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I am living abroad in Japan at the moment, but I am looking into studying in Europe for my MMus. Where is a good place to go, and who would you recommend as my teacher?

All suggestions welcome, thanks!

Royal Northern would be a good place to get some playing in as well in the local vicinity. If you are willing to play in a Brass Band, some of the very best in the world need tuba players in this area at the moment.

The RNCM is a GREAT place to study music....and the tuba! James Gourlay and Brian Kingsley are fabulous teachers and the studio is full of wonderfully talented players that are all great to hang out with as well.

As you know, Roger Bobo won't be here next year as he'll be in Hiroshima, so you may consider that if you want to stay in Japan. If you really want to play, next year at the RNCM should be a good time as many (if not all) of the postgraduates won't be here....the MMus is a 1-yr program. There are plenty of opportunities to play here--it really comes down to how driven you are to make things happen.

If you enjoy brass banding, Manchester is the place to be. I had never played in a brass band until coming here.....and now I'm playing with Fairey's!! What a great band!!!! There are loads of bands in this area that are always looking for good tuba (bass) players. Most everyone plays EEb, and there seems to be a shortage of BBb players.

Best of luck!

Josh Wirt

If you enjoy brass banding, Manchester is the place to be. I had never played in a brass band until coming here.....and now I'm playing with Fairey's!! What a great band!!!!

You must be on my old seat then! Say hi to Foxy for me!

Just make sure to be gay if you are applying to Royal Northern heh just kidding, I hear its fabulous and I know Sheridan stops by there every now and then.

Thanks a lot for your posts! Royal Northern is a great recommendation, but are there any other schools in Euprope, like Germany, France, Italy, Greece etc. that are also good options? I know Robert Tucci is in Germany, but I am not quite sure where.

Thanks for your posts, and I look forward to some more!

Thanks,

I studied euph at the RNCM with Steve Mead and I had the time of my life, and miss it dearly! I highly reccomend the RNCM and Manchester (only during the 2 weeks of summer! hehe)! The best in the business are in that area! But for schools on the Continent I am pretty sure you have to pass the TOFL, that language test to be able to attend there. I'm not 100% sure though maybe someone can correct me on that.

A couple of other theachers to consider might be:

Anne Jelle Visser-Zurich
Mel Culbertson-Lyon
and
Jens Bjorn Larssen-Various places

Tom

Thanks for your replies. I am wondering if ALL international students have to take an English Proficiency Test (TOEFL etc.), or if the student has to take it only if English is not your native language? For example: If I wanted to study in the USA, would I have to take an English Test because I am an International Student? It doesn't really make sense to me.

I am a Canadian Citizen living in Japan. My idea was that I could continue to travel westward into Europe and persuing my MMus there.

So far I have:

Royal Northern College, UK - James Gourlay & Brian Kingsley
Guilhall School of Music, UK - Patrick Harrilld (LSO)
Zurich - Anne Jelle Visser
Lyon - Mel Culbertson
Various places - Jens Bjorn Larssen

Any other options out there? I will be checking out every one of these given so far, I would just like more options than I can handle!

Thanks all,

vmi5198 wrote:Thanks for your replies. I am wondering if ALL international students have to take an English Proficiency Test (TOEFL etc.), or if the student has to take it only if English is not your native language? For example: If I wanted to study in the USA, would I have to take an English Test because I am an International Student? It doesn't really make sense to me.

I am a Canadian Citizen living in Japan. My idea was that I could continue to travel westward into Europe and persuing my MMus there.

So far I have:

Royal Northern College, UK - James Gourlay & Brian Kingsley
Guilhall School of Music, UK - Patrick Harrilld (LSO)
Zurich - Anne Jelle Visser
Lyon - Mel Culbertson
Various places - Jens Bjorn Larssen

Any other options out there? I will be checking out every one of these given so far, I would just like more options than I can handle!

Thanks all,

Chances are in France you'll have to speak French. Nowadays most students in France do speak some English, but classes, lectures etc. will be in French, and some institutions require a language test as well.
In Holland you'll be able to speak English, and even have some special English spoken classes. No tests.
Can't find info on the Zuerich site, but they do have a large number of foreign students so it can't be too strict.

Of course, Michael Lind! I forgot about him altogether! Tssk...tssk...

Any information out there regarding Michael Lind?

Thanks,

[quote="vmi5198"]Thanks for your replies. I am wondering if ALL international students have to take an English Proficiency Test (TOEFL etc.), or if the student has to take it only if English is not your native language? For example: If I wanted to study in the USA, would I have to take an English Test because I am an International Student? It doesn't really make sense to me.

Don't worry about the English language test, if you go to an English-speaking country they won't make you do it. In Europe you could enroll language classes of the school or outside the school. Many of the teachers you mentioned speak English, however, outside the studio you do still have to speak whatever is spoken there.

Chen wrote: Don't worry about the English language test, if you go to an English-speaking country they won't make you do it. In Europe you could enroll language classes of the school or outside the school. Many of the teachers you mentioned speak English, however, outside the studio you do still have to speak whatever is spoken there.

Hopefully not. I know that in this country, when you're french speaking, but went to school in the flemish part, (or vice-versa) you have to do a language test if you apply for a job back in the region you grew up in. (Yes, most people think these Belgian language laws are stupid in some ways..)

Language classes are always nice, but they won't get you to a level needed to follow the classes in college-level education unless you do some serious preparation before you leave.
Anyway, language in the studio isn't an issue as long as you pick the right teacher. For a post-grad, just playing tuba is enough in most places. But learing a few words of Swedish/Norwegian/French/Dutch/German/Whatever won't hurt, especially if you want to play a few gigs, although most people in Western Europe with an education speak passable English. (Nowadays, even the French. )

Wow! I had no idea!!!