 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: dAVID dOW
Date: 2002-06-07 12:34
I was with Sidney Forrest as a student in the early 80s at a music camp and wondered if anyone out there knew if he is still teaching?
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Author: HAT
Date: 2002-06-07 13:46
My sources say he has finally stopped torturing students at Interlochen summer camp.
Sorry, he was a real schmuck to me and several of my friends and I never forgave him.
David Hattner, NYC
www.northbranchrecords.com
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-06-07 18:17
dAVID -
I studied with Sidney Forrest at Interlochen in the summer of, I think, 1959. I learned a lot from him, and he certainly knew his stuff, though his personality was a bit distant. He made a number of recordings, which I collected over the years. He had the bright, powerful type of tone that doesn't record well, so his records don't represent what he actually sounded like.
There's an excellent interview with him on the Online Clarinet Resource of Sneezy (opps, Woodwind.org) at http://www.ocr.woodwind.org/articles/gholson1.html.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: HAT
Date: 2002-06-07 19:27
Au contraire, Ken,
His records represent EXACTLY what he sounded like. Which is (one of many reasons) why he never worked as a player (other than one season as principal of the National Symphony in Washington, after which he was fired).
Yes, he knew some things, and he would never let you forget it either.
David Hattner, NYC
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Author: Mark Dubac
Date: 2002-06-07 23:27
Sidney Forrest is doing very well and continues to teach private students in his Maryland studio. He is currently associated with the Levine School in Washington D.C., and is a Professor at Catholic University. He retired from the Peabody Conservatory about 15 years ago as Professor Emeritus. For the first time in more than 40 years, he was not at Interlochen last summer because his wife was ill. I am happy to report that she is much better and he will be at Interlochen for the first four weeks of the summer.
I studied with Sidney for my four years in high school, as well as four summers at Interlochen. I'm not sure what Mr. Hattner means by "torturing," but perhpas he means that Mr. Forrest will let a student know if they haven't done enough work. Mr. Forrest says, "I hate students...but I love scholars." When I first heard him say this, I was immediately appalled. However, once I thought about it some more, I realized he was trying to get me to do my best, and not just bring in the notes learned and fingered. He would write in my notebook to take out a pencil and write in "WRITE YOUR OWN PHRASING" in a piece of music. He not only taught me to refine my sound for which I'm eternally grateful (I'm aware there is still room for improvement), but he taught me to think like a musician.
Anyway, I could write a very long dissertation on what a remarkable and KIND human being he is, as well as a clarinet teacher, but it has already been posted on this bulletin board before. A former Interlochen student posted a message calling him "the best teacher in the galaxy." The reason I mention this is to make the point that there will be different opinions about any teacher anywhere you look. I'm just providing the other side.
Mr. Forrest has certainly worked as a player. Before the National Symphony Orchestra, he was with the U.S. Marine Band, where he was a soloist. He was principal clarinet of the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra while in New York. He was also a Selmer artist - and there's lots more performance experience, I just don't know it.
To conclude, Mr. Forrest has had three high school students in the last four years. One student will be going to study with Franklin Cohen at Clevleland Institute in the Fall, I'm currently studying with Ricardo Morales at Juilliard, and the third student turned down Harvard and Yale to double major (clarinet performance and math) at Rice where she is studying clarinet with Michael Webster.
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Author: anon
Date: 2002-06-09 05:50
I also studied with Sidney Forrest at Interlochen, and like David, I didn't really care for him. But I saved my notebook and in retrospect realize that he was working with me on exactly the things I needed to work on. It can be exasperating working with a teacher who finds all of your weaknesses and by exploiting them makes you sound lousy in your lessons. But now I wish that I had treated him with more respect and cultivated a relationship with him. Personally he was kind - his criticism to me was never critical despite the fact that I failed to show him respect - I practiced for challenges and blew off the lessons, which must have been very frustrating for him as a teacher.
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Author: anon
Date: 2002-06-09 06:24
Make that his criticism was never personal. I really need to proofread better.....
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Author: Betsy
Date: 2002-06-09 21:52
I second all of Mark's kind words. I was Sidney's student at Interlochen in 1964 and began studying with him again in 1996 after a break of nearly 30 years. He has been a wonderful teacher and great friend. Mark didn't mention that one of his other recent students is currently at Curtis--so four taleneted students in major conservatories in as many years, a pretty good record for anyone--let alone someone still going strong in his 80's. And he just accepted a new 13 year old this weekend who promises to be in Mark and the others league. I, for one, hope he can keep doing for a very, very long time. Mark is also right that Sidney was soloist for the Marine band for eight years and was a very active chamber musician in both Washington and New York for many, many years. But teaching is and remains his greatest love.
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Author: Ryan
Date: 2002-08-26 04:37
I will also have to agree with Mark. I recently took lessons with Mr. Forrest over the summer at Interlochen Arts Camp and a little before that at his home studio. I will never forget my first lesson with Mr. Forrest and how picky he was. I brought in the Poulenc Sonata and had none of the french markings translated and like Mark, Mr. Forrest told me how he hated students, but loved scholars. I, like Mark was, appauled but came to realize that Mr. Forrest wants you to play with as much conviction and beauty as you are capable of producing, all which is impossible without working like a scholar. I owe a lot of my understanding of basic pharsing principles to Mr. Forrest.
Also, on person who's playing I hold in the highest regards is a former student of Mr. Forrest who Mark mentioned earlier who is going to be attending Cleveland. His knowledge of the clarinet and beauty of playing is amazing, much of which I am sure he credits to Mr. Forrest's teaching.
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