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I will post some more information about how it develops. I’m
approaching it by placing myself in my student’s shoes as best I can.
To view it this way I will use an example of a hobby I posses in which
I have no formal training and am not aware of harm I could cause others
by sharing it. I love to work with beads and make jewelry and do
produce results that I love. If I were using materials that contain
harmful substances like lead, or toxic clays and didn’t know how to
properly handle these, and was passing this bad information on to
others I would want to know. If I was taking a class from someone very
experienced and told them I was teaching, and they knew that I was
causing a problem, it would upset me if they didn’t share that
information with me. They would be allowing me to ruin my potential
credibility. If after more training I had the potential to do a good
job instructing others, but had established a reputation for giving bad
information, that doesn’t help me at all.What would hurt my student is if I look down on her in my thoughts and
manner of communication, which I do not. I respect her very much. Her
conscientiousness in her own practice tells me that she likes to do
well at whatever she does. I will not be glib about talking to her
because she is too important and her feelings in both the short and
long term are too important.It sounds like your dma is equivalent to our masters degree. It is hard
to transfer credits between schools. Our DMA programs may be three
years of coursework, but there are dissertations and final projects
that can take several more years to complete. We also have professional
studies programs and diplomas which are graduate or post-graduate
studies, but only in performance and little or no coursework.Gordon, thank you for your concern. The issue at hand is “what is the
most respectful way to treat people?” Do you allow someone to
unknowingly pass on habits that could cause physical damage? Do you
withhold information from people because you assume they are too fragile
or lack the capacity to cope with it? Do you attack one person emotionally to spare another,
or do you promote good communication with good faith of mutual respect?If correct technique served no other purpose than to establish elitism,
then imposing it on others would be wasteful and foolish. Correct
technique is information on how to play an instrument in an efficient
and healthy manner, to avoid the crippling effects of tendonitis,
carpal tunnel syndrome, fatigue, and back and neck aches. These
effects are quite common to those who spend consistent time practicing
incorrectly.Hi Shannon,
Thank you for your posts. I have no intention of pressuring anyone to
do anything. I’m still thinking through how to address it. I’m thinking
of sharing my appreciation for my student’s hard work and her innate
musical ability,If your student is teaching bad habits to her student, then I do agree that you have a responsibility to set her straight. I am worried a little about the
Doctor of Musical Arts degrees are offered in the U.S. as well. Here
you have a four years bachelor degree, a two year master’s, then a
three year DMA or Ph.D. (or a bachelor’s to a five year doctorate) It
is considered equivalent to a Ph.D, but focuses more on original
creative expression, and less on research. People teach at the
college/univeristy level with a master’s degree, but the doctorate is
becoming necessary to be competative. (no guarantees, though). I have a
master’s in harp and a degrees through a DMA in composition.There are some very complex dynamics in our profession. The potential
for accolades and the element of subjectivity can create political
tension. I live in the Twin Cities in Minnesota, U.S. and love it here.
I spent three years in a somewhat rural area prior to this. As an
outsider with strong credentials, I was not welcome except for
exploitation. I played in the local symphony and the conductor paid me
below the bottom of his payscale ($15 per service which as $5 less than
the amateur musician members received). When I got my paycheck before
the concert all performance anxiety left because I knew whatever
happened, he got more than he paid for. I ended up nailing every
entrance because I was so relaxed. Still, it’s personally rewarding to play well. He also made nasty faces at me. I had
nothing in writing (my mistake), so I
resigned. He also announced the presence of my harp in the department
as though the college sort of owned it. The
entire area functioned this way. In these scenarios the goal is
to demorilize anyone who poses a real or imagined threat so they will
either allow themselves to be exploited or simply quit altogether. We
have limited energy and resources,
and I feel it is not worth fighting a battle unless it can be won. The
world is a big place, and our lives are short, so it is better to
conserve energy, and find the best scenario to work with, and be
flexibile and willing to adapt as needed to survive.i am inquiring if , some of you faced such a problem when started to build up his proffesion?????? if he or she were faced by a strong bad propoganda, if they talk about you that you are not qualified and you cant teach at all????????????
mr davis hello , you are right, i must to leave the country, but its something horrible to get visa to the states specially to people from the middle east, even i am christian and harpist, i want to study a little more to develope my techinc, i have my own russian school and i like it, and there i got degree of doctorate of musical arts DMA in russia you get it after finishing the conservatory of 5 years then study in the DMA for 2 academic years, its different from the PH.D.. I DONT know what is the system in USA and if they accept the russian diploms. i preffere to build up my proffesion in my country and to travel every year abroad to do master class with deffirent teachers from deffirent schools, but now i feel that i was a naiive dreamer, such a things will never happen in our countries , maybe in swiss
Since it is safer to be overdressed than underdressed for most
occassions, I tend towards dressy but comfortable. I have a rather
extensive black wardrobe, but I prefer to add in a little color with it
like burgundy, white, or a print that blends in with
black.Maybe Heidi could help you out if you can pick up from Fredericksburg
and back. Or try Wendy Willis? Barbara Seidman? Don’t know anyone else.The desire to be helpful and positive is good and important, but when
it prevents truth from being told, it is not so good. It can be
weakening. You have the right to tell your student she is not qualified
to teach beyond “a certain level.” You can express the hope that as her
student progresses she will encourage her to move on to an experienced
teacher. Sometimes we have to be cold. I had a prospective student play
for me whose agenda was to be told she was or could be professional.
She played fairly well, but with no sense of rhythm at all, so I
swallowed and told her no. We work very hard to be professionals, and
it is an insult to compare yourself to us if you haven’t worked for it.
Not that everyone has to be as good as the rest. She never came back,
but I did what I am sure was right. I could have pandered to her, and
pretended to agree so she would come back, but that wouldn’t have been
honest of me. Yes we have to be careful about judging people, but it is
upon us to set and maintain at least minimum standards, like playing in
rhythm, with tempo control, dynamic range, reasonable tone quality and
volume, reasonable facility, and musical understanding. Salzedo and
some pupils tried a licensing setup at one time, but it didn’t take
hold, needless to say. We could establish minimum standards, like being
able to play the Taco Bell Cannon, or Grandjany’s Automne or something.
But this is a democracy, so that won’t happen. Since it is a free
market, you are free to say what you want.Leaving your country may seem like a drastic choice, but in a small
country it may be necessary. In our large country, we frequently have
to leave our home city or state to study or be professional, and
sometimes move again. It may not be as difficult as you think. But even
here, it helps if go to school in the new city, or have a job there, or
a friend who will help you get established. I suggest further study, an
advanced degree. There are some schools that give scholarships. I also
suggest you look at the many websites of harpists in the U.S. and look
at how they write about themselves, their careers and goals. It will
help in contacting people.Perhaps unfortunately, I feel the need to respond to the last post.
When I started as a harpist, I listened to all the harp music
available, which was mostly French romantic-period music, especially
recordings by Susann McDonald. I listened to Renie, Tournier,
Godefroid, Hasselmans, and so on. I heard no pieces more often than
Grandjany’s Le Bon Petit Roi de Yvetot and Children’s Hour Suite.There were little or no recordings of Salzedo’s music available, and
what I heard of his own playing was not that seductive. The recording
that convinced me the harp was worthwhile was Annie Challan’s recording
of Debussy, Ravel, Pierne and Faure. My interest in Salzedo developed
gradually, and it was the depth and beauty of his compositions that won
me over. To think that I am prejudiced is to not know me at all. Liszt
composed some great music and a lot of shallow music. I enjoy some of
Liszt’s showy music, and some of it is too empty to tolerate. I cannot
stand Parish-Alvars’s music because it is all empty. Or at least every
performance I have heard has been empty. His music sounds more like
inflated Stephen Foster than anything else. I would rather hear Bochsa.
His expansion of harp technique is not enough to make his music
interesting, unlike Spohr. My feeling has nothing to do whatsoever with
my liking Salzedo’s music. To compare his music to Parish-Alvars is
true on the surface, in that they were both performer-composers with a
lot of technique, but Salzedo’s music does indeed have depth and
significance, to varying degrees like any composer, whether its modern
styling is to your taste or not. His Sonata for Harp and Piano is a
masterpiece, along with his Trois Poemes de Mallarme, Pentacle, Five
Poetical Studies and other works not so often played. Scintillation
varies greatly depending on the performer. I find lots of depth in it,
and think it is as fine as Saint-Saens’s fantaisies. But I have heard
mediocre, and empty performances of it as well. Overexposure can
certainly detract from the pleasure in a piece, so we do all need to
explore our repertoire and program thoughtfully as Sam Milligan
suggests. What is it some music is so full of, and other music so
lacking in? Inspiration? Genius? Talent? Originality? Soul? Musicality?
I think the last is the most significant. Just because someone composes
music, does not mean they are musical. Carter, Boulez, Berio are icons
of contemporary music, but Berio is the only one I find at all musical.
So what is musical? Using more than just one’s head; having spirit,
heart and soul in your music, instinct and intuition, not just
intellect alone.
