Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner What to expect in College..

This upcoming school year, I will be attending a music school. (Hopefully Mannes, Hartt or Manhattan school of music!) For those who already gone this route, what is a freshman to expect? I know it varies from teacher to teacher, but how often will I be expected to learn a new recital program?

I am just finishing up my current program in order to play recitals in June and so forth, so I was wondering if it may be a good idea to start a new program in the summer?

• Depression
• Debt
• 8AM theory
• Graduate Teaching Assitants who get it on with their students
• Professors who get it on with their students
• New faces
• Old ideas
• Cute Japanese girls
• Drunks
• Frustration
• The school concerto competition as it pertains directly to your ultimate success or failure as a human entity
• Cute Japanese girls
• (Gonads and) Strife
• Temptation
• Success
• Josquin and the Ars Nova Motet
• The expendable nature of singers
• Doing too much...
• ...yet receiving curiously little payment in return...
• ...and ending up being the one who pays in the end.

That is all. Enjoy.

Brendan, your post leaves me baffled on certain issues. I have a few questions that you could possibly clear up for me.

1. Are the Graduate Teaching Assitants often attrative females, or should I just go for the professors?

2. This isn't really a question, but thanks for the insight into the importance of music school and what its really there for; girls..!

Gladly.



Quite the opposite. Most are geekishly attractive 20-something males. It's as unfaltering as F=ma.

See point #8 in my list.

"One Wrong note, and its a mistake. Two wrong notes, and its Boulez."

Three wrong notes or more and it's me !

Brendan-
NEVER again do I want to hear these two words. Particularly ars nova motet, and "isorythmic motets".I NEVER want to have to identify the composer by listening to his isorythmic motets, some of which are the most ghastly things ever written, and sound like chickens being strangled, therefore all sounding the same as well.
Nor would I like to hear the word "hockets".
Brendan, you have just opened a can of bad music history memories....AGHH!

Anyways, expect to work like a dog, and no matter what, always have someone better than you. But remember: it's what YOU can do, not what you can do in relation to other people ( save that for the competitions, when your entire life hangs in the balance of one STUPID concerto competition that really doesnt matter too much.)

One more to add to Brendan's list: Osmiroid Pens. (Or maybe they went out in the 70s when I was last in music school?)

On a more serious note, if your experience is anything like mine was, you will find that you really have to teach yourself; the professors really don't teach. If you can, try to determine which of the piano profs will be able to give you what you need, and try to get on his or her roster. But for theory, history, solfege, conducting, etc - it's do-it-yourself!! (What a waste of money, she says with 20-20 hindsight.)

Brendan's list is good.

And my best advice is to keep this adage in mind:

"God helps those who helps themselves."

Professors are very much like God in that way. If you show initiative and work consistently, you'll do very well and your professors will be happy to help you.

Also, I'd say the number 1 cause of unnecessary stress and failure is missing classes. Don't miss class your freshman year. Buy 5 alarm clocks and distribute them around your dorm room (out of reach of the bed). Oh, and don't ever miss a lesson or show up unprepared. Don't even think about it.

Expectations will vary from teacher to teacher. I know some who don't want a new student to perform at all for a year or so. Some expect recitals every year. Do expect to build repertoire like mad. Expect to enter a few competitions, it's good to have a goal like that to work for.

BTW, the cutest girls seem to come from the flute studio. The violin pool is also decent. Beware - vocalists can be a bit more tempting to the eye, but you don't want to date one. Well, maybe one, just for kicks, but only one. Brendan is also right - the Japanese girls are cute, but cute can transmute into annoying over time, so be careful.

And #12 as well!

What are isorythmic motets?

In other words, from what you say, Brendan, working in the upper echelons of musical academia seems pretty much like life in the ordinary office or factory. It's just the subject matter and job descriptions which are different !

Yes. YES



See above.

Don't be tempted by the delicious eye candy that is the singer. They will eat you and your first born alive. I'd say that 80% are the stereotypical diva that gives singers a bad name, 10% are ice princesses with lots of ambition but no real goals, and the remaining 10% are nice people and dateable.

Yeah...that can be true at times. The good thing is that they're open to dating Americans, unlike Koreans. That's another story altogether.

Not to hijack the topic ( ), but will I get a good deal of performance oppurtunities? Are there recitals every week or month that I can participate in, or are there only the yearly recitals I plan?

Another question, should my intent to play recitals be to better myself, or to hopefully pick up chicks? (If such a thing can be done playing a recital.. but who knows!)

Aw, c'mon Brendan, you can't really stereotype like that.

That being said...don't get me started on the Korean Clique Syndicate (tm).

Wow. there seems to be a heavy " picking up chicks" thing here. To give you a girls perspective (aka "insider")
Flutists are airheads..literally. I have not met one who wasnt ditzy as all get out. they also tend to be VERY clingy.

Singers...dont even try.

Girl pianists are the most down-to-earth. We are a good, hardworking bunch who also like to kick back and have fun.

But my ultimate advice:
DONT DATE A MUSICIAN!
Two musicians make for a very emotional, very argumentative pair. Rarely have I seen two musicians date succesfully. they always ends up miserable.
Go for doctors and engineers instead. Arts and sciences, though most people don't think of it, actually get along very well. Its a good balance.

Anyways, just use the recitals and performance as experience, and a chance to show the other musicians where you are at. Use them as a learning experience, because thats what college is. One giant learning experience.
(read "learning" as "making mistakes")

My girlfriend is a pianist, and we get along fine. We don't play any two-piano music, other than occasional concerti, so that helps.

She's also Japanese, to boot.

Mine's a violist. All is well, although it was rather annoying having to learn the concerti and sonatas by Walton, Bartok, Hindemith (Op. 11#4 and that damn Schwanendreher thing), Brahms, Bach, and Clarke (ugh!).

Of course, now I can play them all on short notice and make some MONEY!

Brendan, was your girlfriend trained in the Suzuki method? Do you know whether most or all of the other Japanese piano students at CCM were? Do you have any idea what percentage of piano students at CCM were Suzuki trained? How about you? I don't care what percentage of five-year-old Suzuki students plays better than other five-year-old students, but I sure would like to know what method produces better pianists at your level, and I've been unable to find this information from an objective source. Anyone else know? (CrashTest. sorry your thread has been hijacked. I know this is important to you at this stage of your life.)

I am so sorry. I don't think that I could be in a relationship with someone who wanted me to play that sonata. Financial troubles, family troubles, professional troubles, personal issues, and schizophrenia are all fine, but I have to draw the line at the prospect of having to play the works of Rebecca Clarke.

Pianomuse,

So we've had pianist and violinist. My girlfriend is a cellist and we are happy together. That is not to say we never argue - but it is never over music. More like snoring, washing up, etc.

That said, no way would I shack up with a bagpiper.

David