Posted by Steve Dedman on December 21, 2001 at 14:54:13:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: summer stuff posted by Go and Ye Shall See... on December 21, 2001 at 12:46:30:
Although I haven't ever spent the entire course there, the short time I spent there with the Symphonia workshop last summer impressed me greatly. I did spend two summers in a similar environment in Oklahoma during my high school years, and I have never had another period of such rapid musical and artistic growth. At places like Brevard, you are exposed to a huge variety of musical disciplines, periods, and styles. It's a near-total immersion program with highly qualified teachers, conductors, and staff. You can play rep that no high school band director in their right mind would hand out. You can do a recital, if you like. My experience with university- and college-based programs is that they can barely scratch the surface when compared to the depths of musical experience available at a program like Brevard or Interlochen or Aspen.
This year, Keith Lockhart will be one of the guest conductors. Charlie Vernon will be a guest trombone artist. You wanna pass that up, be my guest, but Charlie Vernon has probably forgotten more about playing in an orchestral low brass section than many of us will ever know. Just looking over the faculty list, I see incredibly accomplished performers, and Michael Grose is as good a tubist as there is.
So the cook hasn't trained at Cordon Bleu. The food is adequate. Too hot and humid? Shouldn't bother a native Tarheel. But you have, at one place and time, a virtual bumper crop of musical knowledge waiting for you to harvest it. I am convinced that if you aren't learning as much or more outside of rehearsal and lesson time at a camp like this, you're not getting your money's worth. Combined, the faculty has hundreds of years of professional, top-level musical and orchestral experience. They ALL know more than you the student, so take advantage of it. They may not all be able to tell you much about the tuba or euphonium, but they can give you a superb education in the Art of Music, and the business of supplying that art.
My opinion...
SD