Klarinet Archive - Posting 000656.txt from 1997/07

From: Ryan Lowe <ryan@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: A clarinet needed
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 1997 15:56:39 -0400

I am so sorry if that is what I said. When I originally wrote that, it was
not supposed to sound like that. Now, looking back, I completley agree
that I came off sounding like some pompous (sp?) ass. The Boston
Conservatory is a great school. What I wanted to say was that I will
improve as a player no matter where I go. I still have lots to learn and,
from what I have read about him, Prof. Greitzer will have lots to teach me.
To me, it is not the name of the school... All I need is a teacher to
show me what will help me and teach me. I do not have a teacher right now,
so it feels as though my level of playing has depreciated.

Sorry again,
Ryan Lowe

At 11:08 PM 7/20/97 -0500, you wrote:
>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
>*****************************************************************
>
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