Re: Is Eastman still a Pinnacle?


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Posted by former Eastman student on March 03, 2002 at 12:30:54:

In Reply to: Is Eastman still a Pinnacle? posted by Jarrod on March 03, 2002 at 10:26:33:

No, Eastman is not the "end-all" of schools, but I would say that no school is the "end-all." I would say, however, that Eastman is in the top group of music schools in the U.S. and should be seriously considered by any promising classical musician. For tubists, they have an excellent, dedicated tuba teacher (Don Harry), as well as excellent ensembles to play with. The other brass studios/teachers are excellent as well. Eastman definitely deserves it's reputation as a top-notch music school.

One interesting point about Eastman that is usually not discussed, is the difference in location between Eastman and many other conservatories. Eastman is in Rochester and the studio faculty are all full-time at Eastman. This is different from many conservatories in larger cities where many of teachers are not employed full-time by the school. At Eastman, every teacher is at the school to teach there, not because it happens to be in the city where they have an orchestra gig (although some of the faculty do play in the Rochester Philharmonic). The students are also all there to be at Eastman, not to be in Rochester. This isolation provides a certain family-like atmosphere that, in my experience, is different from conservatories in major cities (Indiana is probably similarly isolated, I have less knowledge of it other than its excellent reputation). The isolation can also be negative. Being so isolated means that there are far less opportunities for professional work in Rochester than in major cities.


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