Author - Zachary Preucil

1
A Day in the Life of an Eastman Student
2
Cultural Revelations in the Wegmans Check-Out Line
3
The Implications of IMSLP
4
The Practice Room Hazards
5
Music School Mythbusters: Is the “Real World” Really Scary?
6
Music School Mythbusters: Are Music School Rankings Accurate?
7
Music School Mythbusters: How Important IS Your Teacher Assignment?
8
Music School Mythbusters: How Much Online Promotion is Too Much?
9
Music School Mythbusters: Is Playing Politics Necessary?
10
Introducing “Music School Mythbusters”: A New OnCampus Series

A Day in the Life of an Eastman Student

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Cultural Revelations in the Wegmans Check-Out Line

The other morning, I found myself in the crowded supermarket that is Rochester, New York’s flagship Wegmans. I had only limited time to procure my grocery supply for the week, and after filling my cart with lots of organic goodies, I headed to the check-out lines. Choosing a line at Wegmans is not a task[…]

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The Implications of IMSLP

The afternoon of Friday, November 15th, found many tech-savvy musicians in a state of despair. IMSLP.org, the acclaimed online music library, was down–and rumors were swirling that it was gone for good. These missives of misinformation were primarily fueled by the sharing of an open letter from IMSLP’s founder, detailing how he had been forced to[…]

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The Practice Room Hazards

With more and more musicians entering the blogosphere, the resulting quantity of practice-related posts is hardly surprising–I’ve lost count of the number of blogs I’ve read containing advice on how to make one’s practicing more effective and inspiring, or how to simply summon the motivation to take the instrument out of the case in the[…]

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Music School Mythbusters: Is the “Real World” Really Scary?

The Myth Over the past four weeks, the various “myths” addressed in this series have made at least one thing clear: the time we spend in music school is an indisputably taxing period. But the stress of lessons, performances, and academics pale in comparison to the prospect of facing life after music school: the so-called[…]

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Music School Mythbusters: Are Music School Rankings Accurate?

The Myth It’s no secret that ours is an unusually competitive field. We face off regularly for chairs in orchestra, dream of becoming victorious in prestigious solo competitions, and constantly measure our playing by the standards of the greatest musicians. As a result, it is only natural that this competitive instinct be extended to what[…]

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Music School Mythbusters: How Important IS Your Teacher Assignment?

The Myth Deciding which music schools to apply to is certainly a daunting task. From almost the moment the applications go live, it seems as though you’re besieged with a plethora of varying advice from your teacher, friends, colleagues, and parents: Pick a school that will nurture all of your interests. A conservatory would be the[…]

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Music School Mythbusters: How Much Online Promotion is Too Much?

The Myth Nothing better distinguishes the millennial generation than the utilization of digital technology. Endless volumes of information are accessible at the swipe of a smart phone; cherished music collections are stored in discarnate virtual clouds; and Google, in a display of frightening omnipotence, often seems to know more about us than we do. But[…]

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Music School Mythbusters: Is Playing Politics Necessary?

The Myth In practically every profession, there are those who utilize personal connections to their advantage, and the classical music world is sadly no exception. Every pre-professional student has heard bizarre tales of rigged auditions and crass politics, and such occurrences do not seem to be confined to professional orchestral auditions. How many times have[…]

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Introducing “Music School Mythbusters”: A New OnCampus Series

We want your input! Send us a music school or career “myth” that you would like to see featured in this series via Twitter (@polyphonicorg), Facebook (Facebook.com/Polyphonic.org), or email (info@polyphonic.org). You have to practice four hours a day to adequately improve. The only stable jobs are in the orchestra sector….but there are no orchestra jobs.[…]

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