Always look on the bright side of the pitch

Today is a holiday for the New England Conservatory, which to most of us means a free practice day. I've just finished two hours in a sunny (and very reverberant) practice room, and this compels me to say something nice about NEC today.

I love my Mozart class. Dexter Edge is a kick ass teacher and every time I go to his class, I'm always amazed when two hours goes by and not only does he still have more to say, I don't want to leave. It's a music history class on Mozart's operas, so granted, my point of view is a bit biased, but I find it wonderful that an adjunct professor who is probably trying to finish his book takes the time to put together two plus hours of information that is applicable not only to the singers in the class, but the instrumentalists, musicologists, and composers. The assignments, though time-consuming, are always enjoyable. I never find myself listening to a second-rate recording of some less-than-stellar work, the articles are actually interesting, and I ask myself, why can't all of my classes be like this?

I had the pleasure of studying musicology with a wonderful French harpsichordist who had a great sense of humor, always made me a cup of tea when I came to his office, and mercilessly edited my work. He always fostered my ideas, encouraged me to have my own trains of thought and, despite my chosen vocation of singing, pushed me to try publishing my articles.
I studied German with a professor who had an affinity for singers, so he wanted our spoken German to be as clean as our singing German. He wanted us to be able to use our language skills in multiple ways, so he made extra hand-outs of musicology terms in German. Reading the article in the original language is usually more interesting than reading a shoddy English translation.

So why is it that, at one of the (purportedly) foremost conservatories on the eastern seaboard, only one of my classes makes me eager to show up? And in response to an earlier post regarding liberal arts educators, I ask why can't we have the most enthusiastic professors of all areas - liberal and fine arts alike? Wouldn't it be best of all possible worlds if a literature professor challenged our minds about poetry and fiction while another challenged us to seek out higher musicianship?

That said, I'm going to work on my Mozart paper. My best to my colleagues on this sunny day. May your German be well-enunciated, your musicology articles without flaw, and your thirds tuned high.