Klarinet Archive - Posting 000652.txt from 1997/07

From: "Edwin V. Lacy" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: A clarinet needed
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 1997 15:56:35 -0400

On Sun, 20 Jul 1997, Ryan Lowe wrote:

> My professor will be Ian Greitzer. It is not the best school for
> clarinetists. I got accepted to numerous other schools that would have
> been better for my clarinet playing, but this was the school that I could
> afford. I would have much rather gone to USC and studied with Yehuda
> Gilad. He was my teacher for a while, but I only got $20,000 in
> scholarships, so it was not something that I could have afforded.
> Sometimes you just have to settle for less than the best.
>
> P.S. Since I am not a perfect clarinet player yet, there is always
> something that I can learn from someone. SO going to The Boston
> Conservatory will not be a total loss:)

I don't know anything about Professor Greitzer, but I am a University
professor. If I read a message like this from a student who was about to
begin here, I would kindly but firmly invite that student to go somewhere
else. If you are looking for cheap colleges, I imagine there are a lot
that are cheaper than the one you have selected. With the attitude you
exhibit toward the school you have chosen ("It isn't very good, but it was
all I could afford."), I would say your chances of succeeding there are
not very good. Far too much emphasis is put on the name and reputation of
the school. If you go to the most prestigious school in the world, that
isn't going to help you play one note correctly, fix one intonation
problem, or improve your tone quality or musicianship one iota. You are
going to improve on your own, with the guidance of a teacher, through hard
work and diligence on your part. You have to take the responsibility for
your improvement on yourself. Resolve to dig out all the information you
can, work hard, and be aggressive in seeking out opportunities to perform
and to hear other performers. You would have to do all these things no
matter where you attend school.

Too often I have seen students who bounce around from school to school
because they feel that their progress is not fast enough, and that they
will become excellent players if they can just get admitted to that great
conservatory at Utopia U. Some of these students never come to grips with
the fact that their progress is in their own hands. It comes from
competition - not so much competition with others, but with ourselves,
trying to live up to musical standards which we set for ourselves.

You probably have several weeks before school begins. For you own sake, I
would suggest that some attitude adjustment is in order. If you can get
your priorities in perspective, I'm sure you can do well no matter where
you go. I'm sorry if this seems too harsh, but I have your best interests
at heart. I sincerely wish you good luck and success.

Ed Lacy
*****************************************************************
Dr. Edwin Lacy University of Evansville
Professor of Music 1800 Lincoln Avenue
Evansville, IN 47722
el2@-----.edu (812)479-2754
*****************************************************************