Open Question: Which teacher should I choose?

I'm really stuck. I've taken a liking to 2 music theory teachers. I actually learned with one b4. She got me through all the music theory required in Canada w/ fairly good marks. My situation is I want to learn how to teach music theory in a short amount of time. I've already gone through 5 courses & I write pop & classical music. I just want to know how to TEACH those 5 courses. All I want is to know "why something is" and if I forgot, "how do I do it". I think I can learn what I need 3-5. I don't want to take too long because I want to work on a diploma in theory. The female teacher says I shouldn't give myself a time limit. Just see how much I can do. She also suggests against doing the diploma b/c it's a waste of time. She herself didn't get her PhD thesis approved (tho I understand) and that's why she says diplomas are a waste of time. But I want one b/c ppl will choose u when they know you have a diploma, rahter than you just "learned how to do it". You actually have to go through many exams & prove yourself! As a person who has taken a diploma, I think there's a huge difference between just "learning it" and actually trying for a diploma. The male teacher has a PhD and he says he can get me thru the 5 courses in 12 weeks. He's ok w/ me doing the diploma; he says it'll take 2 years. He also charges more but he lives closer. I talked to him much longer and he also believes in "lesson plans" and seems to teach difficult concepts to kids very well (using analogies). I didn't get to talk to the female but she's got tons more experience than he does and I know she must have developed some tricks along the way. What should I do? I know this is really long. Thanks for reading & commenting tho!! By the way, I post this here b/c I think music diplomas are way different than other academic diplomas.

Open Question: Which teacher should I choose?

I'm really stuck. I've taken a liking to 2 music theory teachers. I actually learned with one b4. She got me through all the music theory required in Canada w/ fairly good marks. My situation is I want to learn how to teach music theory in a short amount of time. I've already gone through 5 courses & I write pop & classical music. I just want to know how to TEACH those 5 courses. All I want is to know "why something is" and if I forgot, "how do I do it". I think I can learn what I need 3-5. I don't want to take too long because I want to work on a diploma in theory. The female teacher says I shouldn't give myself a time limit. Just see how much I can do. She also suggests against doing the diploma b/c it's a waste of time. She herself didn't get her PhD thesis approved (tho I understand) and that's why she says diplomas are a waste of time. But I want one b/c ppl will choose u when they know you have a diploma, rahter than you just "learned how to do it". You actually have to go through many exams & prove yourself! As a person who has taken a diploma, I think there's a huge difference between just "learning it" and actually trying for a diploma. The male teacher has a PhD and he says he can get me thru the 5 courses in 12 weeks. He's ok w/ me doing the diploma; he says it'll take 2 years. He also charges more but he lives closer. I talked to him much longer and he also believes in "lesson plans" and seems to teach difficult concepts to kids very well (using analogies). I didn't get to talk to the female but she's got tons more experience than he does and I know she must have developed some tricks along the way. What should I do? I know this is really long. Thanks for reading & commenting tho!! By the way, I post this here b/c I think music diplomas are way different than other academic diplomas.

Resolved Question: aspiring singer, advice anyone?

I'm a 16 year old girl and also an aspiring singer and I'm having a little trouble taking off, first off my parents don't believe in me, i would love to be working 100% on my music but i am a junior in high school and that's unrealistic, especially because my parents aren't behind me. Anyways, so i really don't want to go to college especially because most colleges don't offer that major i want to pursue which is contemporary voice, and also my mom wants me to minor in video production (again doesn't believe in me). I'd much rather go to a performing arts school, which there are some that extend to 19 years of age so i could get two years instead of just going my senior year of high school, and then try and make music and work in jobs that give me enough money to survive and also spend time in studios and create some demos. I feel that school will always be there and if needed I can always back and better my education. Also because of all these set backs like my parents and school i can't do anything and i feel restricted in my artistic presentation because as soon as i say i want to do a certain song my parents will tell me i can't because they don't like it or i have to focus on jazz songs for my college auditions (i study jazz, contemporary, classical and piano) I just started performing at this open mic night at a lounge and i do singing competitions with my singing school but non of that gets me anywhere, please help!!! i just want to make a living on my music it really is my passion i just feel stuck! :-( thanks in advanced ok i do take lessons and warm up like i should and i can't go to school for what i want cause very very few colleges have a contemporary voice major and if they do it's out of my families price rang, and i don't want to go to college... i want to go to a performing arts school for like another two years

Resolved Question: If you listen to Classical Music, who is your favorite composer?

I have several favorites. Bach, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Mozart, Berloz, etc. My musical tastes drive other people crazy, because I like a lot of different genre of music--including rock. Whose compositions give you goose pimples or have you humming their music through the day? (Right now the fourth movement of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique is stuck in my head. If you know the music you know that movement is populated by witches. Does this say anything about me?) I see a lot of composers mentioned that I overlooked and a few I will have to become acquainted with. My other musical tastes include Creedence Clearwater Revival, Johnny Horton (one of the all-time BEST country artists), the Animals and--of course--the Beatles. I also like the various efforts by Kris Kristoffersen and Texas' own Willie Nelson--good performing artists, but also prolific music writers. As I grow older I more appreciate that good music does not favor any one genre. You find it in church music, gospel, classical, rock, country and many other kinds of folk and other music. When I was a radio disk jockey--before I landed in the news department--I liked to really mix it up. Some listeners loved it, some hated it. Fortunately we weren't going for Nielsen ratings. Katie, one of the problems with Country is what we see and hear of it does have a "sameness" about it that even country fans don't always like. But there are many kinds of Country. I cited Johnny Horton, who was killed in an auto accident in 1960. I met him about a year before his death. His music was distinctive and had a lot of character. Bluegrass is different from most of today's Pop Country. Johnny Cash did some things that were absolutely brilliant musically. Today's Country artists are too heavy into multi voice tracking and synthesizing music for my tastes. A lot of Country is good down to earth music, but a lot of it is just another form of Pop. You have to take it song by song--not as an entire genre. Oh, and did I mention, you are one very cool kid. Thanks for your good input. (I like Bach and Tchaikovsky, too, of course, but also Mozart. And thanks for mentioning Grieg.) Sibelius, YES! And Vivaldi, too. So many good composers. So much good music. Liszt, Prokofiev, Brahms, Mahler, and more. Such good inputs. It may take me a while to pick a best answer. Let me note here that these Thumbs Downs didn't come from me. I don't know who's throwing them out, but I don't think any of them are deserved. Miss Smiley, Josh Groban's rendering of "You Raise Me Up" is awesome. It isn't quite what I was thinking about in this question, but the song has a lot of merit. I think of it as a gospel song, but I can see it as a pop rendering as well. Thanks for submitting it.

Open Question: If you listen to Classical Music, who is your favorite composer?

I have several favorites. Bach, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Mozart, Berloz, etc. My musical tastes drive other people crazy, because I like a lot of different genre of music--including rock. Whose compositions give you goose pimples or have you humming their music through the day? (Right now the fourth movement of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique is stuck in my head. If you know the music you know that movement is populated by witches. Does this say anything about me?) I see a lot of composers mentioned that I overlooked and a few I will have to become acquainted with. My other musical tastes include Creedence Clearwater Revival, Johnny Horton (one of the all-time BEST country artists), the Animals and--of course--the Beatles. I also like the various efforts by Kris Kristoffersen and Texas' own Willie Nelson--good performing artists, but also prolific music writers. As I grow older I more appreciate that good music does not favor any one genre. You find it in church music, gospel, classical, rock, country and many other kinds of folk and other music. When I was a radio disk jockey--before I landed in the news department--I liked to really mix it up. Some listeners loved it, some hated it. Fortunately we weren't going for Nielsen ratings. Katie, one of the problems with Country is what we see and hear of it does have a "sameness" about it that even country fans don't always like. But there are many kinds of Country. I cited Johnny Horton, who was killed in an auto accident in 1960. I met him about a year before his death. His music was distinctive and had a lot of character. Bluegrass is different from most of today's Pop Country. Johnny Cash did some things that were absolutely brilliant musically. Today's Country artists are too heavy into multi voice tracking and synthesizing music for my tastes. A lot of Country is good down to earth music, but a lot of it is just another form of Pop. You have to take it song by song--not as an entire genre. Oh, and did I mention, you are one very cool kid. Thanks for your good input. (I like Bach and Tchaikovsky, too, of course, but also Mozart. And thanks for mentioning Grieg.) Sibelius, YES! And Vivaldi, too. So many good composers. So much good music. Liszt, Prokofiev, Brahms, Mahler, and more. Such good inputs. It may take me a while to pick a best answer. Let me note here that these Thumbs Downs didn't come from me. I don't know who's throwing them out, but I don't think any of them are deserved. Miss Smiley, Josh Groban's rendering of "You Raise Me Up" is awesome. It isn't quite what I was thinking about in this question, but the song has a lot of merit. I think of it as a gospel song, but I can see it as a pop rendering as well. Thanks for submitting it.

Open Question: I want to be a composition major- but I haven't composed anything yet. What do I need to do?

tl;dr: Why do you have to have composed to apply for undergraduate composition? I haven't composed yet but I want to get in to competitive schools- what do I do? Full version: I'm 16 and have only recently admitted that the only thing I'll really be happy doing is composing. I mean, there are other things I enjoy, but I really connect to music in a powerful way. I know everyone says that, but I don't know...I seem to be more serious about it than my friends, and I'm connecting to more serious music than they are. (I only listen to music that falls under the rubric of 'classical'. Mostly from all over the Baroque but I like music from the ars nova to Arvo Part. It's not a snob thing, it's just what I like.) I'm an early-intermediate pianist. I haven't composed anything yet. In part it's because my theory is only rudimentary, and it's in part because the only places I can work will have people listening and critiquing...people without formal musical training, I might add. I'm working on building up a thick skin to work through it anyway, but I feel very vulnerable when I'm trying to create something artistic -I'm kinda repressed like that- so that slows me down. Also, I'd like to go to college around where I live, and I live in NYC. So far I've been looking Juilliard (who doesn't?) and the Manhattan School of Music. So all the schools I could go to are the schools that everyone wants to go to. I'm homeschooled, so I'd have an edge on the diversity front, but my lack of composition or notable musical endeavors makes me nervous. What should I do to give myself the best possible chances of getting in to a really good composition program? And, though this might sound like a stupid question, what can I do after I get my major? The ideal job for me would be something like a court musician, but that doesn't exist anymore. I don't want to compose for TV shows or anything; I want to compose real music that communicates something meaningful. (I have a whole philosophy I don't feel like getting in to.) I suppose I could try to teach for a while and attempt to save up enough money to support myself while I composed what I wanted to...but seriously, what could I do? alli, Apocalyptica is a metal band. They play on cellos. All my friends are metalheads. I know about metal. I don't like metal. If I wanted to play metal, I would join a band.

Open Question: Mozart and Freemasonry... Part 1?

Hi, I came across an article about Mozart and Freemasonry and I was just wondering what do you think and feel about this. "Freemasonry certainly played a big role in Mozart's work as a composer. Its humanistic ideals may well have added depth of thought and feeling to his compositions." 1 ) Does it reflect in all of his works( piano Sonatas, chamber music, symphonies ), or just only The Magic Flute and Requiem? When you listen, and compare/contrast between a Piano Sonata and The magic Flute, do you hear any similarities?I hear a very Mozartian spirit in ALL his Works, whether they are Fremasonic or not. What about you? Many Scholars suggest that 'The magic Flute' was a reaction against the repressive measures of the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa, who was a sworn opponent by it. Her son, Emperor Joseph II took a hard line againts freemasonry and reduce the number of Viennese Lodges. The Scholars believe that Mozart and his librettist Emanuel Schikaneder intended the opera as a kind of advertisement on behalf of Freemasonry. 2) How is The magic flute an advertisement for a Semi-Secret Society such as this?And was any effort made to ban this back in those days? And how do people figure out its indirect meaning if it was suppose to be a secret society? Figaro was suppose to be banned too, wasn't it? The Freemasons used music in their ceremonies, and adopted Rousseau's humanist views on the meaning of music. "The purpose of music in the {Masonic} ceremonies is to spread good thoughts and unity among the members" so that they may "united in the idea of innocence and joy," wrote L.F. Lenz in a contemporary edition of Masonic songs. Music should "inculcate feelings of humanity, wisdom and patience, virtue and honesty, loyalty to friends, and finally an understanding of freedom." These views suggest a musical style quite unlike the style of the Galant, which was dominant at the time. Galant style music was typically melodic with harmonic accompaniment, rather than polyphonic; and the melodic line was often richly ornamented with trills, runs and other virtuosic effects. The style promoted by the Masonic view was much less virtuosic and unornamented. Mozart's style of composition is often referred to as "humanist" and is in accord with this Masonic view of music. 3) When I hear the word " Galant" I often think of CPE Bach. How does Mozart come into the picture? 4) Some Scholars suggest that the character in the vengeful Queen of the Night is meant to be Empress Maria Theresa ! ( In the movie Amadeus -it is is Mother in Law!) while the noble High priest Sarastro is a potrait of Ignaz von Born, a leanred sceintist and Viennese Mason. How true is this?