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Yeah, from what I could tell it was one of the older Troubadour models and a Lyon & Healy 23 Gold.
Weren’t the opening festivities amazing to watch?
I’ve measured, and if you push the passenger seat all the way forward, and do a column load, you can fit a LH 85CG in a Honda Element. These are 4 wheel drive, and a breeze to not only load/unload, but a breeze to clean as well. (They don’t have carpet, but rather a rubber floor and sides, so you can literally hose it out and wipe it dry if a mess is made).
Without any difficulty I can usually fit my harp (a LH Prelude), bench, music stand, amplifying equipment, dolly, and a wooden platform to elevate the harp off of the grass (for outdoor events) all the while taking two passengers with me.
A Zoom and the software should be fine. The audio quality on my zoom is comparable to equipment that I’ve used that was priced thousands beyond the amount I paid for my zoom.
You would just have to use the software carefully, have the room set up well, and have the microphone positioned properly.
Well, I don’t have any information either, but I do have a recommendation.
In addition to going to a performing arts medical facility, if you could get to Louisville Kentucky to Kleinert Kutz and Assoc. they would be ideal to work with. The were the first clinic to ever perform a functioning hand transplant. They are the leading physicians in regards to ailments of the upper extremeties and musicians fly from all around the world to see them. Luckily I live only an hour away, so they are the doctors that I see regarding my carpal tunnel problems.
In the mean time I would try to get a harp similar to yours to a location where they can see for themselves the kind of strength and flexibility it takes to play this instrument. Maybe some youtube video material would be good if you couldn’t get someone to play it. I don’t remember who above mentioned this idea, but it’s great.
Saul- I do agree with you. Her personal life is none of my business, and I don’t want it to be. I do however feel that a teacher should have an open enough relationship with their students. If a student comes forward with concerns about their learning environment (in a vague, non abrasive way), I think the teacher should be able to say: “hey, sorry I’m being a bit psycho. I’ve got some stuff going on right now, so if you could try to be patient when I am going nuts, I’d appreciate it.” Or something equally simple and professional that shows that they are dealing with things as well as they can.
In terms of the other teacher… No. The Music Department is undergoing huge budget cuts, and they’ve already hired new accompanist to accommodate my needs. Oh, and to accommodate a bassoonist who is in the same position I am. No one already on staff could play our music for recitals or juries.
An update on the situation: Since that dramatic ordeal in my studio class, she’s been putting in effort to fix the situation. In the last week especially things have gotten better. I no longer feel an urgent need to approach her about this. We discussed my recital, my next set of competitions, and Grad Schools in depth during my lesson. It was a really good lesson.
I am concerned that she might relapse into the old way though. But, I have decided that I will take the good and ignore the bad. I have two other teachers that I have a fantastic relationship with. One is intimidating because of his fame/career history/school he teaches at but at the same time unbelievably inspiring. He is only intimidating because of his expectations. Otherwise he is the friendliest guy I know, and a great mentor. My piccolo teacher shows me nothing but love and support.
And before I forget, thank you for all of your words thus far. Even though this is a harp forum (and I am only a hobbyist in that regard), your professional wisdom as a student/teacher/musician has been very helpful to a developing flutist.
If you have anything else, please feel free to post. I’m not trying to close the thread, but rather show my gratitude. 🙂
I have made a decision. After consulting one of my spiritual leaders (who happens to be a faculty in the department of music as well :::yes, I know that was bad taste but I needed his advice:::) he helped me come up with an approach to the situation. We decided that I am too close to graduating to leave the school. I am also under a scholarship contract (but I COULD get out of it if I wanted to). I have 3 semesters left, of which one of those would be primarily spent flying around the country doing auditions for graduate school. Flute is my main instrument (someone asked…) and harp is my hobby.
The year that I have before my auditions will be spent on getting ready for that process. The players I am going up against are doing the same thing. That’s how it is among flutists who want to enter a “top 10” conservatory. We prepare for a year before the auditions themselves. I am going to focus on those auditions and ignore everything else. I have two other teachers (one for piccolo, and another that is sort of my foot in the door for Grad school). If this one continues to be a lemon, they will still guide me well. (AND by the way, the teacher that is causing the problems insisted that I study with them in addition to herself).
To address the problem at hand… I am going to approach her in my next lesson with complete humility. I will make it clear that I want to learn from her, but that I sense tension between the two of us. I feel that it might be getting in the way of my progress. I will ask her if there is anything that I am doing to cause the stress. That will give her two options. She can either place the blame on me and seal the situation, or open up a little and help the two of us get on the same page. I hadn’t thought about it, but there is a chance that she might feel that because I have the other teachers (at her insistence remind you…) that I don’t appreciate or respect her as a teacher. That of course is false.
If she doesn’t work with me to improve the situation, then I won’t use her as a recommendation for Graduate School. My piccolo teacher is a professor at another university and I’ve studied with her for almost 3 years. She and I have a great relationship and I know that she will give me a good recommendation. The other teacher is the man that I want to study with for Graduate school. In terms of acceptance rates (admitted vs. rejected), there are only two music schools that are harder to get into than the institution that he teaches at (Curtis and Juilliard being those two schools). He is already letting me bypass the prescreening rounds and only play in the final audition/interview round. I am fairly sure that he will admit me (particularly because he insists that I don’t pay him for my lessons).
Thanks everyone for your input. The support was very appreciated, and the criticism made me think about what exactly I was feeling/reacting to and whether or not I needed to reconsider my actions. I still feel that I’ve been mistreated but that there is a chance that I have unintentionally caused part of this problem in a way that I am not aware of.
Oh, btw…
SmartMusic is a computer software. You plug in a microphone and a foot pedal to the computer. The program then plays the accompaniment to your piece. The microphone feeds into the computer and along with the foot pedal (used for cues when the piano rests) helps the computer stay with you through tempo changes and through rehearsal markings in the music.
So when I play a concerto, I just choose the piece from the database stored in the program, and I play with the computer. The microphone and foot pedal help transitions in the music.
::this was written with a tone of resignation, not one of any malicious intent::
I apologize for not presenting the full story but rather giving what I thought was important and critical to this issue. It obviously gave the impression that I am ungrateful and arrogant and a poor student. Maybe you’re right, and maybe you’re not. Time and time again I have had past teachers, clinicians (that I volunteered for) and world class flutists in masterclasses comment on how quickly I learn and how much information I absorb. You have no idea how many times people have compared me to a sponge. I went from being a mediocre graduating high school player who hadn’t had a day of flute lessons in my life to someone who was just accepted (today) as a top 3 finalist in an international competition. I’ve done that in 3.5 years. You can’t legitimately tell me that I’m a bad student if I’ve made that much progress in such a small amount of time. I record my lessons. I listen back and take notes. I do every exercise she gives me. I spend hours researching pedagogical topics and ideas during my own free time. I want to learn from her. It just seems like she is suddenly switching me from a diet of information and support to one of sarcasm and disdain.
Yes. She gave me a good “drubbing” experience. What I did not include in my original post was how she has lied to me about important issues, intentionally set me up for failure (she even openly admitted it), and grown to be increasingly antagonistic towards myself specifically and the flute studio as a whole. I also didn’t mention how she specifically alienates me from the rest of the studio. It takes a lot of bad behavior to get me upset. I’m very patient.
One thing I need to make clear is that I don’t go to a top notch school. There is only one flute teacher. I just go to a small public university with a music program that is geared towards high school music education. When people meet me and hear me play they ask “What are you doing there?!” Because the school isn’t cut throat, there is a very different environment in regards to students and teachers. This program and this studio in particular is a lot like a large family. It is a very nurturing atmosphere. The studio as a whole is (amongst themselves regardless of how poorly you think of it) showing a lot of concern for her general well being. We used to love, admire, and respect her. She’s not like that anymore, particularly towards me and people have been noticing.
So take me as a young, immature, egotistical student if you will. But I’ve sat through rehearsals where conductors have yelled at me for half an hour and I didn’t fight back. Most people (students and professionals) seem to think that I am very nice and extremely level headed. I’m sorry that you seem to see me in a different light. I guess part of that stems from the fact that I clearly do not believe in the type of student/teacher relationship you do. I think they should be professional, but personal in the sense that you invest part of yourself by nurturing them (and showing tough love if need be). I am staunchly opposed to the idea where you have a cold musical deity and worshipers who crave their attention. Or at least that is the impression I am getting from you. But hey. What do I know. I’m only 21.
Oh, and 2 things I want to make clear.
I understand that this is an issue with a flute teacher about “flute” related things. Sort of. I more just want an insight into student/teacher relationships. That sort of thing transcends instrument types.
Second, I realized I wrote a contradiction. We bickered in studio, but I said that I try to be humble. This is true. I just don’t take crap off of people. Sorry to put it bluntly, but that’s the way it is. I will take harsh criticism and bend to a teacher’s will, but I won’t take verbal abuse. There’s a difference.
It seems to me that this is a basically a problem of contractual obligations. You paid your $75 orientation fee. So there are no problems there. It said that “potential” students were expected… blah blah blah. “Potential” means that it is possible. It doesn’t cement whether or not you would take lessons. Furthermore, because you never signed up for lessons you did not agree to anything. Therefore there was nothing to “cancel or change.”
You aren’t contractually obligated to pay her under any circumstance (especially if you didn’t sign anything). The only loophole to that I can think of would be that if there was something in the document that stated that if you met with her for the orientation, by default you would be required to sign up for lessons. In that case, she would be entitled to her $50 cancellation fee.
I personally would not pay her, nor would I study with her. If this is the way she treats potential students, she must be a nightmare of a teacher to study with on a regular basis.
It seems to me that this is a basically a problem of contractual obligations. You paid your $75 orientation fee. So there are no problems there. It said that “potential” students were expected… blah blah blah. “Potential” means that it is possible. It doesn’t cement whether or not you would take lessons. Furthermore, because you never signed up for lessons you did not agree to anything. Therefore there was nothing to “cancel or change.”
You aren’t contractually obligated to pay her under any circumstance (especially if you didn’t sign anything). The only loophole to that I can think of would be that if there was something in the document that stated that if you met with her for the orientation, by default you would be required to sign up for lessons. In that case, she would be entitled to her $50 cancellation fee.
I personally would not pay her, nor would I study with her. If this is the way she treats potential students, she must be a nightmare of a teacher to study with on a regular basis.
It seems to me that this is a basically a problem of contractual obligations. You paid your $75 orientation fee. So there are no problems there. It said that “potential” students were expected… blah blah blah. “Potential” means that it is possible. It doesn’t cement whether or not you would take lessons. Furthermore, because you never signed up for lessons you did not agree to anything. Therefore there was nothing to “cancel or change.”
You aren’t contractually obligated to pay her under any circumstance (especially if you didn’t sign anything). The only loophole to that I can think of would be that if there was something in the document that stated that if you met with her for the orientation, by default you would be required to sign up for lessons. In that case, she would be entitled to her $50 cancellation fee.
I personally would not pay her, nor would I study with her. If this is the way she treats potential students, she must be a nightmare of a teacher to study with on a regular basis.
I would charge them.
I hate it when friends assume I will discount or will play for free. It’s rude and shows a lack of respect. My best friend is getting married and she assumed I would do it for free. Now, I am fairly sure we had both said at some point that we would do each other’s weddings for free (she is an AMAZING vocalist) and she is just getting married before I am. But I don’t mind too terribly. I was going to do it as her wedding present. It just irks me a little that when the date was set that she assumed it would be for free. But, before the date was set she did say she would need to get fees quoted so she could compensate me appropriately. So it’s not such a bad thing. And I’m rambling.
Charge them. They must not be very close friends, so charge them. I’ve only once played a wedding for a distant friend without charging them and it was because they were in a bad situation. It was either I offer to do it for free, or they illegally download music files and play a CD. So, I felt compelled to help them out since they are such generous people anyway.
Here’s why I wouldn’t do it as baggage…
