Lawrence University

[Tubadork]

Is he still at Lawrence?
if not who is?
Thanks,
Bill Pritchard

[rascaljim]

Here's the deal with Lawrence, if you're not as into academics as you are with playing the tuba, then Lawrence probably isn't for you. I was only there for a year and during that time I had to work like hell to find practice time because of the high level that academic work and classes require. If you talk to them enough they'll tell you about the belief in your liberal arts education being as important as your musical education.

I will say that being at lawrence probably did more for me as a student of academia (and my thirst for knowlege) than my music. The classes are VERY fast and the freshman studies class still gives me nightmares. I learned a ton from music con there, but I also found that all of the schools I went to taught me a ton about music as long as I was trying to learn. I found the years that I kinda 'blew off' (although I'm sure my classmates didn't think I was doing so ) I didn't learn much because I thought there wasn't much to learn since the school I was at wasn't a conservatory.

One important thing I noticed about my college career, is that there have been mainly two people that makes all the difference in a school being worthwhile: your tuba professor, and the orchestra director. Outside of these two people, most of the programs out there in all the different schools overlap in what they are trying to teach (theory, history, ect... all things that affect us as musicians, but none to near the degree of our personal instructor which should be able to teach us both).

I personally didn't get to study with Mr Ericson but I have met him and he's a great guy and a hell of a player. I kept in touch with my studio mates (mostly tried to anyway) and the responses I got were basically 'this guy's the tubaGOD!'

Hope this helps
Jim

[RyanSchultz]

I was at LU from 1991-1995. I studied predominately with Nick Keelan (current trombone prof.) and also a bit with Dave Stull and Dan Neesley. So I know nothing about Marty Erickson. Nick Keelan is a great and very sucessful teacher.

I went in interested in tuba performance but as an English/Mus. Ed. double major; I eventually switched to performance (the English degree was totally centered around analyzing leterature. I didn't want to become a band director). While the academics are more rigorous than many schools I found them to be manageable. I took many writing classes and was treated to a good introduction to the world of academics. I found the music theory courses and program to be very helpful. No school is perfect but my time at Lawrence has a direct relationship to my ability to make the living in music that I make today. Different schools suit different people and I believe that I made the right choice; in fact my best euphonium student is starting at LU in the fall.

More question? Feel free to contact me.