Re: NASM/Performerance Degrees


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Posted by Jay Bertolet on June 29, 2001 at 08:49:08:

In Reply to: NASM/Performerance Degrees posted by Ryan W Schultz on June 28, 2001 at 23:12:13:

While I understand your trepidation, I disagree with your conclusion. Personally, I regret not taking more Music History and Music Theory courses in college. While in college, I viewed these courses as a complete waste of time, hours upon hours of memorizing dates and facts just so I could regurgitate them for a test and then forget about them. I was wrong. Those courses have helped me to define my playing skills and helped me to understand my role in the orchestra as well as develop my musical style and how I approach various pieces of music. I always recommend my students take those courses and really work at them, just as they do on the horn. Any student who walks in my door and says they don't think these courses will help them at all as a player gets "the demonstration". I tell them to pick any piece of music they want to play and then have them describe for me the aspects of the piece; performance practices, who premiered it, ornamentation practices, stylistic characteristics of the genre, etc. Invariably, none of my students have a clue about this (there are exceptions) and are only interested in the piece because they heard it was "cool" or difficult. You should see their eyes light up when I tell them about the history and theory of the piece. After that, that usually see the value in understanding these elements of music not just to pass a test but as a working knowledge base, something they can actually use in the real world. FIU (where I teach) was accredited by NASM a few years ago and I think it is a really good thing overall. Students still graduate but they are more well rounded now. I believe this helps them to function more effectively in the real world of music. Isn't that what we're after?

My opinion for what it's worth...


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