A music major is a student at university whose main focus of study is music, and aims for a degree in Music Education, or Flute Performance, or something similar.

I am an adult amateur player, and I am delighted to be learning from people who are positive AND realistic. I was first chair flute my senior year in high school band. I had very little to compare myself with, and no private teacher. I was pretty bad. My dad bought me a nice flute for a graduation present. I LOVED the gorgeous new sounds that I could make with this flute, so I played all summer long.

I auditioned for the concert band at university (University of California) and the director told me I was not anywhere close to being good enough to play in his band, that my choice of music was terrible. (No advice on how I might improve.) Too realistic. I had played that gorgeous flute all summer, and made some nice progress, but after that I put the flute down for 20 years. I would have really appreciated it if he had told me something like, "Our concert band is really a ways beyond your current level. Here are the phone numbers of a couple of really good teachers that can help you, though. If you work hard at it, you might be able to join us in a couple of years. I'd love to see that."

The support and musicianship of my current college-level symphonic band has inspired me, our principal and the symphony principal have given me lessons, and I am delighted with the difference I have made through hard work. I'm almost as good, now, as I thought I was in high school!

Tibbie

By the way, how do you make comments on there? Do you have to register or something? I know I just posted this question in the other thread, but thought I would post it here as people seem to check this one a lot.

I wish I could post on there, but I dont' have a video camera. Those people have some real guts!

I think the experience Tibbiecow has posted is important. Too much of a negative critic, if sudden and coming from someone in a position to do it on a high technical an/or artistic basis, can be catastrophic for the student or amateur who is still down in the learning curve. It could be more harming than helpful.

Moderate criticism must be done, however, and I agree with the arguments that Micron has posted (concerning the overprotection of young people).

My teacher has lots to criticize concerning my performances, but she does it in a way that makes me feel I am advancing and so I avoid unnecessary frustration (well, not always..)

This thread is evolving into the issues of the ethics of critic and the searching of the best way to help others. I welcome this!.

Kara, I believe that many of us are looking forward to seeing "your" tube. Sure you have a friend with a digital video camera; you will need the help from a friend or relative to make a good recording in any case. Also they are easy to rent for a day or two.

If you do, be prepared to notice that the quality of image and sound will be lower than desirable, unless you have access to a high quality camera or to semiprofessional equipment. (and have some experience in using it properly)

Microphone positioning is particularly critical and good sound is almost impossible to achieve by using the micro incorporated in the camera.

Those devices normally have automatic volume control and this system kills all the dynamics, amplifies spurious noises to the level of the music, including your breathing, key clicks and the like. The frequency response is poor, they saturate easily, and a few other problems.
Also a stereo recording is important, if available (but not for the post in yourtube, however).

Sorry, I do not mean your breathing is an spurious noise. Just don't know how to re-arrange the phrase, hope you catch the right meaning.

Being a professional, maybe it could be better for you to do such a recording at a professional studio, in spite of the cost. Possibly an University could help. It could have a department of Audiovisuals (or whatever is the right name for those places with good recorders, cameras and monitors ...and technicians).

You never know who will be watching your tube, once you have posted in a public place! I would consider it some of a serious project, something you could use later for other purposes, should the occasion show up.

jean luis,
Yes, as Tibbiecow points out a music major is a person whose major field of study is music related. This may involve performance, music education, composition, theory, history, in some schools the business aspects of music production and maybe even music therapy.
In the US, there is a trend in state run institutions to ahve open enrollment. This is where the university is required to accept virtually anyone within reason who meets a minimum qualification..... usually something like a pulse. This does not mean that they will eventually graduate. but that's another story. In most music schools, open enrollment is superceeded by an admission requirement that is based on the students meeting a minimum performance test on their major instrument and somewhat of a music theory requirement. Although the schools generally have a certain amount of flexibility to their entrance skill level based upoon the number of students that the can teach at any given time, this test is designed to weed out the less talented from the process. It is a shame in Tibbiecow's audition situation, the director was so pompous to not recommend a course of study that may lead to improvement. I guess that sometimes educators get their priorities mixed up and expect that their students or potential students be already educated. In that instance that band director basically passed judgement in a short audition that the student was not of sufficient quality but also may have passed judgement that the student does not have the ability to ever be of sufficient quality and dismissed the student. I'm glad that Tibbiecow at least was not ruined for their complete life and that they have managed to still play in spite of the negative experience from one individual.

AS for this Bolero performance, it is difficult to know whether this performer is having issues because they have a limited teacher's skills or because they have a limited aptitude. Time will tell for her. She needs to know that she needs a lot of improvement and she needs top teaching to get there.

With music, ther can be so many things that can get in the way of an induividual's career. These things can be financial realities, social, physical or mental hinderances. Something as simple as a busted finger, a split lip or a spouse's outlook on what is acceptable in the marriage. Even their concept of how good they are as opposed to how good that they think they are can get in the way. Their attitude towards others is another biggie because the musical community in any given area is a very interconnected bunch of people.

~Bilbo
N.E. Ohio

jose_luis,
I doubt that I will ever post on there since getting a hold of a good camera would be hard for me. My close family and friends that would be able to help me are all in a different state unfortunately. They are all lunatics where I live and doubt they even know how to work a camera. Lol! Can you tell that I HATE where I live? I will be moving hopefully soon here. Thank God! I will go back to civilization!

I play professional, I do get paid and all of that, but it really is not a career for me. If that makes any sense? I am not anything like James Galway or Rhonda Larson by any means.

I am just your average Joe, or you could say Kate. Nothing special enough to go into a recording studio. Although.. it would be fun!

<Added>

Oh, and I did figure out how to post comments on that site. I just had to register. Does anyone know who symphony flustist is on there? Any one on this group? I agreed with them, but did think it was a bit harsh.

I agree her tone was lacking, but she was also in a classroom and being recorded by a video camera. She could have also been nervous.

Hmmm. My definition of an average player would be someone who just plays. They don't really care about dynamics, style, or trying to improve. The biggest challenge they have comes from an ordinary school, with an ordinary director, who feels playing level 3 pieces for concert season in band is always acceptable, or marching band music is considered difficult! This would be to me, someone who plays but really has little talent or heart for the instrument.

I think I might listen to this again when I am at home. The speaker system on my work PC is...lacking. I'll check it out again when I can turn it up really loud and see if there is something I am not able to hear at work.

I am curious how you all would have rated her if you were judging her on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the worst?

AHHHH..MAN! i tried to listen to it, and i made sure i downloaded all the way before i listened. but it keeps on stoping and playing..stoping and playing. EHEHHH! that's really annoying..(wait) i don't think it's doing it anymore..NOPE..it's keep on doing it. Hhhmm, maybe it was the video camera. i DUNNO!

Thank you so much for your supportive comments.

I think it would have been considerably more appropriate for the band director to have told me,"You are not at a college level of playing. If you want to learn and improve, go to x or y flute teacher. Here are some possible venues for you to play. I don't think that within the 4 years that you have here (as a non-music major) that you will be able to get into our program and get a minor in flute performance." When I remember this 'audition', I remember NO constructive comments- only your sight reading is very poor, your choice of audition music is inappropriate, you are nowhere near good enough to play with us...

When I started playing again, my husband wanted me to practice at the other end of the house, with a towel under the door so he wasn't disturbed in his TV watching. He did encourage me to play, he just didn't want to hear me practice! Now he likes to hear me and calls me his 'Little Meadowlark"

Those of you who are in a position to critique hopeful flutists, please give a realistic evaluation of a player's CURRENT ability, as well as options for playing in the future. For example, "If you get X or Y flute teacher, and are willing to put in 2 hours of practice a day, then you could probably achieve Z band within two years. If you don't want to dedicate that much time and effort, here's what you could do now."

Again, thanks for your kind comments. I too am glad that I kept my flute.

Tibbie

My suggestion to Kara was to try making a good recording, perhaps not necessarily at a recording studio, this might be too expensive, buy in some intermediate facility like those existing in some universities that have careers in communication and journalism.

A recording with decent sound and acoustics can be useful, more if she is planning to move soon "back to civilization" (you know, the meaning of that word is very relative...)

Concerning the majors, I cannot think of anything similar to the major degree of the US system in Spain. I would risk saying also not in Europe, but a I may be quite wrong.

The music schools here (I believe they are the equivalent to our "Conservatorios"), are indeed very selective. People prepares for the admission exams for months, sometimes years.

There very few places offered each year and lots of candidates (for example, some 10 places for 200 candidates). The chances of been admitted are therefore slim (and the process very discouraging).

This parallel system of the US education system is really a good thing.

Schoolgirl125, how anxious you get just for simple things! OK, not a critic. I think you may have problems with your PC, if it is not at least a Pentium III with rather big RAM memory (some 512 MB, I guess).

Playing those tubes with video and audio consumes lot of resources (I mean, PC resources).

If the RAM memory available is not enough, the buffer empties too quickly and the PC will have problems in trying to reloading from the hard disk, which is probably too slow for continuous playing. I suggest you try with another (more powerful) computer, if you have one available. If you don't, try turning off all other programs you may have open (not the browser, obviously), This may free some RAM. Resident applications also steal memory such as the virus (my spell check insist it should be antiviral (?) and the Firewall. But II would think it twice before turning off the AV...

Excuse if I have been too technical, I do not know how to help better. But you young people usually know much more of these things than we do...

Concerning the opinion 1 to 5, I prefer not give a value to the performance, as I play much worst that this girl.

I can imagine the effort it was for her and she probably was not just nervous, she might have been frightened to death.

I had just said I did not like it and I recognize most of the errors that have previously been pointed out in this thread.

We have a short holiday here until Tuesday. I will be out for these days and we will try to complete our PADI Certificate of Open Water Diver (wife and me).

If we succeed, I will post some photo with bottle, neoprene suit and all that.

But now I realize why I had chosen this green Carp as avatar.

S. Freud was right!, we have a powerful under mind that guides our thoughts and actions without our being much conscious of it!!

jose_luis,
Sounds like fun! I have made a CD and have made recordings, but they are not out to the public. They were just for fun. As far as dotted8notes interpretation of the average flutist, I guess I would have to revise my statement and then say I wasn't average. Thankfully, I don't fit into that category.

I did a while back post a recording of myself. It is still on my profile page.

I've tried to make recordings of myself, but they just don't seem to come out to the quality I want them to. It frusterates me because the tape or CD will sound really bad (like there was a scratch or something) or I notice that I am sharp on the recording or I think I've missed a note! Am I just being a perfectionist or is there some trick to recording that I have not heard of yet!?

Right now, jose luis, I am taking classes as a music major for music education. To get my degree, I need to go through about 4 1/2 years (if not 5) just to get my B.A. It's frusterating, considering I started my college classes just a few months ago. Believe me, there are few things that are any more complicated than being a music major! (In my own opinion, but I am biased because I am overwhelmed with homework from these classes! How wrong I was when I thought History of Rock and Roll would be easy!)

isn't being a majoring in music so unfair? Don't get me wrong, I know it is not the hardest thing to major in. But you can wake up one day and say "hmm I think I wanna be a nuclear physicist" and as long as you have a decent grade point average, you're in. But to even study music you need to test into it. You can't even take lessons or theory if you aren't in the school of music. Luckily I made it but I have a friend who is stuck in general ed until he can pass his audition. And it's not like as long as you make the requirements, you're in, you actually compete for the spot. It would be much better if they just accepted all of the flute players who could play x,y,and z instead of making 50 people compete for 8 spots. Some really talented trumpet players are turned away because of the competition while some music schools are filled with some second rate players of less popular instruments simply because of the lack of competition.

I knew this one girl that used to be in a flute choir with me and I have no idea how she ever made it into college. Her tone was none exsistent, she played with absouletly no tone or color, or muscially and played FLAT!! It really makes me wonder how people like that get in.

Sorry for all the spelling errors in that last post. We all know that I would never make it throught college as an English teaher. Lol!!