Great Expectations

I want to clarify that I don’t think the entire curriculum for music majors needs to be overhauled. I just would like to see it to offer a class or two that deal with orchestral issues like an analysis of a collective bargaining agreement. When I read Dallas’ CBA, I see some of the history of my orchestra. I see issues that were so important to the musicians that they had to be negotiated, and put into writing. Knowing my CBA can help me understand what lead another orchestra to their CBA. I think the class should also include some basic stuff union stuff (i.e. orchestra committee function, grievances, Robert’s rules, etc), and some labor law. I would also be interested in learning about the “other” side of the orchestra, management.

I admit that studying everything I said above may not sound very interesting. If you get a job in almost any orchestra in this country you’re going to have to deal with these issues. There are however musicians that for one reason or another choose not to deal with this stuff. I think they are in the minority though, and given the opportunity most musicians will agree to serve on a committee. That’s why I think this type of education is important. I know that it can be daunting, and very time consuming – my wife can attest to that. James Undercofler wrote that his faculty faces tough choices when trying to balance the student’s curriculum with their practice time. My view is that maybe the four required semesters of both theory and solfeggio were too much.

Beth wrote about a career class she had at Eastman. We had a similar class at NEC. We learned how to write resumes and bios, how to self- promote, and other things that were certainly useful. I would say that it was good for a career in freelancing. When I have seen the resumes of audition applicants, I didn’t care what format, font, or paper they used. I only cared about the experience listed.

As far as auditions go, I do want to address Matt’s comments on the “losers” of the audition, and that it’s impossible for the audition committee to give enough attention to each candidate. Preparing for an audition is a large undertaking. There have been many auditions I’ve taken that I didn’t win. I felt bad after each one of them. But, I learned so much about my playing by taking all of those auditions. I certainly understand your point. I just wanted to offer an alternative view. Regarding your second comment, in most cases you can tell pretty quickly whether or not a candidate should advance. Pitch and rhythm are the killers of all but a few. I always try to be fair though.