Klarinet Archive - Posting 000432.txt from 1998/12

From: HatNYC62@-----.com
Subj: [kl] Conducting Major
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 09:25:23 -0500

In a message dated 12/9/98 4:14:56 AM, klarinet-digest-help@-----.org writes:

<<> Hi everyone!
> After quite a bit of time "lurking" (I've been EXTREMELY busy - and that's
> putting it mildly!!!), I have two questions regarding college
> auditions/majors.
> The first one deals with majors. As I've said before, my career choice is
to
> become a symphony maestro. I want to go all the way and get my Ph.D and
> obviously conductiong is the major to go for. However, it is only offered
as
> a Master's degree on up at the colleges I'm interested in. What would be a
> more ideal bachelor's degree major, in your opinions, to start with?
> Performance, Theory, Education? I highly doubt Education because I was told
> it was more for teaching school, which I have no real desire to do. Or
could
> I take a non-music major and then take some music classes and ensembles, and
> then do my Master's in Conducting?
> Second quesion: If I have a music major (say if Performance was the the way
to
> go), when I audition for scholarships, etc., do I need to stick to one
> instrument, or can I do several (I just made All-State Chorus, so I was
> wondering if I could use that to help me get scholarships.)?
> Thanks for your opinions!
> Chris Hoffman>>

If you really want to get a conducting degree someday, you can use your 4
years of undergraduate time to prepare for the auditions. I was never
interested in studying conducting, so I never did some of these things myself
and and now paying for it in additional study time when I do conduct.

First, learn the piano, it will be required at many schools and is a basic
tool. Learn to read multiple clefs simultaneously, then learn to transpose
music on the piano. Learn to play string quartets at sight on the piano and
also chorales that include soprano and all the other clefs. Then, when you
have to sightread an orchestral score with transpositions of clarinets and
horns + many different clefs at the same time, you'll be able to.

Second, become as proficient as possible on the clarinet, assuming that will
be your major instrument. To play at a professional level is to understand the
level of sacrifice needed to attain that level. The players you hope to
conduct will appreciate that. You don't need to learn to play other orchestral
instuments, but a working knowledge of string technique is a good idea. A few
semesters of violin lessons or even viola with the education majors might not
be a terrible idea.

Finally, get to know the symphonic repertoire. Recordings are the easiest way
to get aquainted with it quickly. You should be able to turn on the radio and
know WHICH Brahms, Beethoven, Schubert or Tchaikovsky symphony or ballet or
whatever is playing within a few minutes. If you can't do this, it would be a
big help to go to the cd store and start running up a credit card bill right
away!

The younger you are when you start this, the better your chance of succeeding.
I would certainly have taken a piano minor at Interlochen if I had known I
would be conducting at all some day. Oh well. Too late for me. Good luck to
you.

-David Hattner, NYC

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