ecarroll

Doc,

Good morning from Los Angeles.

For the record I also went to college in the 70s. The question is familiar to me and often discussed today as well (I serve occasionally as an assistant Dean at CalArts and trust me when I say that educational theory is often discussed on various committees. We constantly re-evaluate our curriculum and make changes based upon the fluid nature of music today).

My personal belief is that the value of attending a music school isn't to study with a certain individual, but rather to be surrounded by a group of peers within a supportive environment. I've always believed that we learn as much from our experiences with colleagues (especially when we're surrounded by colleagues that are really GOOD) than we do in private instruction, and when these experiences include solid ear training, theory, history, chamber music, conducted ensembles, and the like the result can be far better than we would experience with a weekly lesson and solitary practice (of course this is part of the mix in music school as well).

That said we can point to many in our profession that didn't go to music school or who stayed for only a short time. There isn't one proven path to musical enlightenment. . .there's only one path for you.

Comments?

Best and thanks for an interesting thread,
EC