Klarinet Archive - Posting 000862.txt from 1997/09

From: Neil Leupold <nleupold@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Tabuteau
Date: Thu, 18 Sep 1997 13:32:51 -0400

On Wed, 17 Sep 1997 peter.stoll@-----.ca wrote:

> Makes you wonder about these legendary teachers. Maybe they could teach,
> but with the kind of attitudes being described, I like to think we've
> moved onto a better age of music education. Like the stereotype of the
> mean spinster piano teacher scaring the hell out of the neighbourhood's
> children!

An enlightening book regarding the perversity of conservatory culture
can be found under the title, "Nothing But The Best: The Struggle for
Perfection at the Juilliard School" by Judith Kogan. It's published
by Limelight Editions in Manhattan (NYC). The author devotes a chapter
to the psycho-emotional dynamics typical of lessons at the Juilliard
school within the decade or so (80's) leading up to the publication of
her book. Having been to Eastman and known/lived with many students
from Juilliard, Curtis, etc. over the past ten years, I would say that
the unhappy circumstance of extreme fear/intimidation-based teaching is
a present-day phenomenon in no small way. Depending on the person,
this approach can actually produce very good results, stigmatizing
after-effects notwithstanding. I've encountered teachers like this,
and it just didn't make any sense to me personally to endure a battle
of will and spirit in order to grow musically. Different strokes...

Neil