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SW
Registered
User
Posts: 74
(7/12/01 2:55:26
pm)
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Richard Aaron
master class
Richard Aaron gave a master class at the Indiana Univ. Summer
String Academy recently. He ALLEGEDLY (I'm putting allegedly in bold
because I don't want to be accused of libel) made statements to the
effect the Leonard Rose was a terrible teacher and he didn't learn a
thing from him when he studied with him. He had to teach himself. (I
thought Leonard Rose taught students to teach themselves.) He also
said some negative things about the Galamian scale book in the
accent of a rather famous cello teacher (whose student recognized or
was of the opinion that her teacher was being mocked.) Personally, I
think strong opinions are out of place in public, especially in
front of young players (all were high school or below). From the
account I heard, I think his remarks were a bit tacky. In the master
classes I've attended for my instrument or other instruments, the
teacher stuck to making comments to improve the players he was
listening to (even if those comments were sometimes harsh or blunt)
and presented his own ideas with regard to playing and teaching
without being negative about other teachers or methods.
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Tim
Janof
Administrator
Posts: 243
(7/12/01 4:13:54 pm)
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Re: Richard
Aaron master class
That doesn't sound like the Leonard Rose I've heard about all these
years. I've come across several Rose students and they've all loved
him, both on and off the record. According to Ray Davis, principal
cellist of the Seattle Symphony, Rose was one of those teachers who
could help to turn just about anybody into a decent cellist, and not
just those with Yo-Yo's talent. Not many can do this.
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SlavaBilly
Registered User
Posts: 122
(7/12/01 4:38:15 pm)
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Richard
Aaron...
I've worked a little with Richard Aaron at a summer camp in
Washington and he definitely takes some getting used to. He has a
very (very!) strange sense of humour that often involves trying to
make someone angry by saying the most impossible things. He wasn't
hired back to this music festival here on the West Coast after
getting into some serious arguments with the festival director and
calling him nasty names in rehearsal. I find that he gets along
better with students rather than colleagues, who are often offended
by his bizarre and irreverent sense of humour.
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Laura
Wichers
Moderator
Posts: 1064
(7/12/01 8:40:07 pm)
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Re: Richard
Aaron master class
Mr. Aaron teaches at Encore, and I've only heard good things about
him from both his students (CIM and just summer students) as well as
his colleagues.
As for Rose, I know several former Rose
students who have less than wonderful things to say about his
teaching, most specifically that they had to teach themselves and
didn't really learn to play cello until they studied with someone
else. I think his paintbrush technique was one particular idea with
which some people completely disagree. I also know two former Rose
students who absolutely loved the man as a person and
teacher.
Laura
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zambocello
Registered User
Posts: 667
(7/15/01 4:41:18 pm)
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One teacher fits
all?
The notion that a teacher can be great for all students is absurd
and proven wrong thousands of times a year. I'm sure Rose was great
for some students, good for some, not so good for some, and terrible
for others. (Now, how smart are the students who stay with a teacher
who is terrible for them?)
Nevertheless, there are teachers
who can build up a wider variety of students. Far be it from me to
generalize, but  there are
teachers who require the student to be flexible enough to accept the
teacher's doctrine, regardless of the student's background; and
there are teachers who are flexible enough to build up the student,
regardless of the student's previous training. I try to be the
latter kind of teacher, but either way can work. Of course with the
doctrinaire teacher there is a much greater chance of a "misfit"
between the teacher and student.
Chemistry is so important
in finding a good teacher. Of course, famous players aren't
automatically good teachers, and famous teachers aren't
automatically good for everyone. The flip side of that observation
is that the "right" teacher for a given student is not necessarily a
"name brand" teacher at a "name brand" school.
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SW
Registered
User
Posts: 75
(7/16/01 9:07:31
am)
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Richard
Aaron
Yo-Yo has commented that Rose taught him to teach himself and I
have to say that that is one of the most important things that my
daughter's teacher (obviously, a Rose student) is giving her. It is
not verbalized in that way, but the techniques she is learning just
allow her to naturally fall into learning things herself both
effectively and efficiently. Another student at the IU String
Academy, whose teacher of Scandinavian decent was apparently mocked,
was more than a tad offended. I personally think his remarks were
unnecessary and it caused students to be distracted from his
message. It doesn't work to tear someone else down to make what one
has to offer seem more valuable. Anyway, my daughter was glad to see
the "real" Richard Aaron in action, and has crossed him off the list
of teahers for college. Notwithstanding his demeanor in the master
class, it's not great to study with someone who has a track record
of offending or bad mouthing other teachers--not great for
networking or moving on to someone new for further study when the
time comes.
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