Well, I didn't go to college. I taught because people saw me play on Gigs and wanted to learn from me. One student was in College and I was his Private Teacher for credita and paid by the School. Because of the lack of a Degree, the Music Chairman came down to watch me give a Lesson. After the Classical type Simandl stuff he pulled out some charts from a latin band he played in. I then proceded to help him with the Bass lines. The Chairman says, "Wait, your gonna show him how to DO something?" I said that it was important to be able to apply directly what he is learning and be able to improve his abilities in the kind of music he plays. The Chairman was quite suprised as well as impressed.
If I am looking for a teacher in Classical Bass, I go the the Principal of the closest major Orchestra and start there. I did this in NY. I called John Schaeffer (Ny Phil.) but he wasn't accepting students. He gave me the number of one of HIS top students which was Bill Blossom. I was looking to improve my Bow arm and grip. I had already studied with a Student of Stuart Sankey and a famous jazz musician Reggie Workman (John Coltrain, etc..) who had studied with Zimmerman in NY. Bill taught me until he got a job in an Orchestra out of state. After awhile I was hungry to learn again and called Schaeffer once again. He then tells me to call another student of his that plays in the orch., Shelly Saxon. I call here and make an appointment. I come down to lincoln center with my Bass and play for here. She interviews and finds out I have no intention of looking for an Orchestra job as I was already a busy freelance player in NY. She the refers me to yet another player in the Orch who happens to like jazz and might teach me. That was Lew Norton who I believe just retired. I studies with Bill in 1971-72. Norton from '73-77 on and off.
I did do some classical jobs in Jingles and movie sound tracks as well as Radio City Symphony when it was an Orchestra in the mid 70s b4 it turned into a B'way type production and schedule.
To get more students which was to help pay for parking my car in the city, I advertised in the Village Voice, NY Studio Musicion.. etc, etc.. I don't think it would matter if or what degree I had. They seemed more interested that I not only could play, but I got paid well doing it and did some prestigous jobs around town. On occassion a Student would show up and I just got a call in the last hour of so for a session. this was common in NY if you were one of the guys that got the session calls (earned by reputation and not advertised or solicited for). I would usually then tell him I can't give the lesson because I have to run uptown for a recording BUT that he could come and sit in the control room and watch. No lesson, no charge, resume next week and no credt for me cancelling. They were cool with that because they got to see what it was like to make it to the top Jobs in NY, Recording/Residuals..
A few professionals in NY also studied with me because I could train both the left hand and the French Bow hand as well having studied with some of NYs finest. A few years after Blossom left town, he came back and made it into the Phil. and is still there. I rather prefer knowing he made it to the top and was my teacher rather than someone who got a degree and just teaches instead of 'going for it'.
I play in two local orchestras up here and in one of them the often need extra players. They get the ones that play in the area Regional/Union orchestra like Allentown, Pottstown and Redding to name a few. I hold my own next to any of them playing wise. I just don't have the Classical Music background that they do and these guys all went to universities and studied with a top Orchestra player as they did. Also, I retired from playing in 1987 and just started back 5 years ago so I have alot of catching up to do not to mention learning just about every piece I play for the first time. It's been fun and challenging and if I had it to do over again, I would have done local Orchestra work in NY and not just the commercial/Jazz/B'way stuff I did. I did play a few Union Trust fund concerts in NY with a small Orchestra in the beginning but as I got busier after '71, I never went back to playing Classical till just a few years ago.
Ok, ok, enough about me. Cal the teachers around Philly especially Hal. Ask them these same questions since they DO this already intown. Don't expect to get advanced students or the price they get. A guy who works for me teaches beginners to mid-level players and gets about $60 or so for a lesson, more maybe if he travels to them. Wow, I was at $20-25 when I stopped teaching some 20 years ago and thought I was getting alot. If you call me I can also give a name of another working Bass player or two that has students and teaches. I don't wan to put their names on this board and hear about it at a rehearsal down the road. Teachers in the Orchestra often give students to their students that they can't or wont take.. Good luck..
