ecarroll

TMers,

Since Ellis blew the name-dropping whistle I thought that I'd take a moment to explain my interest in this topic. Thank you all for your contributions to date.

As you might know, I was involved in a wonderful memorial concert for Vincent Cichowicz at McGill a few weeks ago. Professional trumpeters from across Canada joined current McGill students in hono(u)ring a man who was tremendously influential north of the border through his work with the Canadian National Youth Orchestra and at Domaine Forget.

The program(me), which I conducted, included music by R. Strauss, Bernstein, Debussy, J.S. Bach, Moussorgsky, and others. It was performed in our new Tanna Schulich Concert Hall in front of a marvelous slide show illustrating Mr. Cichowicz' long career as a trumpeter and teacher. I can't describe the sensation of being totally involved in making the Great Gate of Kiev come to life and glancing up at scenes taken while I was a young student of Vincent Cichowicz in Chicago. Weird. Un-nerving. Priceless.

My comments from the stage focused upon the man and the sacrifice he made (while I was his student, by the way) by giving up his playing career to devote his energies to teaching. They also touched upon our topic du jour: the continuum that we are all part of and the passing of information from generation to generation.

I asked, and continue to wonder today, if I've passed along to my students at McGill or CalArts some germ of information. . . a turn of phrase or description of concept. . .that originated not from my own mind or that of my teachers, but from Schlossberg or Llewyllen.

Jimi and others have pointed out how many times Vacchiano (and others) appear in the grandteachers thread. I believe that those of us who have committed to teach carry a flame that is far, far, older.

Best and please keep this thread alive,
EC

k0elw

It was not my intention to blow the whistle on name dropping;
as I dropped a few myself but to nudge the thread in the direction
that you have just done. Thanks.

-Ellis

ecarroll

Great minds thinking alike, Ellis. Thank you.

Cheers,
EC

mahaberio

There's a reason Vacchiano taught at Juilliard for 67 years, and it wasn't the money. I regret that I never had the opportunity to meet this great man or hear him play live, but hearing his students speak of him and hear them play, it is so easy to see why he had such an enormous impact. I can't count the number of times I've been in a lesson with Phil Collins and he'll preface some comment or suggestion with "Vacchiano used to say..."

One of the most important things I think he passed on to every student of his I've talked to was the idea behind this famous quote:

"This, to me, is happiness. When I feel bad I go down to the studio in my house, I pick up my horn and I'm in seventh heaven. That's what music should be like."

Another one I got a lot in high school from my teacher and still do to a certain extent from Mr. Collins is "Jake (Arnold Jacobs) used to say..."

I'm of a generation that has had the advantage of having teachers who have culminated the ideas of masters of pedagogy and we're now benefiting from it. This, in my opinion, is why people say the bar has been set so high with younger players.

tpter1

Ya know, Ed, I get to thinking about this very idea alot, as I'm sure you think about your students and the legacy you are passing down. You wonder about them. You imagine them out in the world, doing their thing, whatever it is, and what they carry around from you. And if anything you say or taught them, do they say it or teach it to theirs?

__________________
-Glenn
"Roses have thorns; shining waters mud. Clouds and eclipses stain the moon and the sun; and history reeks of the wrongs we have done. After today, after today, consider me gone."- Sting