so that you don't get sidetracked. 

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