 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: tam_ngo
Date: 2003-04-12 00:00
i got into the music theory program at mcgill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
now, i have to choose a clarinet teacher.
On the list, there's Robert Crowley, Alain Desgagne, Michael Dumouchel, Peter Freeman, and Abe Kestenberg. What do u think are the chances of me getting my first choice teacher?
Do any of you know about these teachers? Which one do u think would be best? Robert Crowley, Alain Desgagne, and Michael Dumouchel are all in the Montreal Symphony.
I was only able to find a biography of Robert Crowley online. Couldnt find any others. here it is:
Robert Crowley, B.M.(Eastman), M.M.(Cleveland); Instructor
Robert Crowley, Principal Clarinetist of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, has been with the orchestra since 1978, serving as Associate Principal Clarinetist until February 1998, when Maestro Charles Dutoit appointed him to the Principal Clarinet position.
Mr. Crowley had previously served as Principal Clarinetist of the Oklahoma City Symphony and the Brevard Music Center Orchestra.
He received his Bachelor of Music degree and performer's certificate from the Eastman School of Music as a student of Stanley Hasty. He then received his Master's degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music where he studied with Robert Marcellus.
Mr. Crowley has performed as soloist with the Montreal Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic, and the Oklahoma City Symphony.
He has taught at the University of Montreal, Oklahoma University, the Brevard Music Center, the Orford Music Center, and the Scotia Music Festival. He is currently teaching at McGill University.
so....what do u think i should do?
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2003-04-12 03:13
lol. Great question. I don't know how many answers you'd get considering that not many people would want to "badmouth" a fellow clarinet player by recommending some over others. Maybe what you can do is think about what your goals are and what type of music you enjoy playing the most. Speak it over with the music department and perhaps they can at least help you narrow it down for a teacher that also shares the same interests. For instance, myself, I love chamber music. I just played my first chamber music of any sort a few months ago and instantly fell in love with it. I think it's just so amazing that so little people, when they click, can sound so wonderful and I also like the fact that it's one to a part so you feel very important and the pressure is great! So what I would do is convey that I like chamber music and perhaps some teachers have more experience in that field or like that music themselves and that would be a better match.
I know this isn't what you were looking for, cause I sense you were looking for a "which is the best of the above". I would think that they are all great in order to be teaching there. When it comes to music, I don't believe in the proverb of "those who can't do, teach." I tend to think the opposite. Only the best are picked to teach. Maybe however this can narrow it down and help you avoid arguments or avoid a "non-compatability" with your clarinet instructor for the next few, important years of your life.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Sylvain
Date: 2003-04-12 23:08
Tam,
I was a grad student at McGill in computer science but pent a lot of time in the music department.
All of those teachers are very good. I had the chance to meet all of them and interact with many of their students.
Here it is in alphabetical order.
Crowley is the principal of the MSO (Montreal Symphony)so he gets the most requests. I had the chance to study with him and he is great at preparing you for auditions. It's also hard to get him as your primary teacher, he usually tends to get more grad students, but you never know. He is a remarkable player with an absolutely amazing sound and great musicality.
Desgagne is assistant principal of the MSO although I did not study with him, I heard he is a tough teacher but one that will make you improve a lot.
Dumouchel is 2nd and Eb in the MSO, if he does not get the recognition that Crowley does as a player, but all of his students find him to be a wonderful teacher, perhaps the best that McGill has to offer.
Kestenberg is an amazing player, he is equally good at sax, flute and clarinet, played for a while with the MSO and was also a founding member of the danovich sax quartet. He knows the industry very well, is always full of energy, positive, encouraging and enthusiastic. Probably the best motivator.
Freeman does usually teach performance students, and I have not heard of anybody taking lessons with him.
Crowley, Desgagne, Dumouchel and Kestenberg all studied with Marcellus at one point in their career. So you'l find a lot of similarity in their approach to music. I guess it depends on your personnality. If you need to get ready for a professional audition I would go with Crowley, if you want somebody extremely motivating and fun, pick Kestenberg, if you need somebody a bit more strict, try Desgagne and for an all around good teacher Dumouchel.
You always have the option to switch teacher during the course of your studies and I think it's a smart thing to do.
At the beginning of the semester you will have one 2 round blind audition which will determine in which ensemble you will be playing and which seat you will be assigned. There are 4 ensembles, 1 orchestra, 1 contemporary, 2 winds. Only three players out of usually 20-25 make it in the orchestra, so get the music eatly and prepare it carefully.
The music last year was:
1st round
Mozart concerto, 1st movement, exposition
Some solos in Beethoven 6th
Scherzo in Mendelssohn midsuumer night's dream
Rimsky Korsakov Cappriccio espagnol, 1st and 3rd movement solos
Tachikovski Francesca da rimini
2nd round
Borodin, polovetsian Dances, 2nd movt solo at allegro vivo
Brahms symph 3, solos from 1st and 2nd movementsRachmaninoff Symph 2, opening solo of 3rd mvt
Stravinsky Firebird suite (variation)
Shostakovitch symp 1 allegretto, allegro ma non troppo
All of these are in the "Bonade Orchestral Studies for Clarinet"
The excerpts don't usually change but you should double check with McGill.
Best of luck, McGill is a great place in an amazing city, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
-S
--
Sylvain Bouix <sbouix@gmail.com>
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Author: tam_ngo
Date: 2003-04-13 16:14
by the way...
do u know when/where the audition pieces for next year (2003-2004) will be posted?
thanks
-tam
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Author: Sylvain
Date: 2003-04-13 21:06
Get in touch woth Victor Houle the Ensemble Ressource Manager
His email is erm@music.mcgill.ca
-S
--
Sylvain Bouix <sbouix@gmail.com>
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