Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!uflorida!mephisto!gatech!artsnet!mgresham
From: mgresham@artsnet.UUCP (Mark Gresham)
Newsgroups: comp.music
Subject: Re: Music Education (was: Re: MR Vol. 5, #21)
Message-ID: <779@artsnet.UUCP>
Date: 13 Apr 90 12:33:22 GMT
References: <132393@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> <8077@sdcc6.ucsd.edu> <14531@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> <9073@sdcc6.ucsd.edu> <14580@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> <748@artsnet.UUCP> <1990Mar27.174622.1578@ultra.com> <8838@chaph.usc.edu> <14961@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>
Reply-To: mgresham@artsnet.UUCP (Mark Gresham)
Organization: ARTSNET  Atlanta, GA  USA
Lines: 53

In article <14961@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> lseltzer@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Linda Ann Seltzer) writes:
>>>But what if I enjoy music tremendously and my family couldn't
>>>afford music lessons? Or they thought the 1812 Overture is the
>>>height of musical expression? Shouldn't I be allowed to enter
>>>on the basis of my enthusiasm and willingness to learn?
>
>This question is very close to my own experience.  I did not have
>the opportunity for musical training when I was a child, and it was
>only at the age of 19, when I was studying literature in college, that
>I became interested in music.  What finally worked for me was to enter
>a program as a non-degree student (I was in my early 30's when I entered
>Berkeley) and to take as much time as needed without constraints of
>requirements or time-of-completion.  The demographics of college
>enrollment indicate a larger percentage of older students than there
>were 20 years ago, and it would be helpful if excellent music schools
>devised a means to give them the proper preparation to enter a
>professional level performance program.

This key words in relationship to my comments is "give them proper
preparation."
  I don't care how old or young a student is.  If they are
*prepared* to enter a collegiate-level music degree program,
that's what counts.  So if someone decides at age 19, like Linda,
to study music, then a means of reaching that level of preparation
is great, but, again, not *within* the degree program!
  Another note re my own experience and preparation:  when I
entered a university music program as a freshman, I placed at the
beginning of my junior year in theory.  However, I was told that
I'd have to make up the *credit hours* in higher-level theory/comp
courses (which were sparsely offered) in spite of the competence
demonstrated.  Now if you compare that experience with the
constant observation of incompetent incoming students (and me, as
an accompanist teaching them their music, as they couldn't
read/learn it themselves!) you can see some of my frustration at
the inaneness of the situation.
  IMHO, if someone is able to demontrate competence, then by gum
they should get some kind of recognition/credit for that
competence!  But to penalize someone for it and then promote
*incompetence* elsewise is absurd.
  Linda is quite right about the need to look more closely at the
current age-demographics.  But let anyone entering a program be
ready for it, and if they are ready for it let them study, be they
13 or 35.

Cheers,

--Mark

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Mark Gresham  ARTSNET  Norcross, GA, USA
E-mail:       ...gatech!artsnet!mgresham
or:          artsnet!mgresham@gatech.edu
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