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Letter from Boston

Applying To Music Camp

By MASAKO YAMADA


ミュージック・キャンプ

今年の夏休みをどう過ごそうかと考えていた雅子さんは、母校ウェルズリー大学でのサマーキャンプならぬ「ミュージックキャンプ」のプログラムを知りました。雅子さんが強く興味を引かれ、申込を決めたこの1週間の音楽プログラムの内容は…?

In college, summer vacation seemed the perfect time to pad one's resume (and pay the bills) by taking on an impressive-sounding research job, internship or part-time job. This was supposed to lead to a better job or graduate school placement after college.

My peers in graduate school do not spend their vacations in this way. Since they are presumably already doing what they want to be doing, they keep on doing it!! That said, most of the members in my group do take at least some time off during winter vacation and summer break. Most of my peers are from foreign countries and they like to go back to the Old Country during long vacations.

Since I grew up here — and my parents live only four hours away by car — I don't feel the need to take long vacations back home. On the other hand, paying lots of money to be a tourist in a foreign place for a few days doesn't appeal to me much either. I recently encountered the near-impossible, however: the perfect summer vacation plan. It is to attend music camp at my former alma mater.

My Alexander Technique teacher, Laura, is also an avid amateur musician. She often tells me about the chamber music groups in which she's played. On more than one occasion, she's brought up a particular music festival held at Wellesley during the summer. It is a festival in which the works of present-day composers are played by professional musicians. These professional musicians, in turn, coach amateur musicians. Laura has been coached every year for 15 years. She said that many of the other participants are also well-seasoned regulars: I guessed this much by reading that players under 40 can apply for "young musician" scholarships!!

I was intrigued by this program and decided to apply. Many of my friends who have devoted themselves to music have participated in much more intensive professional summer music programs. However, this program is especially for amateurs and it's only a week long. The participants are people who have jobs unrelated to music, but they use precious vacation time to pursue this interest. Laura has told me that she stays in contact with the other participants during the year as well, and this attracted me.

The schedule consists of two or three practice sessions during the day and informal parties and concerts in the evening. Participants eat all meals together and sleep in the Wellesley College dorms. They can use the Wellesley College facilities — music rooms, health club, lakefront beach — during their free time. It sounds like a combi nation of college and summer camp, and the combination sounds good to me.

The application was a simple one consisting of two recommendations, an audition and a short essay on personal music background. I asked my current piano teacher and a former chamber music coach for recommendations.

The recommendation letters I received when applying to college and graduate school were shrouded in dark mystery — a sealed opaque envelope — but both of these teachers showed me what they had written and asked me whether the content was "good enough." This would have surprised me before, but prepping superiors to give good recommendations seems to be a common thing, and I was interested in seeing what they had to say.

They were flattering letters, but I've heard that it's impossible for a teacher not to give a good recommendation. Teachers who cannot write a good recommenda tion usually decline when asked to give one. Since references are highly regarded in the States, it makes me wonder how they can ever be used to judge people.

I suppose a more objective test of ability is the audition. My audition hasn't been scheduled yet, but my chamber music coach knows the piano judge and told me that he's a very nice, capable musician. I'm not afraid of not being good enough for this program, but I do know that I tend to get nervous when playing in front of other people. I hope I can use this connection as an ice-breaker, to loosen up the atmosphere. After all, I think it's the perfect vacation for me.


Shukan ST: March 19, 1999

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