Going to Eastman

[paulver]

I'm assuming that I have the correct forum to post this. If not, I'll move it to the General Chatter page..... just let me know.

Anyway, my daughter has been accepted at five music schools, and made the alternate list for the sixth one...... that one being Curtis. She has chosen to attend the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, to pursue her career in horn performance. Although it was quite a difficult decision to make, it was a great problem to have!!

She is acutely aware that she is trying to break into a very tough profession, as those who are already in it are pretty much married to their jobs, and she'll have to be very patient and hard working to find her dream job. That being said, horn positions in a symphony aren't as scarce as tuba positions, but finding the one you love is going to be more difficult.

We've done an exhausting amount of research on Eastman..... and the other colleges, but it never hurts to ask for more info. Is there anyone on here that can offer more insight to this school that might be of benefit to her?

[Bill Troiano]

I attended Eastman for my Masters in tuba performance and brass literature from 1973-75. The school, faculty and the surrounding area have changed a lot since I went there, but Eastman has always been an outstanding music school, with a conservatory atmosphere. I know the area has been renovated and it is now a safe place to walk around, for being in a city. It wasn't so when I attended. The dorms are right across Main St. now, which is an easy walk, even in lousy weather and you will see lousy weather in Rochester. It's a renowned music school and the ensemble experience has always been exceptional. I had great experiences playing in the Eastman Wind Ensemble, the Philharmonia and the Jazz Ensemble and I met plenty of student musicians who went on to obtaining major performing careers. Notably, I lived in a house with Al Vizzutti and 2 other trumpet players. Getting a practice room wasn't easy back when I was there, but that might have changed with the renovations.

[Alonsotuba]

I'm a current teaching assistant and doctoral candidate at Eastman - can't speak highly enough of the terrific institution! The location offers many opportunities for enhancing one's musical knowledge as the Rochester Philharmonic rehearses and performs at Kodak Hall where the majority of the school's ensemble rehearsals take place. Nearby you have the Buffalo Symphony and "Symphoria" in Syracuse, all within a reasonable driving distance. Ensembles are directed by Dr. Mark Davis Scatterday and Neil Varone who possess immense musical knowledge, consistently programming challenging repertoire for both orchestras and wind ensembles.

Aside from its stellar performance opportunities, Eastman prides itself as one of the nation's leading academic institutions. Classes are designed to challenge students to their full capacity and the workload is rigorous, but at the end of the day, the reward outweighs the effort. As in any environment, the students who seem to find the most success come prepared to work hard. You pretty much get what you put in, and though nothing is handed to you, faculty are always extremely helpful in guiding students who seek their advice and are more than willing to aid in the adjustment process of transitioning from high school to the demands of college life. I hope that this insight proves helpful to you and your daughter, and congratulations on her great accomplishment! Welcome to the Eastman family!

[MaryAnn]

I know nothing of Eastman except that they have performed my music on occasion, so that puts them in the "Yay!" category just because.
If I were entering school with a plan to be a pro hornist, I would try to find out which schools had a record of their students' getting jobs. Of course that's only part of it, but it is a consideration, and as I said, I know nothing of Eastman other than that. And that it is a fine school overall.

When i was in music school, I did not yet have the concept that it wasn't necessary to complete my education in four years; when I went back to school for my BSEE, I took longer than that and had better results with less stress. It did not in the slightest affect my ability to get a job; in fact, the higher GPA I got from a lesser course load got me more job offers than I would have had with a lower GPA, and no one even thought to inquire as to how long it took me to finish that degree. If you can equate GPA to competence on an instrument, it may apply.

[Timswisstuba]

Eastman has strong academics as well as strong players. The ensembles are excellent and function on a rotation which eliminates competitive frictions. The atmosphere is very positive and excellent for musical growth. The students she meets there will be on the stages throughout the whole world. (Chris Martin of the Chicago Symphony was a year ahead of me). The horn studio is very strong and carries the tradition of Verne Reynolds. (The only person that I know of that Roger Bobo admits to being scared of is Mr Reynolds. He also almost ran me over on the parking lot behind the school on day). The expectations at Eastman are very high and even if your daughter does not go on to a professional horn career, she will have what it takes to survive in whatever she ends up doing.

As a father, probably the best gift that you can give to your daughter is Eastman.

[paulver]

Thanks for the replies folks!! Much appreciated.

As I stated in my original post, we did exhausting research on Eastman and other colleges. My daughter played in Eastman's Wind Ensemble with Dr. Scatterday conducting, the horn studio, and had a lesson with the horn prof, Peter Kurau. (He was just as demanding on her in the sample lesson as he is on his regular students, and she liked that!!) Both, the professors and the other students, were very welcoming and cordial toward the high school students. And, the college students all told us that the entire school is like that. They weren't putting on a show for us.

Did the same with a few other schools, but Eastman just sticks out in our minds, and she loves the school.

She was also accepted at Northwestern, Carnegie Mellon University, and a few of our more local colleges with outstanding music departments. As I mentioned previously, she auditioned at Curtis. She made it through both the first and final rounds of auditions, but was placed on the alternates list. That being said, she appeared to be one of just a few high school horn players, and through conversation and observation of the other horn players waiting with us, we surmised that the rest were present college students who were transfer candidates, and grad students looking to get in.

Although she wasn't readily accepted to Curtis, I'm actually thankful for that.....for a number of reasons..... not the least of which are.... a history of problems within the horn studio some years ago, and I'm not keen on sending my teenage daughter to live in downtown Philly on her own.

My daughter is a very hard working, dedicated, and determined student. She has every intention of meeting and/or surpassing the demands that music school will put on her. This kid is one "driven" kid!! And...... for the record..... I have no idea where she gets that trait. She didn't get it from me!!!!!!!

[paulver]

As a father, probably the best gift that you can give to your daughter is Eastman.

That is the nicest thing anyone could have said!!

Thank you sooooooo much!!

[paulver]

She doesn't even have her driver's license yet!!!

[Radar]

I can't tell you much about Eastman that you don't already know, or hasn't been said here. As a life long resident of Rochester, I've attended many of the studio, and ensemble concerts and they are all excellent. The area of the City where Eastman is located is relatively safe, East Ave. is the high rent area of the city, and there are many Churches, restaurants, bars, etc. in the general vicinity of the school. If she has any issues with her horn Paul Abel is a fine instrument repair technician, and his shop Abel Brass is within walking distance of the school. There is a Wegman's Grocery Store on East Ave. it's a little bit of a hike from the school, but it's a short buss ride. She doesn't want to wander too far away from the school alone at night until she gets used to where the safe neigborhoods are. Some of the areas on the North side of Main Street are pretty rough. If she sticks to East Ave. Park Ave. and the area of Main Street near the school she will be fine. Perhaps I'll be able to catch one of her recitals while she's there. Wishing her all the best!! If you have any questions about the city or area around the school drop me a PM.