DonJuanTrompeta

Mr. Laureano,
I hope you're doing well.
I don't know if you remember my post last spring about one of my students car accident that prevented him from playing for a while, well he's much better now after a couple of surgeries, and his lip is fully healed. Mike's going to be taking the year off next year to practice really hard, and next year he's going to try to audition at the big schools.
Hope everything's well in Minnesota and with the Orchestra there. I was there with my family when you guys did the Brahms 4. Really good stuff. Jankowski really knows his stuff.

Manny Laureano

DJ,

How nice of you to keep us posted on that young fellow! I'm glad things are working out and that his healing is well underway. Good for you both!

I agree... Jankowski is a wonderful guy to work for.

ML

DonJuanTrompeta

Mr. Laureano,
I have a question...about my student. Well, he's a very driven individual. He applied to Madison, Twin Cities, and River Falls and gotten in to all of them academically, but he wants to take a year off from school. Would you recommend that? To practice for a year and try to get into conservatories? I want to tell him he should go to Minnesota because not only would he get an education, listen to a great trumpet player like yourself but be able to listen to a great orchestra. What is your view about this? Taking a year off to do nothing but practice or go to college whereas he would still have that opportunity?
Thanks
DJ

Manny Laureano

Hard call...

I don't know what his real reasons for taking a year off are. There's nothing like being around good players to help spur your growth but if he's aiming for conservatories, they are very competitive before and after you get in.

He's driven in what way? Academically or musically? If he was driven musically he'd want to stay in it no matter what. I couldn't see myself ever taking a year off at that age because all I wanted to do was play.

ML

DonJuanTrompeta

He is very driven musically, and fortunately happens to be a very intelligent individual. He doesn't try very hard at school and still pulls off an A average. He wants to take a year off to practice because the past eight months he's been maimed. He wasn't able to physically play his horn, until three weeks ago. He's slowly building his endurance. He's very stubbborn, but does listen to reason. Mike eventually wants to do a double major when he gets his chops back in shape, but won't go to college until they do. This kid is so ambitious sometimes I don't know what to do with him. Do you deal with kids like this on a daily basis in your youth symphony? Mike has to choose one or the other doesn't he? When I was in high school, which was a very long time ago, I decided that my calling was education and teaching young people to love it music and appreciate it. This is because I couldn't see myself doing anything else. I don't know what do with this kid!
Thanks for your input,
DJ

Manny Laureano

I have to admit that I'm not a fan of taking double majors. I believe people that want to become performing musicians need to immerse themselves in the study of music in as many practical facets as possible. Others will disagree because they got what they wanted with the double major. I would not have flourished as i did with the distraction of another discipline to work hard at.

Good luck,

ML

Billy B

I have a former student who is now in college. She decided on an elementary music education degree. Now that she is near the end of that road, she has decided to continue with a MM in trumpet. The road has many forks.

Tootsall

I have a daughter who completed her B. Mus in performance (French Horn). No matter how much I exhorted her to consider taking some education courses she insisted that all she wanted to do was perform, not teach.

Within 4 months of graduating she was teaching. Still teaching almost two years later.

Go figure.

Manny Laureano

That's what I mean... everybody has their own story. My son is very talented on trombone. He has great rhythm, a great ear, and a beautiful sound. He's recently learned to use the vibrato very expressively. The kid has the goods.

However, the thing that really pulls at his heart is athletics. he loves baseball and I'm sure would love to be a pro one day. I don't find that to any less realisitic than going into music performance. If that's what he wants to do then all I can ask of him is that he go into it whole hog and immerse himself in the study and application of baseball at the best place he can go to learn. He needs to learn for himself where he stacks up compared to the thousands of others that have the same dream as he.

No one denied me the chance to do so with music and I can't deny him a shot at his dream such as it is at age 15. I'll update this thread in about 7 years and we'll know more then.

ML

Pedal C

Can he pitch? Send him to the Rockies!

Jason.