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Doublereed Archive - Posting 000068.txt from 2008/02
From: jesse read <jesse.read@-----.ca>
Subj: [DR-L] Response to recruiting email, some thoughts
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2008 17:03:02 -0500
Original email:
On 12-Feb-08, at 2:20 AM, juliefeves wrote:
Dear Friends,
Please forgive the mass email. I am writing because my entire class
is graduating from CalArts this year and we still have some openings
in the bassoon class for Fall 08 - for undergraduate (BFA) and
graduate (MFA) students. If If you have any graduating students or
you know of anyone who might be interested in studying at CalArts,
please let me know. CalArts is great place for students who have
broad interests; performer/composers, world music players,
improvisers and more. We do have a chamber orchestra and an early
instrument ensemble (with a baroque bassoon) too!
Excellent scholarships are available - and it is not too late to apply.
For more information contact me (jfeves@-----.edu or 818 363 1427)
or check out the CalArts website http://music.calarts.edu/
Thank you!
Warmly,
Julie Feves
Associate Dean
School of Music
California Institute of the Arts
661 222 2781
818 363 1427
MY RESPONSE:
Dear Julie, friends, and members of Julie's email list.
While I understand fully the nature of the email from Julie Feves, I
was especially struck by its subject heading " Bassoonists needed at
CalArts". Please forgive this opportunistic- and what might be
considered invasive-response on my part, but it is done with the best
of intentions and from a couple of decades of questioning, concern
and ultimately, a sense of despair.
I am also using the springboard of this email, because I know that
the program at CalArts is a particularly good example of positive,
thoughtful and imaginative solutions to the conundrum I describe below.
At the outset, I would like to say that I have discussed my
observations with many teachers over the course of many years. They
almost all realize the extent of the problem, many see it as a
crisis, most will admit to some degree of a problem in ethics.
I have been involved in university teaching for nearly 40 years, in
different situations, and have just stepped down from 11 years as the
Director of a music department ( School of Music, University of
British Columbia, in Vancouver, Canada ) As a bassoonist I have a
reasonably good background, have sought to expand repertoire, extend
technical areas, explore music not well-known ( sometimes deservedly
so, but that is part of the search ) and I have been reasonably
successful as success is conventionally measured. I was one of, if
not the youngest principal bassoonist of my generation at age 19, and
have had solid experience in early music, baroque bassoon, opera and
considerable chamber music. This is a prelude, not a point of self-
sales, forgive that impression if it seems so. I have held tenure at
three universities, and hold senior rank. I have been involved in a
major music festival for 30 years, which I now manage. I still love
music, and feel deeply involved as a teacher.
I grew up in a family of musicians, mother taught piano, aunt plays
ragtime piano ( still at age 95 ) and both older brothers, 10 and 15
years senior hold DMA degrees, Southern California ( Herzberg, Van
Hosen, bassoon ) and Eastman ( Hasty-Clarinet ). Both older brothers
had extensive university/professional experience, my bassoonist
brother was the bassoon teacher at San Jose State in California for 30
+ years. I had the great benefit of their vast experience,
thoughtful approach and advice. We often talked about various
aspects of the music world as each of us came to know it.
As time has passed, we have observed, it seems that the university/
conservatory music system has grown considerably. Grown well beyond
the days when state university systems were exploding and programs
were being developed, faculty hired, and players trained for an
almost equally growing number of jobs in all kinds of areas,
orchestras, ballet, opera, musical theater, film and music recording,
and of course, university teaching positions (!). Those schools which
in the past were simply small, state institutions, now all have
active, respected music training programs. Each has a band or more
than one, and an orchestra, or more than one. Each has a bassoon
instructor, more often than not, a full-time teacher, tenured or
tenure-track, and with the expectation that he/she cultivate
( "recruit" ) a class. Nearly 25 years ago, even before the
proliferation of schools had reached the level it has at the present
time, I made a speculative ( admittedly ) exercise. I very
conservatively estimated the number of institutions with bassoon
classes in North America, using 2 per state, and adding another 15
which would include the high-level programs like Curtis, Juilliard,
Eastman, etc. I would also add to the mix another 10 programs in
Canada, and remind us all that a number of young foreign players come
to North America each year.
http://www.excel-ability.com/Music/Programs/MusicSchools/MusicSchools-
USA.html
Let us imagine that all of these 100+ institutions ( the College
Music Society lists 1800 schools ) have bassoon classes, and there
are possibly 6 "performance" majors in each class. Maybe it is
reasonable to suggest that an average of 3 performers graduate from
each institution each year. Of course, there are many more in some,
far less in others. That would be a conservative estimate of 300
each year. Many have spent hours and hours learning traditional
etudes, dealing with the problems of reeds and instruments, learning
technical exercises, and most strikingly, orchestra excerpts,
( usually at the expense of a broad, arts, history, humanities
education, as that would mean too many classes outside the music
curriculum.) Many of the schools which have orchestras and band
programs also have traditional routines of teaching, and there are
usually rather common goals among them: undergraduates strive to be
accepted to good graduate programs, particularly gifted and
recognized talents are groomed to take auditions, and as a
professional fall-back, students are kept in the programs to
"service" the ensemble needs of the program internally, and streamed
into newly-devised "music business" , " career development", or a
bewildering array of other survival courses. It seems our
institutions have finally realized that considering the obvious- that
there are very few openings for graduates in symphony orchestras and
an incredible number of well-prepared graduates, there must be
another option. I am of the opinion that this is a band-aid solution
and the very teachers whose bread and butter is defined by the size
of the studio class must take some kind of action for change in their
institutions. More below.
Therefore, continuing with the soft numbers. I would speculate that
those 300 graduates have a "half-life" of around 4 years, having
graduated, now having taken jobs to manage living expenses, playing
low-paying gigs, and attempting to organize groups, etc. That would
put 1200 !!! " performance major" graduates on the streets at any one
time, before they take other training options, or are locked into
routines. Please keep in mind, these numbers are speculative, but I
think, very conservative. But also imagine that if this is the
bassoon world, what are the flute, clarinet, violin, trumpet numbers...?
The European Union is adopting standards of change for all of the
Conservatories, converting into North American-style curricula and
credit equality. This will allow students to more easily transfer
credits in either direction. I get the impression that the Europeans
have the same problem as we, there are simply too many music schools
for the small numbers of professional opportunities available in the
conventional music world. Of course there will always be openings in
existing orchestras, and there will always be healthy musical
cultures in specific cities, regions, etc. But no one can deny that
orchestral music is in steep decline, except at the top, there are
fewer opportunities in other areas of live music, the listening
public tastes are changing and there are fewer and fewer
opportunities for more and more graduates.
We are aware that the situation in Asia is exploding. The
conservatories are full, and more are developing, there is a flood of
well trained players applying to our programs. Where are the
opportunities but for the superstars?
And then there is the cost of instruments and study. I have seen
families re-mortgaging homes to afford a particularly good
instrument, or tuition with the expectation that there would
eventually be an opportunity in the professional world. If that
family had been told by someone with perspective what the odds were,
would they have been so willing to make such an unhealthy sacrifice?
We have used the rationale that music study at the university/
conservatory level is at least good preparation for other
professional study, even medicine and law, and I agree in principle,
but on the other hand, I would prefer my lawyers, judges and health-
care professionals to have had a wide and deep education before
specialization. I believe that they would make better advocates for
the arts, for music education, and generally, better participants in
civil society. ( better informed voters?) I observe that most
former music students are not "classical" music consumers. And in
fact, they have carried prejudice about "pop" music and other
"lesser" forms around during their serious music studies and have
little or no appreciation for other musics. I am sorry to say that
I often meet well-trained musicians who know little about history,
literature, geography and even current events. In fact, many do not
know how to listen to music, and music history, theory and useful
skills like sight-singing, ear-training and keyboard are being
minimized to allow for more free practice, rehearsal and performance
time. Their narrowness of study and concentration necessary to
prepare for a professional life in the performing arts neglects some
basic, fundamental aspects. Little or no time for reading,
interacting with other disciplines and the stress of music
performance life after training is restrictive, if not brutal.
Of course, the music world is not one of numbers, facts, and rational
judgments, but from time to time it might be good to reflect on our
profession, and if there are some sacrifices we can collectively
make, and influences we can assert in our own local culture, perhaps
we will be able to raise awareness of the alternatives:
What are the alternatives?
I believe that the world is experiencing a tremendous revolution in
music expression, curiosity, artistic and creative expansion, and
opportunity. "World" music is transforming the listening experience
of an entire generation. The internet and digital means of
transferring music is changing the face of the recording world, and
the establishments are reacting. Symphony orchestras are programming
more interesting, diverse, cross-cultural, experimental and chance-
taking repertoire. They are turning to visual media to better
illuminate the concert experience in competition with the visual
expectations of the new audience, accustomed to moving images. Opera
is having a revival-supertitles allow the audience to actually
understand what is being sung and react to the nuances of the musical
drama. Classical musicians are branching out, embracing folk music,
jazz, improvisation, and cross-disciplinary, multi-media
performances. Even music theory research and teaching in the
advanced university setting is recovering in a positive manner from
the shock of the entry of cognitive science into its midst. Imagine,
studying how music actually works on the human brain! Early music is
booming, baroque performance is active, although also offering few
solid opportunities for reasonable employment. I am sure that there
are many other areas that creativity will uncover, combine and enrich.
I would suggest that students need to be reminded strongly that music
education is not a profession into which one turns for security after
all performance options are exhausted. ( " I can always teach if
things don't work out...") By that time, all is lost. A good teacher
is one with zeal- you have all seen them, and they need the training,
the background, tools and energy to survive the challenges of little
financial and administrative support and dwindling attention paid to
the value of the arts in the public schools. Therein lies another
long polemic, and I will not begin, but only to state the obvious:
If we expect a curious, arts-hungry public, who knows the cultural
value of an evening of Beethoven quartets, we have to reinvent public
school music, and our students have to advocate for change for their
children. They will be the audiences for the orchestral positions
that do not exist at the moment.
Julie says it well, and I am sure most of you agree, and often say
the same words, "broad interests", and CalArts has long been on the
forefront of arts education. I would urge you to look at their
website, and consider whether it isn't time to assert change in our
individual environments.
Please forgive this diatribe, it is aimed at nobody, but rather, an
opportunity I have taken to circulate my own views, and respectfully
ask, if you have some alternatives, reactions, or if it provokes a
response of any kind, please don't hesitate to communicate. I am
very curious, optimistic and receptive.
Respectfully,
Jesse Read
Professor, Former Director
School of Music
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC CANADA V6T1Z2
jesse.read@-----.ca
jesseread.com
Managing Director
Carmel Bach Festival
Box 575
Carmel, California 93921
USA
604 822-5436
831 624-1521
www.bachfestival.org
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