Hello, I am a new member here. After a while of checking on this forum, I decided to join because you seem so knowledgable!

Currently I am a senior in high school. I plan on going into music performance but have a few questions about professors. I've narrowed my choice down to 3 schools. I've had lessons with all 3 and loved them all equally. But since they are either newish or from a smaller school, I haven't heard much about them. Maybe someone could help me?

Joanna White - Central Michigan University
Christine Smith - Western Michigan University
Nina Assimakopoulos - Bowling Green State University

Thanks!

-Amanda

Well, you need to figure out what you want to do with a music program first.

Do you want to teach or perform?

If the former, most any school will do as long as it has a decent education department as well. One that gives out actual teaching credentials and MAs in both music and education.

If it's the latter, though, then it gets trickier. I'd wager that 75%+ of the schools in the U.S. are set up to be education-focused programs and basically churn out cookie cutter "approved" individuals who repeat the process with the next generation. Learn X, Take Y classes. Get Z degree.

The others are the ones you want to go to, IMO. They teach you to really play and expand the boundaries of your music as well as any future students that you may or may not have.

They basically group into two areas as well - those that concentrate on classical and orchestral work(soloist or not aside) and those that concentrate on modern(this would also include jazz and rock as well) and industry type work. Both can be good career paths, but they are fairly separate from each other, in my experience. Once you know where you'd like to start off, then the questions get easier.

P.S. I said start off, because you can always jump to another path of course once you've become well versed in the other. But during the learning process, the two disciplines are pretty much best left to run their course. Ie - If you want to do modern and jazz work, learn that well and then move to classical.

Being a jack-of-all-trades might be nice from a lifelong standpoint, but it often does little for a career when you are young. Learn one thing really well and then add to your skill set.

I know about the actual music program. All 3 have exactly what I want. I've done my research and have tested many schools and found these 3 to be the best for me in both cirriculum as well as campus. I'm for the classical not jazz which is why I picked these. I just want to know about the teachers listed and if anything should be brought to my attention.

I've also been playing since I was 5 so I know what I want to do with my career. I do know music and how I want to fit it into my life.

just curious, why have you limited yourself to these 3? If they are what you want, go for it, otherwise, try to take classes or seminars with any potential teacher..

I have taken lessons with many teachers at many colleges throughout the country. Money is a large factor and so is distance due to family issues (these 3 schools are within 2 hours of my house). Plus I liked the campuses, the music school, and the teacher themself. I felt that at some of the other schools (which I was accepted at) I was more of a number and not a student. I even had someone not like me because of my nationality. These seem like the best fit for me. I'm just undecided on where I'd like to go still and was wondering if any of you knew of anything.

The school i REALLY want to go to is on the other side of the country and is far too expensive. I cant take out as many student loans either because both of my parents are finishing up their grad degrees and since I'm not yet 18, my max credit line is shot. So im relying on scholarships, which I got a lot of from these schools.

But if you knew of anything about these teachers i would be more than grateful to hear you out!

Which school is the one you REALLY want to go to?

Also, I'm not really a fan of learning from professional career teachers as opposed to performers who have decided to teach in their spare time. College is actually mostly about the people that you meet and the connections that you make. And if your teachers are hooked into the local music community and they like you, you'll actually get recommendations and gigs and so on.

That's a bizarre attitude. A "professional career teacher" is much more likely to be truly adept at teaching than a "performer" who dabbles with teaching on the side.

All "professional career [teachers]" at good music schools and conservatories do, of course, perform regularly and at a high level of expertise, and very many of them are famous performers as well as "professional career [teachers]". Moreover, a flautist should have a well-rounded rather conservatory or music school education and know more about music than just how to play the flute.

As for the original question, I'm guessing it's not been answered because no one here happens to have any affiliation or experience with the schools listed. All I can tell you is that Bowling Green is a particularly well-respected school. I don't know about the others, and I'm not familiar with these flautists.

Why, oh why, are we not allowed to edit these things?

I said, "Moreover, a flautist should have a well-rounded rather [sic] conservatory or music school education and know more about music than just how to play the flute."

I meant, "Moreover, a flautist should ideally have a well-rounded conservatory or music school education and know more about music than just how to play the flute."

I majored in music in college.

I went to GA State School of Music. I studied percussion and not flute. All of my instructors were pricipal players for the local Symphonys. Jack Bell was pricipal for the Atlanta Symphony. Mr. Kershner was the pricipal for the Atlanta Oprea. Sonny Emory was a professional studio musician who toured with a lot of bands.

I guess the point I am trying to make is depending on location of the school, you can actually get some good instruction. But if you really want to be a performance major, you might want to continue your education at one of the well known schools.

I do actually recall at some point Mr. Bell talking about a conservatory. He told me that if I was interested in performing that I should think about going to one. I was actually a music education major because I was more interested in getting a degree that would provide me some income if I couldn't make it professionally.

Now I don't even play drums or percussion anymore.

Go figure. I found my calling.

Good luck.

Go where you want and see if it fits you. You can always go to a different school when you continue your education. A lot of performers have masters degrees.

Oh I forgot to add this.

You have scholorships where you want to go. By all means use them. Get some experience in college and then transfer if you like. Maybe work on things that may help get you scholorships at some of the bigger schools.

Boy am I tired. I missed the n key twice. Principal....whew...I did it!

I would love to go to a conservatory. I plan on it for grad work, but for undergrad I cant seem to fathom spending that kind of money. The larger schools dont offer the kind of financial aid I need to attend. And some, while being accepted into the music program, rejected me academically because I dont have a 4.0 gpa.

After scholarships, these schools ended up being about the same tuition-wise overall. Campus life seems to be active (they arent exactly SMALL schools with each having between 17000 and 30000 students with BGSU being the smallest). I'm just interested in learning more about each teacher in any and all aspects.

It's definitely a touch choice since I like each very much in many aspects. I could definitely see myself at any of these schools. The downside, I would probably be one of the top students in the studio after about a year (going by what each professor said).

If you have any information regarding these professors, I'd love to know. I mean, it's down to these schools. I've already decided that. And unless Curtis can give me a full ride (or at least half tuition paid for), well, I'm not sure about that either. I havent had a lesson. Anywho, it's pretty much set in stone that I will go to one of these schools. I'd like some background info on these teachers. Maybe that will help my decision become easier.

Thanks!

school is what you make of it, and how much you practice, I have known very talented people who have gone to Curtis and Julliard and amounted to nothing, due in part to the fact that they expected to have a job waiting for them when they graduated...many very succesful people have started at smaller colleges and gone on to masters degrees and doctorates, etc..remember, when you are on stage someday or in a high paid gig, no one will care where you went to school or who you studied with...

I have known very talented people who have gone to Curtis and Julliard and amounted to nothing, due in part to the fact that they expected to have a job waiting for them when they graduated....

Philip Glass remarked once that the main advantage of attending Julliard (as he did) is that you don't have to move to New York afterward: you're already there. (This, of course, was in reference to composition, not flute playing.)