Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Eastman piano diploma

OK, I just got off the phone, the person I talked to was great and answered every question I had and told me everything about what is involved. So this program is basically build-your-own, you start at whatever level you are at and you stay as long as you want. If after the three-year program I want to stay for the last year, it’s no problem at all. The same if I only decide to do the two-year diploma. There’s a lot of individual flexibility, but they also adhere to how things are run in the conservatory, so the level of instruction is the same high quality. It’s basically like being in the conservatory except they don’t care what level you are playing at when you start, and you finish at whatever level is reasonable for you. You are graded at your own personal level and abilities, so you are not up against anyone else in the program. You also don’t get a college degree, obviously, but you do get your diploma. There are juries and performances, and your teacher guides you through all of the process. Many of the older adults that went through the program are still around in different capacities and in ensemble groups, so it won’t be a problem to ask questions before I begin. Other than paying for the private lessons and courses, there is no fee for this program.

I will be starting in the fall, so registration for that is around May 1. That means I still have some time to talk to people and decide if this is really what I want to do. I’m going to visit the campus and the school in the next few weeks and meet people, check out the facilities, etc.

I’m SO excited!!! 🤗😍👍🙂👊

Forgot to mention that the courses are either online or in person, your choice. And you can also do your lesson via zoom if the weather is bad or for some other reason. I can also schedule my lesson to be on the same day as whatever courses I’m taking. It’s really a very flexible program. 👍

Wow!
It sounds wonderful!! Other than the commute, it couldn’t be better. I’m looking forward to reading about your new adventure😀

I agree! And I really don’t think the commute will be a big deal, the juries are only at the end of each year, and there’s one performance per semester. I can always switch to online if there’s some reason that I can’t put two hours into the commute that week. I think this will work out really well!

It sounds amazing!!!! I wish I could join you! (Maybe I'll win the lottery and retire... gotta buy a ticket first though

In the meantime, you should work with your teacher to kind of "prep" for the program, so that you are at your highest level when you start, if you see what I mean?

Absolutely, that’s what I’m planning! I’m still catching up with sight reading, so I need to finish the book that I’m in right now. Everything else for me is finally at one level in RCM, so that’s a good thing. By the fall, I plan on finishing the level I am in and starting the next one, and by then my sight reading should be caught up.

Lol, I always tell my husband “I really want to win the Powerball!!!”, the problem is I never play. 😂😂😂

It sounds like you'll be in good shape then!

Powerball... I don't even know how to buy tickets...

These were the type of programs I sought out in my twenties and I attended one of them at the Longy School of Music in Harvard Square. I found out in 2013 that they terminated this program causing a big uproar with the non-professional music students. I think a program like this is an excellent opportunity to learn. Just like anything you get out of it what you put into it. Also if you show some talent they may take a special interest in you and your progress and open you up to other musical opportunities to perform.

That’s so sad, I hate how so many musical opportunities end up dying. It seems like this one is well funded, it’s been around since 1921 they are expanding, so fingers crossed that this will last for a very long time, allowing lots and lots of non-professional students to take advantage of such a wonderful opportunity.

Lol, I don’t know about talent, but I am pretty tenacious, we’ll see what happens! At the very least, it will be wonderful to meet other fellow piano learners, faculty, and performers. So much can be learned just by being in such an atmosphere. 🙂❤️

I think it's going to be great for you! Short of enrolling in a conservatory full program these are the best education opportunity for the rest of us. The fact that it is backed up by a reputable world class music institution tells me you are not going to be wasting your money. You'll be able to seek out some of the teachers you want to learn from if you put effort your in.

Yes it was sad to hear that this prestigious community program was disbanded in 2013. Not all of us want to be professional musicians but we do want a solid music education. So take advantage of these programs if they exist near you. So glad to hear that this one is doing really well.

Here is more info of when a program similar to yours ended. Longy School ends community program

I am so happy for you Lisa that you got the answers that you hoped for. It all sounds very good. Good luck with preparing!

That’s exactly what I thought as well. I’ve always felt very hard done by that my parents didn’t even allow me piano lessons with a local teacher. My best friends mother was a pianist and wanted to teach me, but my parents refused. I had to wait until I was 30 before I could even afford a piano and start lessons. It’s been a dream of mine for many years to attend a conservatory, and I always felt very bitter that I didn’t have encouraging parents, or even vaguely kind ones. So having this opportunity now is healing in so many ways! I can’t be bitter about the past, just move forward and be happy that I’m lucky enough to be close to this program!


That’s heartbreaking. 😞



Thank you! I can’t wait to visit soon!! I’ll take pics! 😍😍😍

The thing I like about these programs is that you will be learning from some extremely capable pianists, many of whom will be quite young and still working towards their piano performance degrees at Eastman. You will get to pick their brains at a point in time when what they have learned at these prestigious institutions is still fresh in their brains. The academy I attend now attracts relatively young concert pianists from music schools such as this just after they get their Masters or Doctorate degrees. My first teacher got her Masters Degree from Eastman and was taught by Rebecca Penny's who was the dean there since 1980 and now retired. Whenever I had a lesson with her we would go over technique and often times the conversation would be things such as "this is how I was taught a the conservatory", or this is what "Rebecca taught me" or "is how we really do it". You will learn that there are tricks in regards to practice, technique that you won't learn from the "education for masses" approach to learning. It's almost as if you have access to a secret guild of musical magicians and you get to learn the tricks of the trade. I remember my first teacher laughing and telling me, "you know you really are getting your money's worth, I had to go through 2 conservatories to get access to this information." My current teacher graduated from the Moscow Conservatory and Julliard and the teacher before her records and still learns/collaborates with Ian Hobson. These are the kind of teachers you want to seek out.

Wow! I feel so sad on reading this.

My parents were very supportive, encouraging me throughout my music education, which was three lessons a week for twelve years as a child. I gave up playing when academic pressures increased in high school, and returned only in retirement a few years ago.

By the time I bought my Yamaha DGX-660 in late 2017 and began playing again, my mom's health was deteriorating rapidly. But I managed to relearn, record and play for her "Fur Elise" a few days before she passed away. In a sense, that was a final push from mom -- the incentive to practice every day for two hours.

Lisa, I am so pleased to read that you are enrolling in the Eastman program to get the formal music education you did not receive as a child. I was lucky and thank my parents for that every day!
All the best,
Lotus
_____________________________________
Having fun with: Tema con Variazioni from
Mozart: Sonata in D, K. 284, "Durnitz" on
Kawai GM-10 grand / Yamaha DGX-660 digital

I feel sad that you had all those lessons and stopped playing through all those years. Tsk tsk!

Which goes to show it’s best not to look at the past and just look towards the future. We can never guess what might have been for ebonyk if she had lessons in her youth maybe she would have stopped as well. It seems like not having lessons continues to be a motivating factor for her. I think it is great that at any point in ones life you can decide to learn the piano. Never look back or have deep regrets.

You're right, Jethro! I returned to graduate school in my thirties to change careers completely. My professors would say that their older students were more motivated and disciplined, having faced a few knocks in the "real world" first.

I am sure that Lisa will enjoy her time at Eastman, having waited years for the experience. The *whole* experience of being on campus and being surrounded by music and those who play it, not just individual lessons or classes with teachers. I wish her all the best!

And, yes, I was remiss in letting the piano slip during my professional career. However, it was very successful, I retired early, and now do exactly what I want ... including playing the piano!
Best regards,
Lotus
_____________________________________
Having fun with: Tema con Variazioni from
Mozart: Sonata in D, K. 284, "Durnitz" on
Kawai GM-10 grand / Yamaha DGX-660 digital

Ha, I shouldn’t criticize. Similar to you I changed career paths in my late twenties and went back to get my clinical degrees. But I tried to get my degrees while attending a music conservatory and it just became too much. Fast forward is in my early 50s I decided 4 years ago to take piano serious again after a minor injury kept me off the tennis courts- my other passion. Being away from tennis I realized if I ever had a serious injury there would be little else I would be passionate about except I realized the piano. I told myself rather than waiting for retirement I might as well start now because there never really is the “right time” and I didn’t want to wait to find out I could have been a better pianist if I returned to serious practice earlier. So all I really have is a tennis injury to thank for me returning to my piano studies. That’s just sad…

Thank you, Lotus1 and Jethro, I love your stories and so appreciate your encouragement. Lotus, how wonderful that you were able to record for your mom before she passed. I’m sure she was so happy and proud of you, what a wonderful thing to do for her! I’m so glad that you’re playing now and enjoying, it’s what we do in the here and now that is so important to our spirit.

Jethro, thank you for all of the information, this is a whole new world for me and I’m so excited to be entering it! I am very lucky that I have a wonderful teacher right here in my area. She graduated from Juilliard and Oberlin, and a nicer person I think I have probably never met. I know she’s going to be so happy with my decision, and she will be my cheerleader all the way through! She really is such a blessing in my life. She’s definitely not old enough to be my parent, but having her support has made up for a lot in my past.

Honestly, I don’t regret that my upbringing was abusive, both physically and mentally. I know that I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I grew up some other way. I did the exact opposite, raising my own children, and I have a wonderful husband whose own parents had their issues as well. So I really do have a lot of support, and I did learn an awful lot about how to be a kind, loving parent. I try to be as supportive as possible with my own kids. Both my parents also abused animals, which was horrifying, but it caused me to grow up to adopt many, many homeless, needy, or sick cats and dogs, and they have been the loves of my life. My fur family, lol. ❤️Sometimes adversity and cruelty can open our eyes very starkly to the need and desire for compassion, understanding, gentleness, and love. And music! So although my childhood was very difficult, I’m happy with who I grew to be from that experience.

Sorry if this is TMI. 😬

ebonyk, I am SO excited for you, proud of you, and inspired by you! I can't wait to hear all about your new adventure!

Aww, thank you, I can’t wait to post some pictures of my visit! I’ve never been there before. 🤩🤩🤩