Ceiling of Fine Arts Building, Carnegie-Mellon University
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.
Proverbs 25:11
This last weekend was a time of travel and auditions with the young man who is my vocal student. The first was VCU right here in Richmond, then JMU up in Harrisonburg, and finally Peabody Conservatory at John Hopkins University in Baltimore. Each school was unique in their presentation of what they have to offer, and the audition process itself.
Two of the school – Carnegie-Mellon back in January, and Peabody yesterday, dazzle the sights and the senses with the physical surroundings before you have a chance to meet a soul. Both richly endowed schools, these conservatories are housed in buildings that take your breath away: grand staircases, works of art, chandeliers and velvet drapery abound. It is the people, however, that make the difference in choosing a college, and in that respect, Carnegie and Peabody could not be less alike.
I have written in a previous blog regarding the warmth and friendliness of Carnegie-Mellon. Peabody, on the other hand, was freezing cold – inside and out. From the young woman sitting by a spread of coffee and donuts who informed us that her refreshments were for auditioning harpists [definitely not for us], to the woman from admissions who rudely retorted that I should already have the answer to the question I asked, to the abrupt, cold audition process where each singer sang two songs and then was dismissed without questions or concern regarding who each young person was.
The entire question of where Joel attends college is now in the Lord’s hands. Do I have my preferences? Oh, you bet I do, and they do not include Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. I would hate to see my young friend submersed in that cold, uncaring environment, coming out after four years with the same self-absorbed haughtiness we experienced yesterday. All that counts in this sojourn through life is not what we have, but who we are.
No comments:
Post a Comment