Notes from the editor. The training of musicians

Abstract

The publication of a modem scholarly history of the Juilliard School of Music by Andrea Olmstead (who has made significant contributions through her work on Roger Sessions) is indeed timely. The book, Juilliard: A History (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1999) is rich in historical detail. It offers readers tantalizing extracts from archival sources as it proceeds to chronicle the complicated evolution of the modern-day Juilliard. It offers a useful tale of the irrationalities and pitfalls associated with extraordinary and unexpected philanthropy. The difficult history of Juilliard is a powerful case study in how private institutions not only depend on charismatic personalities and great wealth but must be able to outwit and survive their dominance. The history of America's leading conservatory can help focus the growing debate about the future of professional training in music. The establishment of freestanding conservatories in America has followed a path somewhat comparable to other types of institutions in American post-secondary education. European models have been imitated and adapted. The role assumed by conservatories as freestanding academies in the European style has placed the training of professional musicians into a category comparable to engineers and, to invoke a less flattering comparison, also accountants. The training of musicians is understood as focused on practical skills and technical proficiency defined quite narrowly. As Olmstead makes clear, the teaching of composition, history, theory, and music literature at Juilliard has not consistently been one of its claims to international fame. What has sustained Juilliard over the years is its capacity to attract the most talented students in music performance and expose them to teachers of international repute. To its credit, Juilliard expanded its mission within the performing arts to include theater and dance even though these remain secondary to its reputation as the best place to train instrumentalists. It is curious that one of the key figures in the history of Juilliard was John Erskine, English professor at Columbia University and writer, who served as Juilliard's president (1928-37) during a pivotal period in its evolution. Erskine's claim to a footnote in history is not dependent on his role at Juilliard, however. Apart from his status as a minor man of