Posted by Eastman what? on March 03, 2002 at 18:06:34:
In Reply to: Is Eastman still a Pinnacle? posted by Jarrod on March 03, 2002 at 10:26:33:
I have heard numerous tales come out of Eastman lately, none of them good. It seems this is the place many of the kids from Interlochen academy go and I've heard stories of non-Interlochen alums being snuffed. I also understand that the graduate students are not allowed to play in the orchestra (probably because the faculty want to make sure they practice). This is bull because most people who I've heard of getting their masters from Eastman generally do not make finals in auditions (please correct me if I'm wrong). Also, while having faculty that only teach may seem like a good idea on paper, none of them are getting professional performance experience in full-time orchestras or are involved in the orchestral business enough to really help their students out. It doesn't seem to me like being on the faculty on Eastman would have nearly as much leverage among your colleagues as being, say, the principle bassoonist in The Cleveland Orchestra, or associate concertmaster with the San Francisco Symphony. Having this kind of prestige and leverage among your colleagues is definitely beneficial to students.