Re: Re: College costs and beyond


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Posted by Joe S. on February 27, 2000 at 02:15:39:

In Reply to: Re: College costs and beyond posted by Steve Dedman on February 27, 2000 at 01:15:57:

It sure sounds like I am taking advantage of this post to brag on my kid, but I don't think that I am, really. I am trying to offer an example of how I agree with you:

I would NOT allow her (my kid, now age 19) to attend ANY "state" university and be an oboe performance major. I insisted that if she were to pursue that area and receive ANY support from me, that she would have to get herself admitted to (my order of preference) 1/Eastman ("First Chair World" oboe professor, Richard Killmer, who is in his last 3 years of teaching) 2/ Juilliard (I.M.O. not as high a level of instruction for oboists as Mr. Killmer offers, but still very excellent and beaucoup de connections) or 3/ Northwestern (superb instruction, and tons of playing opportunities, there); with two or three other schools in consideration as acceptable to be admitted to, also.

Even at that, if I didn't have a family business that she could fall back on for employment, I STILL would not have supported this pursuit. (She has demonstrated excellent potential and incredible "quick studiedness" - although she abhors it) in woodwind repair work.

Well, she got herself admitted to Mr. Killmer's studio. He selects four students each year out of an applicant pool of around 70 or 80. MOST ALL of his studio's graduates WORK within two or three years of auditioning, because he will not accept students on the front end whom he does not believe will "make it". (In addition, she received a substantial "Howard Hanson" scholarship, which was a tremendous help to me.)

THIS type of demonstration of aptitude is what you, as potential performance majors, should hold yourselves to. If it takes you two years out in the barn with your tuba to get yourself up to that level of competency first, well I'm all for you. My kid stood up in front of a symphony orchestra at age 14 and knocked out all three movements of the Haydn. Did any of us, at age 14, stand up in front of an orchestra and play the (much simpler, technically) Vaughan Williams? On the other hand, 21-year-old tuba players who win their colleges' concerto competitions by playing Mvt. I of the V.W. often start thinking that maybe they have a "shot" at hitting the bigtime. (umhmmmm...)

Again, I really do apologize if I made it sound like a bunch of bragging. But unlike ME, MOST of YOUR parents have NO idea HOW HIGH to "raise the bar" for YOU to prove the THEM that you are WORTHY of consideration for a performance degree (because MOST ALL of YOUR parents know VERY little about the music business or music schools). Since most all of your parents are ignorant when it comes to matters such as these, it is completely YOUR responsibility to be your own SOBERLY HONEST judge and decide if you truly DESERVE to have your parents invest money for several years for you to concentrate on your performance abilities. BE considerate of their money (The need it DESPERATELY for their retirement years!!) and YOUR OWN time. You have ONE life...




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