University of Maryland - College Park

August 19, 2006 at 06:16 AM · Well, it's not exactly what you're asking, but here's my 2 cents on UMCP....

I have a ton of friends who go to UMCP (none for music, however), so I've been there a lot to visit and stuff. Basically, the campus is huge, and pretty unsafe. I'm not sure about the music classes (I'm sure they are much smaller than the liberal arts 500 people in bio 100 lecture, but you'll have to take some liberal arts classes like that anyway), but in general, when I was there, it was very much that you felt like a number, a statistic because the campus is SO huge. The teachers there are world class... I have friends who have done the Heifetz summer music program, have taken chamber music with Salness, and stuff, and they say it's AWESOME. But, if you're at all concerned about the "big campus" life, I would recommend checking out smaller schools where you don't feel so much like a statistic. And honestly, esp. if you're going for your master's eventually, it doesn't really matter that much where you go for undergrad. As a rising senior at a small school (Shenandoah), I'm really glad I turned down bigger schools (even ones that offered me generous scholarship money) because even though I'm going to a slightly less known school, I've been able to get a ton of personal attention, and I feel like I'm important at SU, rather than just being insignificant in the crowd, and I consider that much more important to going to a big name school (and UMCP is really starting to become a big name music school with their great teachers and stuff).

....having said that, I'm definitely applying to UMCP for my master's.

August 19, 2006 at 06:25 AM · Maryland is now a surprisingly tough school to get into, although recent steep increases in selectivity might result in a low yield and cause them to back off for a couple of years.

The doctoral program has been quite good for a long while. Its strength on the undergrad level is reportedly rising very fast, and the level is probably pretty high. James Stern and David Salness are both reputed to be excellent teachers of technique. Having the Guarneri Quartet around couldn't hurt, either.

August 19, 2006 at 10:52 AM · Gerald Fischbach is one of the best teachers I have ever encountered and I was lucky enough to studied privately with him for 2.5 years. I promise you he will do MAGIC with your bow arm and your concept of practicing. He is a past president of ASTA so he knows EVERYONE there is to know (a very very good thing when trying to find a grad school). I cannot recommend him enough.

U of MD has very good facilities and beautiful concert halls for your recitals. It's nearby just about everything and gives very good scholarships (at least for what I know about the MM program). I came very close to choosing it over Yale for all of these reasons. Honestly, the only reason I didn't was that I thought it was time for a change.

Preston

August 19, 2006 at 06:58 PM · Has anyone on this site studied privately with Daniel Heifetz, David Salness or James Stern?

August 19, 2006 at 08:11 PM · David Salness is an excellent teacher as well, but I really only am aquainted with his skills as a chamber coach. Everyone seemed to like him a lot as a coach.

Preston

August 22, 2006 at 04:04 PM · Does anyone know who Gerald Fischbach studied with, or like his teaching backgrounds?

August 22, 2006 at 04:41 PM · I'm not sure why it would matter since he has proven himself as an extremely effective teacher as well as an accomplished performer and recording artist.

I believe I remember seeing degrees on his wall from Universities in the midwest.

Preston

August 22, 2006 at 05:35 PM · ya... before I study with someone, I always grill them on their backgrounds... if the names Galamian or Gingold don't come up, then I'm out the door as fast as I came in.

(end sarcasm)

August 25, 2006 at 02:48 AM · Regarding Gerald Fischbach at Univ Maryland, College Park. I miss him. He is wonderful, and was wonderful to me. He is very down to earth, and refreshingly unpretentious. That is something that I didn't experience with most other professional violinists...including teachers from MSO or from UW-Milwaukee. (Honesty hurts sometimes...sorry). I was planning to transfer to College Park, but couldn't afford to go. The original plan was that students of his (as I was at UW-Milw-where he taught prior to U-Maryland) were receiving scholarships and would transfer there. Well, that fell through and I ended up staying in Milw. He was a very thorough teacher...just delightful to come to lessons for and really worked alot of the basics. I lost that when he left UW-Milwaukee. I would definitly recommend him.

August 25, 2006 at 05:34 AM · UMCP is a big, impersonal school, and you'll get crushed in the herd if you don't have a strong sense of what you want and an ability to focus on it. If you can handle that and don't mind that environment, you might do very well there.

August 25, 2006 at 05:48 AM · Impersonal? Really?! That's the exact opposite impression I got, especially when compared to other state schools like Indiana.

Preston

April 14, 2014 at 04:49 AM · It's a bit late for this reply, but in case anyone in 2014 and beyond is interested in studying at UMD, here is my opinion. I did my masters in violin performance at UMCP with James Stern. It was a transformative experience for me. The general feel of the school is very supportive and not too competitive- it seemed to me that everyone was pretty focused on their own goals to be worried about what anyone else was up to. There is a great spirit of collaboration which brought me out of my shell in a very big and needed way.

James Stern specifically has a great deal to do with the experience I had, given that he was my PT. He is a one of kind teacher. Very kind, patient, ethical. His music making and teaching methods are informed by a broad expanse of extramusical interests, and as a result, his approach both to music and to teaching is deeply and diversely layered. As a teacher, his method is rather socratic, and therefore it takes a special kind of student to "get" what he's giving.

As a product of his studio and of UMD as a whole, I am a much more technically proficient, musically thoughtful, collaboratively minded musician, and in many ways, a more complete and full person. This may sound over the top, but this was my experience, and I will be grateful for it for the rest of my life.

April 16, 2014 at 05:50 PM · There is something I think students need to understand about large universities: They're large. Classes are larger, the distance between your classes (and your dorm) is larger, and professors and even your friends will seem more distant. I know this because I have attended both very small and very large institutions.

At a big school, your success will be much more dependent on your individual, internal motivation and work ethic, your determination to ask for help when you need it, your people skills (it helps to be gregarious at a larger place), your ability to stay on top of a complicated schedule, and your effort to take advantage of what the school and its faculty can offer. If you're more withdrawn or if you feel like you still need a fair bit of "nurturing" or someone to look after you, or if you prefer measured simplicity to random chaos, maybe a smaller place like Oberlin would be better.

The obvious advantages of the big school are better resources and generally a more diverse student population -- a larger pool of potential friends and chamber music collaborators. But if the small place has what you need, then maybe you don't need more.