Encouraging Self-Expression Through Comprehensive Training

On January 30^th at the Milbank Chapel at Columbia University’s Teachers College, independent music teachers from the New York City area will gather to learn more about The Achievement Program.

Launched in March 2011 as a partnership between Carnegie Hall and The Royal Conservatory, The Achievement Program provides a recognized national standard of success in music study from beginner to advanced levels across the United States.

Dr. Elizabeth Janzen, a flutist, tours nationally throughout the year as a member of The Fireworks Ensemble, as well as Ensemble ACJW. Dr. Janzen teaches and performs as a teaching artist for the New York Philharmonic and for Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, where she specializes in work with autistic students.

Here, she relates her experiences with The Program.

As a young music student, I thrived on the challenges and goals that a nationalized, graded system offered me. The rigorous training required to earn a Performer’s Diploma, including theory, ear-training and music history, expanded my musicianship in ways that continue to enhance my understanding and enjoyment of music to this day. What makes The Achievement Program so impressive, however, is not how exacting the training is; it is its flexibility. The best education programs are those that accommodate every student’s learning style. 

For me that meant clear but demanding goals at regular intervals, culminating with the incentive of a nationally recognized diploma. For other music students, the rewards of the program are diverse: the sensibly graded levels, with no time constraints for those who learn at different paces; the variety of musical styles encouraged by the curriculum, from Baroque to contemporary to jazz influences; the challenges of musical study outside of performance, such as the theory and history exams. The advantage of The Achievement Program is that it really strives to accommodate and encourage every music student, whether they are young or old, beginner or advanced, simply curious or passionately competitive.

Read the original post at Carnegie Hall’s website here, and let us know what you think below.