<p>Hello!</p>
<p>I am currently studying at a conservatoire in the UK, and have the option of studying abroad in my third year. I am a flute student with the ambition of becoming a professional orchestral musician, and am looking for advice on the reputation of the following schools (in terms of graduate success, student opportunities and "prestige" in general): Eastman School of Music (prof. Bonita Boyd) & Cleveland Institute of Music (prof. Joshua Smith).</p>
<p>As my ambition is to become an orchestral player, the Cleveland Institute seems a good option as I would be studying with a current principal in a major orchestra. From what I can tell, Cleveland also seems to be a more substantial city than Rochester - presumably meaning it has more opportunities and a better classical music scene. In spite of this, I have read that the Eastman School is generally better regarded - what worries me however is being in a relatively small city (and thus perhaps being cut off from the larger musical world).</p>
<p>Any help will be gratefully received. Please don't take anything I have written personally, as I know very little about the American college system - I'm sure most of what I have written is probably complete nonsense! Any indication of the course structure from current/graduate students of said colleges would also be very welcome!</p>
<p>Kind regards,
Random88</p>
<p>Hi Random,</p>
<p>I don’t know how Eastman works, but if you want to study at CIM on a year abroad program, you need to find a current CIM flute student who also wants a year abroad and will “trade” places with you. This arrangement is not uncommon with the upper tier conservatories in the US. You should e-mail the schools - I’d start with Admissions - and ask about their year abroad exchanges. There may be more requirements specific to different schools.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t pay much attention to statements that Eastman is better regarded than CIM or that CIM is better regarded than New England Conservatory or that Juilliard is always the best place, etc. There are several top tier US schools - Colburn, New York city conservatories, Curtis, NEC, CIM, Eastman, Indiana, etc. that attract excellent students from all over the world. The environment and teacher that is best for one student is often not right at all for another - even on the same instrument. You are best to identify the teacher - as you have - that you think you would benefit from. </p>
<p>As regards any particular major conservatory being “cut off” from the rest of the country due to location - it doesn’t happen. Some locations do have better access to “in town” symphonies - NYC, Cleveland, Boston, etc. - because of their location. For student opportunities however, you will find no loss of recognition or esteem becasue of one location over another. For example, major summer festivals travel to Eastman and Indiana - not just major cities - to offer live auditions. The professional music world
knows where the fine training is going on!</p>
<p>Note - any list of conservatories above is not meant to be exclusive. It’s early AM and I probably left some off!
Good luck.</p>
<p>fiddlestix brings up a good point about the logistics, and in my naivete I assumed you were examining institutions that had some pre-arranged agreement for study abroad with your current institution. I would suggest you try and speak directly with students from you present conservatory who’ve “crossed the pond”, and get their opinions/reflections of their experiences.</p>
<p>For flute, I’d just add Oberlin, Northwestern and Peabody to the names fiddlestix supplied without knowing their study abroad parameters specifically. </p>
<p>While there can be a large degree of geographic separation (and perceived isolation) among these institutions, none is a classical music “backwater”. Rochester may not be NYC, Boston, or Cleveland, but you will have more than ample participatory, viewing, and masterclass opportunities on campus and within the community.</p>
<p>Hhmm, I think I can reply with some degree of intelligence here, at least about the logistics, etc, as my D will be attending CIM-leaving next week- and we live about 2 miles from Eastman! To start with, she’s a VP major, but, up until 4 years ago, was regarded as a very promising flutist and studied here in Rochester.
With regard to the cities themselves- you are right in your perception of Cleveland as the “more substantial” city (I really like that term! ). The arts scene there is more vibrant than in Rochester, and the Cleveland Symphony is regarded by some of the top music critics as the finest orchestra in the US now. While that may be open to discussion, the RPO is not a contender for that title. It is a fine orchestra, but not in the same league as the CS. Severence Hall is magnificent and within walking distance of CIM ( Some rehearsals are open to CIM students and they also get special rates to the concerts), but the Eastman Theatre is also nice. Keep in mind that the ET is being totally remodeled , and will reopen as the Kodak Hall, which they are billing as a “right-sized hall”, smaller and they are adding boxes for the high-rollers, if there are any left here. As of last week, Rochester’s last hope of building a new performing arts center died a lingering death and will not be revived, while Playhouse Square in Cleveland is second in size only to Lincoln Center in NYC. They get National tours of Broadway shows on the first go-round, while here in Rochester, we wait for 2-3 years. Transportation in and out of Rochester is hard and expensive, your main choice being car or high prices and terrible schedules; Cleveland is much better on that front with a larger airport and lower costs.
Teachers- both Bonnie Boyd and Joshua Smith are well respected, but I’d say the scale tilts in favor of Mr. Smith. He has been Principal Flute of the CS for years and continues to hold that position while teaching at CIM; Ms. Boyd no longer plays with the RPO, but does maintain a teaching position at Eastman and plays at Aspen in the summer (as do many RPO players). Both schools do have excellent reputations, but things are changing at both (if you care to chat about this, Random88, please PM me so that we can take the conversation off of the thread). fiddlestix was correct when she told you that CIM does have a reciprocal study program on a one-for-one swap with some conservatories in Europe, namely the Paris Conservatoire, the Royal Academy of Music, and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. If you want to contact either school and need specific info, again, feel free to PM me with your needs.
Well, I’ve had my say, and if it was me, or one of my sons or daughter, it would be a clear vote for CIM, but you need to make the right decision for you.</p>
<p>Oops, forgot something- the weather in either city is pretty grim. Great Lakes winters are no fun. That being said, NY doesn’t pay as much attention to their roads as they should, and although I hate driving in winter storms, I prefer Ohio roads to those here in NY- rougher going here, by far. Both are cold, snowy and grey for months on end, but ESM is a little closer to Lake Ontario than CIM is to Lake Erie, so Rochester city winter weather is a bit worse. Brrrr…</p>
<p>Thank you all very much for your replies - they are extremely useful and comprehensive!</p>
<p>It’s useful to know that I may need someone to swap with - I had been led to believe any exchange student would simply be an addition to the class, rather than a replacement (as is the case within European schools <em>I think</em> - I shall have to pester my own International Officer for information when I arrive in September). My school is one of the ones mentioned by Mezzo’sMama so I would hope there is already as system in place.</p>
<p>I think one of the things I find most confusing about looking at American schools is the utterly diverse array of institutions that successful musicians have attended. It’s my opinion (and I think the most common) that in the UK, you either attend one of the “renowned” music colleges or Oxford/Cambridge to become a professional musician. I think I am of a generation whereby this is not necessarily the case - but it certainly helps. I suppose part of that is that logistics and funding in the UK are not as big a factor as they are in the US, with most colleges being only a relatively short train ride to one’s home.</p>
<p>As I say you have all given me plenty of food for thought! Thanks for taking your time to reply. I will certainly email sometime Mezzo’sMama - thanks v much. I’d be very interested to see your daughters timetable in September as well (I’m told many Americans schools have many more academic classes than we do!).</p>
<p>Thanks again!
Random88</p>