I ran into an acquaintance who informed me they had just been accepted into a Masters performance program at Posh U. But more recently, one of the heavy hitters in the PU studio won an audition for principal of the Very Impressive Philharmonic, which is located on the other side of the country. They will be assuming their new role this fall.

So what happens when you sign up to study with a particular trombonist but they leave the studio?

When Emory Remington died, Don Knaub took over his studio. Still, lots of Remington's students bailed and tried to go elsewhere. I heard a story (probably apocryphal) that one committed suicide. I got all this from a friend trumpet player who was studying at Eastman at the time.

The teacher left? Or a student?

I'd advise patience. Wait for things to "shake out" before doing anything drastic.

[quote="Burgerbob"]The teacher left? Or a student?[/quote]

I found their wording a little strange, but I believe the student's desired trombone professor of the Masters program has acquired the cross-country Philharmonic chair. And I assume they will not be teaching that masters program anymore.

In various disciplines (I have no idea about music) it would not be uncommon for at least some of the professor's (at least more advanced) graduate students to follow him/her.

When I auditioned at Ithaca College, Paul Hunt was tbone instructor. But on the first day of class, Robert Reifsnyder was there. I was eager to study with Paul, but by the time I saw the situation it was too late. I transferred the next year to New England Conservatory.

Sometimes chance presents you with great opportunities, but sometimes not so much. If you have a better option than the one you've inherited, take the better option.

[quote="Burgerbob"]The teacher left? Or a student?[/quote]

The instructor you had intended to study with left to take on their new position on the other side of the country.

I had a teacher leave halfway through my bachelor's. It sucked, but I survived.

Teachers have a life too. They get other jobs or retire. There will always be some disgruntled students when this happens. It could turn out better for them in the end.

I had a similar (but kind of opposite) situation when starting my undergrad. After visiting campuses and learning details about the programmes, I had a preference for University A, and University B was a close second. I was accepted at both. The teacher I most wanted to study with was an adjunct at University B, but then got hired by University A on an interim basis when the professor there was diagnosed with a terminal illness. There was a lot of uncertainty about whether he would be teaching at University A when I started (and if so for how long, depending on when the official search to hire a tenure-track professor, not interim, would take place, and whether he won that job or not) and whether he would still be allowed to teach at the competing University B in the meantime. University B was offering some scholarship and a spot in the top studio with the trombone professor*. So it was a real gamble on several fronts. Ultimately I went to the school I most wanted, got them to match the other school's scholarship offer, and got the teacher I wanted to study with, and all went great. But it could easily have gone very different and ended up being the wrong choice. Nothing you can really do about it as a student.

*University B had one trombone professor and several adjuncts/lecturers (among which, up until then, my preferred teacher). The professor accepted very few freshmen in their studio, and mostly had grad students and people transferring to their studio in the middle of their undergrad after they'd proven themselves internally at the school. My plan had been to hopefully do my Master's with them eventually, but not my Bachelor. They wrote me after I was accepted to the school to offer a spot in their studio specifically. I replied very politely that I had my mind set to study first with their colleague, who I already had a very good rapport with, explaining that I didn't want to have the same teacher in grad school as for undergrad, and was really hoping to do my Master's with them afterwards. I got a very condescending e-mail back, emphasising how hard it was to get in their studio (what an honour was bestowed upon me with this offer...), disparaging their colleague, and telling me I might want to reconsider my choice "if I wanted to have a career"... My plans changed the second I read that e-mail, in that I was still going to do my undergrad with the teacher I had already decided to study with (which has proven to be one of the best decisions of my life), but I would for sure not go on to that other professor for grad school and would start looking elsewhere!

There are a lot of teachers with prestigious teaching positions who have prestigious performing positions a significant distance away. It's possible there may be no change in instruction.

The value of the music school experience is about a lot more than just the teacher you take private lessons with. The ensembles, the chamber music, and the other students (of all instruments) all play huge parts in preparing students for the professional music world.

Per Brevig was the teacher at my undergrad my first year, but then he left and Ray Premru came my second year. It was hugely beneficial for me to study with both of them.

I was encouraged to audition at New England Conservatory for my Masters in a one-off lesson with Doug Yeo. Soon after I was accepted and decided to go there, he called me to tell me he would be taking time away from teaching while his daughters were finishing high school. I looked into some other programs, but I wanted to be in Boston so I decided to go there anyway and request Norman Bolter as my teacher. It worked out great; Norman turned out to be exactly the teacher I needed, and within a couple of years I was able to call Doug a colleague when I started freelancing and doing some subbing and extra playing at the BSO.

If your friend chose that program only for the teacher and there is no other reason to be there then they should probably make other plans. But if there are other reasons to go to that school, then I would advise them to go anyway and be open to how much another teacher can help them.

[quote="GabrielRice"]The value of the music school experience is about a lot more than just the teacher you take private lessons with. The ensembles, the chamber music, and the other students (of all instruments) all play huge parts in preparing students for the professional music world.[/quote]

I found this to be very true. At Ithaca college my private lessons were not actually that great, but as a freshman I had the good fortune to be in their top ensembles, and I really needed ensemble work more than anything. When I transferred to New England, my private lessons got a huge boost with John Swallow, but I was no longer top of the class, and the ensembles were still much needed but weren't as good as what I had played with at Ithaca.

But you also have to figure in being in a city like Ithaca, NY as compared to Boston. At Ithaca, you are mostly constrained to the campus. The city is mostly a hippie mecca, and unless it has six strings and/or plugs into something, they don't consider it music. Boston, on the other hand offered endless opportunity.

[quote="Bach5G"]But more recently, one of the heavy hitters in the PU studio won an audition for principal of the Very Impressive Philharmonic, which is located on the other side of the country. They will be assuming their new role this fall.[/quote]

I'm reminded of a plot line on "BoJack Horseman" where washed-up sitcom actor BoJack is asked to take over a community college drama class. The regular instructor had split with zero days notice after he won an audition for a part in "a regional commercial".

Yup. I have had teachers in various subjects who I sensed would be gone in a nanosecond if the big time called.