Classical Schools of Music

bj · Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2002 8:53 am Post subject:

Hi Pat

If you can get a good teacher then the best chance of gaining lots of experience is at a larger establishment.
When there are many players it is easier to find like minded people to play in ensembles. If they don't exist you have the personnel there to start some (eg it would be easy to form a wind quintet).
Also competition and role models should be there to aim at.
It will be the best playing situations of her life, as there are no cost considerations for college orchestras you get to play works like Mahler 2 and Belshazzars Feast and Janacek Sinfonietta etc when those works are relatively rarely performed by orchestras.
She will have the time of her life at a good music school, I know that I found a conservatoire to be a great experience.
all the best
Brian Jones

tcutrpt · Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2002 9:53 am Post subject:

I'm a sophomore in college right now, and I made the decision to not go to a big name university. I really feel comfortable with that decision now, although for awhile I was wondering if I made the right choice. I have a great teacher and I perform in the top wind ensemble and orchestra. I think both groups play was well or better than any lower bands that I would be in at a larger university. I think that finding a great teacher is the number one priority when choosing a school, especially for performance majors. A great teacher can motivate you to become better and lead you in the right direction. Regardless of where you go to college, it will be hard work and dedication that makes you into a great player more so than going to a large music school. This is just my opinion.

Matt Cyr

trptcase · Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2002 9:58 am Post subject:

Pat,

I ended up going to a school with a very large program, even though I was discouraged from doing so. I came from a very small town and I really wanted to break away from that "big fish in a small pond" syndrome.

Being in a large program is very competitive but as a college student, you will not only learn from your professors but also your peers. Having the chance to mix with many students of different levels and backgrounds allows you to raise the bar for yourself and get lots of different ideas.

It is important to note that if she can get in with a professor as a freshman, that this is ideal. I think that this can keep you from being shoved under the rug, which is what a lot of people fear in big programs.

PH · Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2002 1:57 pm Post subject:

As an IU faculty member I will tell you that virtually every music major (with the exception of a few music ed majors or jazz majors who still need time in the woodshed) studies with a major teacher-not a TA. Occassionally a teacher will accept a few extra students because someone ended up not graduating, you estimated a higher percentage would elect another school after all, etc. In those cases the last few students in might end up with a TA for a semester, but even then most of our teachers will either teach an overload that semester or work out some type of rotation where you get 1/2 or 2/3 of your lessons with the faculty member and the remainder with a TA. And you are always welcome at the master classes, even if you aren't in that teachers studio.

As a rule the vast majority of the time if you are good enough to be admitted to IU you are going to be with a faculty teacher almost the entire time you are in Bloomington. Be forewarned that just because that is true at IU it isn't always true at other large schools (like that one in Texas).

trptcase · Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2002 7:45 am Post subject:

[ This Message was edited by: trptcase on 2002-03-01 10:46 ]

didge · Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2002 12:31 pm Post subject:

The University of North Texas is an excellent trumpet/music school!!
-largest music school in the country
-largest trumpet studio in the country
-Keith Johnson & Leonard Candelaria!
-IT'S IN TEXAS!!!

dbacon · Heavyweight Member Joined: 11 Nov 2001 Posts: 8592

NelleTrumpet · Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2002 2:05 pm Post subject:

I think the choice of a college comes down to personal preference. I think it goes something like this:
* If you are solely interested in being a trumpet player, go to a conservatory.

* If you are interested both in being a trumpet player and in being an academic, go to a university. As far as universities go:
- If you want a lot of opportunities at the price of competitiveness, go to a large university. Excellent schools in this category include USC, The University of Cincinnati, The University of Texas, the University of North Texas, Indiana University, and Northwestern University.
- If you want fewer opportunities but also less competitiveness (which may mean “better,” e.g. higher position kinds of opportunities) go to a small school. If being a well rounded student is important as well, make this small school a liberal arts college.

Also, if you feel that you want to be more well-rounded as an undergraduate, it doesn’t mean that you can’t later narrow your focus and go to a conservatory or top-notch university as a graduate student.

Just on the faculty at my college, the flute professor is a graduate of both University of Texas (Bachelor’s) University of Cincinnati (Master’s and Doctorate). The trombone professor is a grad of Oberlin College (Bachelor’s) and Indiana University (Masters and Doctorate). The Saxophone and jazz ensemble professor went to Eastman (Bachelor’s) and the University of North Texas (Master’s), and my wind ensemble director went to Northwestern University. I have never heard any of them say a bad word about their experiences at these schools, so I would guess that any of these would be a great choice.

Again, it depends on personal preference and what you want from your college experience.
________________
Danelle Wilbraham

adamcz · Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2002 9:26 am Post subject:

I don't understand why somebody who goes to a conservatory would graduate without an education. If there is anybody out there at a school that doesn't spoon feed you the knowledge you're looking for, I'll let you in on a secret: Pretty much all of the knowledge accumulated during the past 5,000 years of western civilization is available in a thing called "books."

Right now I'm finishing up my last semester at Berklee; one of the schools who's academic classes hover right around the high-school level, and I can't imagine I'll ever regret it. I've taken 5 semesters of counterpoint, 4 of harmony, 2 of conducting, 4 of music history, as well as composition lessons with amazing composers like Greg Hopkins, and Vuk Kulenovic. I think I have gotten a very well rounded musical education at Berklee, and in my free time I've educated myself on the non-musical subjects that interest me. (the Boston public library just down the street is one of the biggest in the country!)

And here's the thing I'm most thankful for: Already, a half-dozen of the people I've met and played with in various ensembles around school have landed gigs with some of my musical heroes. I imagine this trend will continue as more of my friends graduate and start playing around New York. Although you certainly can get good anywhere, I think it's valuable to have a network of friends who are playing the type of gigs you want to play. Maybe (hopefully!) one of them will reccomend me for an open trumpet chair sometime in the future.

PH · Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2002 9:59 am Post subject:

Didge,

I don't think bigger means better, but Indiana University is the largest music school in the world and has been since the 1960s.

dbacon · Heavyweight Member Joined: 11 Nov 2001 Posts: 8592

moplaystrumpet · Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2002 7:20 pm Post subject:

Actually PH,
Univ of North Texas overtook IU in terms of enrollment as of last fall. They were pretty excited at school...

trumpet2 · New Member Joined: 10 Jun 2002 Posts: 3

If you want to be a player, look for the school with the best TEACHER! Unfortunately, there are alot of "name" schools, that haven't placed anyone into a classical job in years. Check out James Darling, of the Cleveland Institute of Music- A terrific teacher as well as player!

MonsieurAlbin · New Member Joined: 07 Nov 2002 Posts: 2 Location: Boston

I am currently at New England Conservatory. At NEC, one of its strengths, and its weaknesses, is the diversity of its faculty. Where else can you have Charlie Schlueter, Peter Chapman, Steve Emery, and Ben Wright on one trumpet faculty? As far as the solfege and theory training, I have found it to be informing, enjoyable, and beneficial to my development as a musician. The fact is, though, it is a school of all musicians, so of course it's going to be a mess! However, places like NEC, or any educational institution, require that you take the initiative to improve yourself. It's good for the moment, and I like what I'm doing. We'll have to see about grad school.