To the Editors:

I am writing in response to Emily Manzo's opinion article "Malpractice in the Conservatory" which ran in the December 4 issue of the Review.

My first reaction to this article was confusion. I don't think Ms. Manzo clearly stated her opinion about the education Conservatory students receive at Oberlin, or about the attitudes she feels Conservatory professors encourage. Also, choosing to print this article, which could have benefited from some revision, and placing it in the Arts section rather than on the op-ed page was poor journalism on the part of the Review.

I could not decide if Ms. Manzo was criticizing what she sees as the futility of studying music written before 1920, or if she was trying to foster in classical music students an appreciation of other music and arts events that occur on campus.

I, like many Conservatory students I know, do not study and perform classical music because it gives us "god-like" powers to offer up "sacrifices" to the ghosts of "Dead White Guys." I do it because it makes me happy. Few things give me greater joy than communicating my interpretation of a composer's ideas to an audience, and feeling as if I've touched them deeper than words can ever penetrate. I don't practice "x hours a day" to be a "Good Student." I do it because it facilitates my ability to effectively communicate with an audience. The reason music written so long ago continues to be performed is that it contains something innately beautiful and readily accessible to any audience. Just as Shakespeare's plays are still relevant to contemporary audiences, music written by the "Dead White Guys" in the classical canon has transcended time and retained its ability to make us aware of our fragility, beauty and connection to one another as human beings.

I am not advocating that a Conservatory student's training should begin and end with the classical canon. However, a thorough knowledge of it (which is strongly encouraged by most faculty) makes it possible to understand everything it precedes. Once you have learned Mozart, it will be easier to play and understand John Cage. I think Oberlin Conservatory has an exceptional faculty. By first emphasizing a strong background in classical music, professors are ensuring that we have the right foundation on which to add more innovative and complex contemporary music.

I did, however, agree with Ms. Manzo's implication that some Conservatory students dig a hole for themselves and crawl into it for the four or so years they are here. (Also known as practicing obscene amounts of hours instead of taking advantage of the many arts events in Oberlin.) Do you really think you're paying $30,000 a year to practice? At Oberlin, we have a unique opportunity to attend an arts event almost every night, most of which are free. Please, re-invent your idea of education to include attending a variety of performances on campus. Aside from learning a lot by just listening (or viewing), you will be supporting other performing artists. It is rare that you will ever again be able to participate in and en oy such an intelligent and open minded audience of your peers. I would also like to extend Ms. Manzo's comment about the value of non-classical music concerts to include performances by the theater and dance departments. I regret that some Conservatory students let the division between Conservatory and College blind them to the fact that there are artists in the college who work just as hard as they do.

Finally, I would like to thank Ms. Manzo for writing her article. It has reaffirmed my love for studying music, and my belief that all artists should support one another.

-Sarah Wass, Conservatory junior

Speak up: Stan Mathews an important asset to art department

To the Editors:

Many of us, members of Mr. Mathews' Art History classes, are upset because his contract is not being renewed. We have all gained considerable knowledge and passion for art in only one semester of his lectures. Mr. Mathews has made art, for us, an accessible form of expression. This professor has given us the tools to approach and extract meaning from art. He is also the only professor who has a specialty in architecture. A student who wishes to study architecture will run into trouble for not only is there no architecture major at Oberlin, but there exists only one class in this field: The Technology of Greek and Roman Architecture. Stan Mathews is, in fact, a professional architect, whose knowledge and experience with modern architecture far surpasses that of any other member in the Art Department.

Losing Mr. Mathews as a professor, means losing the hope of establishing an architecture program at Oberlin. Perhaps more importantly, Mr. Mathews' passion for art is infectious, inside and outside the classroom. He has instilled in us a passion for art not only as an abstract medium, but as a form that can help us grapple with the issues of gender, race, and class. If losing a professor of this caliber from a department that is understaffed to begin with bothers you too, we urge you to do something about it! Talk, send e-mail, or write letters to the Art Dept chair, Nancy Dye, or Dean Clayton Koppes. Thank you.

-Daniella Maor, College first-year

-David Meadow, College first-year

-Leandro Oliveira, College first-year

-Caitlin Poliak, College first-year

-Rebecca Pronsky, College first-year