Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Education: Who Needs It?


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TubeNet BBS ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Jay Bertolet on December 31, 2001 at 22:06:46:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Education: Who Needs It? posted by Kenneth Sloan on December 31, 2001 at 14:40:30:

College may not be a trade school but if you approach it that way, the experience can be VERY rewarding. I also see that different types of colleges (small university, big university, conservatory) offer very different curricula. A performance degree at a big university is very different in scope than that offered at the typical conservatory college. This is the main basis of my disagreement with your view of the role of colleges. I agree completely that colleges can be a rewarding source of information for the student. This education can be in many forms, from the most focused to the most general in nature. I think the decision of where you want to go for college is partly the determining factor in how you approach the process. If you want to focus more, you gravitate toward the conservatory. You, as the student, are free to choose exactly the type of education you want to pursue.

Where we completely agree is in the necessity of the peripheral music courses (theory, history, etc.). I remember very well not wanting to "waste my time" with those courses and living to regret that disdain later. The part of the big university degree that I'm not so fond of is the non-music component. Regardless, I can see the value of such an approach and those who feel like getting a more comprehensive education will like that type of curriculum and choose the type of university that provides it.

The bottom line is that the student is paying for something, be it education, trade school, weekend parties, whatever. Institutions better effectively service their customers or risk becoming irrelevent (and unsalable) to their constituency.

My opinion for what it's worth...


Follow Ups: