<p>I want to take a sample voice lesson with a few of the teachers at schools I'm interested in applying to. My mom has agreed I can do this at JMU, Peabody and Mannes. Does anyone have any information on the voice teachers? I have to decide who I'm going to ask for a lesson from. I would prefer to study with a female, so my options are:</p>
<p>JMU= Dorothy Maddison</p>
<p>Peabody= Phyllis Bryn-Julson
Ah Hong
Marianna Busching</p>
<p>Mannes= Amy Burton
Ruth Falcon
Bonnie Hamilton
Antonia Lavanne
Beth Roberts
Marianne Thompson</p>
<p>I am resurrecting this because an important thing came up regarding jazz students in another thread. The question was posed “does the teacher matter as much to jazz students as to classical students”? I had actually been thinking about just this issue the last few days, since my son is now a freshman jazz guitarist. I am feeling that it’s not the same kind of intense mentoring process in jazz that a student goes through. My son never actually had a distinct preference for which guitar player to study under even during the application process. His interest was more in the quality and commitment of the other jazz students, and the opportunities to play with those students, and the general approach of the jazz program. I am not a musician, but I have observed that the collaborative and improvisational nature of jazz makes the process of learning it a group dynamic. While the trial lesson is still a good idea to deepen your research of the school, it’s likely more meaningful to watch ensembles perform and try to catch faculty at local gigs whenever possible. </p>
<p>Well, in our visits DS has not had much benefit of recommendations or other personal networking. Our strategy has been (1) to try to meet with the head of the department and (2) meet with faculty that seem to have background and interests that are similar to DS’s. Keep in mind that odds are you are not going to be able to achieve interviews with everyone you might want to. Unless you are nearby, you are going to have to set a day or days you are visiting, email the faculty and then see how things fall out. Keep in mind that odds are that the faculty you visit will keep notes and thoughts for the application process, but you will also get an idea of whether you are competitive and comfortable with them.</p>
<p>Schaunard, with all due respect to your teacher, I don’t find that response to be helpful at all. How would said teacher glean out “the good ones” from a list of 5 to 15 names on a Web page? Past accomplishments on a stage look impressive, but that doesn’t mean the person is especially good at communicating in a lesson environment, so what criteria should one use?</p>
<p>It means…
Whose playing/singing do you admire?
Whose past/current students like said teacher and have had good experiences with the teacher?
Who has students who have done well?
Who is in high demand in his/her field? </p>
<p>My teacher says things like that, and it’s actually pretty much true. Most teachers at conservatories have had enough students that the teachers have developed reputations as teachers, instead of just as artists. These reputations aren’t always true and if a teacher has a good reputation that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get along with them, but it’s a place to start anyway.</p>
<p>I think it also depends on what kind of voice training you are talking about..if you are talking opera, that is different then jazz singing or pop singing or whatever. Teachers often specialize (I know someone who teaches at MSM, and she would probably not be good for an aspiring opera singer, while for jazz or pop she is first rate:). </p>
<p>More importantly, you may want to have your daughter meet as many as possible, because what constitutes a ‘good teacher’ is tricky. What I have learned, from my son’s journey, is that someone who has a reputation as a ‘good teacher’ does not necessarily mean they will be good for everyone, or even a large number of people. When my son was looking for a new violin teacher, a friend who teaches at the same school, knowing my son’s abilities and personality, guided him only to people he thought would be a match, and more then a few of those ‘rejected’ are supposed to be great teachers (and probably are, just their style wouldn’t work with my son). </p>
<p>I would recommend that if at all possible, ‘try out’ any or all of the teachers, it is only when you work with someone that you get the idea that they will work for you IMO, reputation alone may not mean much.</p>
<p>While fit is a major factor, it can be more difficult to determine in advance than you might think. To my mind, the first criterion should be the success of the teacher’s former students, especially those who did the same degree with them that you’re considering. If possible, try to find out which teachers at each school have students who make a lot of progress. There are some teachers whose grad students sound great because of excellent prior training, but whose undergrads flounder. Avoid these teachers, until you’re a grad student at least!</p>