Posted by Dave Zerkel on May 04, 2003 at 21:49:44:
In Reply to: too many ? posted by js on May 03, 2003 at 01:12:11:
Hi Joe.
I'm not feeling particularly feisty tonight, so I'll just touch on a couple of points. Let's take on the adjunct vs. full time problem first.
I've had both kinds of teachers and have taught in both situations. While I had a very happy experience with Dave Bragunier at Peabody, the fact of the matter is that he was on campus once a week. While I didn't cry myself to sleep at night thinking about it, there were times when I wished that he were more available for counsel and specific help on issues as they crept in and out of my playing. Having said that, Dave was very generous with his time while he was at Peabody and I got the sense that he was genuinely interested in my progress. When I taught adjunct at VCU, American and GW, here are some of the things that went through my head when I was getting ready to go to work:
1. Am I going to get there on time?
2. Am I going to find a place to park?
3. Will I be home for dinner? Am I missing a soccer game?
4. Will my student show up?
5. Are my students getting anything out of these lessons?
6. Is my Band schedule (first obligation) going to make it hard for me to teach this week?
I'm sorry of these seem like petty little issues, but I'm being perfectly frank in sharing these thoughts. With a few exceptions, I never really felt as an adjunct teacher that I was anything more to my students than a guy who came to see them for an hour a week.
I think the aspect of full time teaching that is most important to me is that I have four years to mentor a student as a musician and as a person. Do I see all of my students outside of lesson time? Yep. Does it matter to them that I am there five days a week? I think so. Do all of my students appreciate my candor regarding their playing? No, but at least they know I care. You have to consider the teaching that goes on outside of the one hour lesson. Are my students cheated because they don't get to go hear their teacher play in a major orchestra every week? Maybe, but there are plenty of other opportunities for them to hear me play and to know that I am totally committed to the concept of lifelong improvement.
Regarding the question of "How many is too many?", I defer to the concept of supply and demand.
Regarding the "ivory tower" and academic elitism that is part of life on some college campuses, I couldn't agree with you more. My quest for tenure at UGA is anything but a slam dunk. Is that because I am an ineffective teacher, or because I don't play well, or because I don't care about the job that I do? Maybe, but I hope not! It's because I lack a DMA.
If I offend anyone with the following remark, I apologize. The DMA in performance areas is flawed horribly. It has turned into a way for young musicians to defer the possibility of being unemployed for a couple of more years. Some of my more cynical performing friends tell me that DMA stands for "Didn't Make the Audition". In essence it has created a new generation of professors who have never made their living playing, but becuase they have gone to school for the DMA, they are more qualified to teach than someone who has been in the arena. Without going into any detail, it has been made clear to me that many on our faculty are dismissive of me because I don't have the doctorate. Do I lose sleep over this? You bet your ass I do, because in three short years, I could be walking in the same shoes as Ted Cox. There is something inherently wrong with the tenure process in that you are courted and wooed for the gig and then told, in essence, "You have six years to prove that we didn't make a mistake."
Sorry if this didn't answer your question more directly. I think that you could ask the same question about many other types of professors and get an impassioned response. I am in total agreement with Ken Sloan, in that I strive to be a music teacher that just so happens to play the tuba. If I turned out a studio of jocks, I'd have a hard time cashing my checks.
Sorry for the rant!
DZ