So, I was wondering, how does one actually go about picking a "primary care physician" if they’re coming from a dental school background? Like, do they only take on those really specific, complex cases, or do they just operate like any other dentist you'd find through Blue Cross Blue Shield?
Lawrence Wells said:Look, I’m not saying you don't need to put in the work, but honestly, jumping into the violin game without perfect pitch is just asking for trouble. You see it all the time—kids pick up the instrument just to scrape by on audition points, and by the time they finish middle school, most of them have drifted away, leaving maybe two or three kids a year to actually enroll in a specialized prep school. In ten years, I’ve seen maybe one graduate who was actually decent, mostly because they weren't out there screeching off-key; listening to them was actually a pleasure. But the rest? They show up at the conservatory just butchering the instrument because they lack the ear for it, and that’s a total career killer. Unfortunately, in this damn country, money can fix almost anything. If you’ve got the cash, you spend a year taking private lessons with some professor who happens to sit on the academy admissions board, and suddenly, your spot is basically guaranteed regardless of talent. I’m telling you, this is how it works; don't think I'm just talking nonsense here.
😁 From what I’ve seen, if you tried to count the truly competent elementary and high school violin teachers in the entire US, you couldn't even do it on one hand. The whole mess with paying for entrance exam prep is just a symptom of that rot. I won't even get started on where that legendary reputation of the Washington, D.C. violin scene went... 🙄
Look, musicians are born just like hairdressers, carpenters, or Inuit hunters. If they don't get access to at least some decent schooling—and more importantly, if they aren't grinding away practicing from sunrise to sunset—then all that raw talent is basically useless. Honestly, I’ve always wondered where this pervasive myth comes from, this idea that some "natural genius" can somehow bypass the hard work and still make it as a professional musician. It's nonsense. To play the violin professionally, you don't need some freakish, perfect pitch; what you actually need is just a solid, functional ear.
Sure, I’m not saying it’s some kind of universal standard for every single employee profile out there, but look, if you’re running a small school—say, one with maybe 40 staff members—it really only takes a couple of total idiots to tank the whole operation. You get one or two teachers who are either too lazy to actually teach or they’ve got these twisted, dysfunctional pedagogical methods, and suddenly they’re spreading this massive wave of bad press everywhere. Just think about what happens when the internal vibe at a place is totally off, like that situation mentioned earlier. It’s a domino effect. That’s easily 40 kids and another 80 parents all walking away thinking, "Yeah, that school is a disaster," and telling everyone they meet on the street.
Ivo, you’re spot on, and honestly, at the Juilliard School, there’s a massive void where actual psychology, methodology, and hands-on practical training should be. What they teach there—if you can even call it that—is basically just rote memorization masquerading as psychology, which has zero connection to the kind of applied, useful psychology we actually need in the real world. To make matters worse, the professor teaching it has been the same unstable individual for years. As for the methodology classes, I can't even recall learning a single thing that was remotely helpful, though I probably shouldn't even bring up professor 😠. At the end of the day, all you really have to rely on is your own raw intelligence and your emotional intelligence—assuming you actually possess any—and, of course, a gut-level awareness of whether you actually have the temperament to work with kids or not.
It’s a shame, but you see an awful number of deeply unstable people working in High Schools; I suppose it’s what happens when people can't find a way to channel their massive egos into something realistic, so they drift into education because their "real" careers fell through. Then you have to factor in the reality that for a man expected to be the provider, it’s incredibly frustrating to be working for $1333 (starting salary), which makes it pretty obvious why finding a decent male teacher is such a rare occurrence.
Daisy said:I’m planning on applying to the conservatory, but from what I hear, they’re adding harmony to the entrance exams—up until now, it was just ear training and instrument proficiency. And I know for a fact that with the "knowledge" we've been given, none of us will even pass our classes. It’s not just me; it’s everyone under this professor. The woman simply doesn't know how to explain things... she moves way too fast... she'll scribble down three bars of music while the rest of us are still trying to draw a treble clef... And of course, when we tell her to slow down, she gives us that polite, empty nod saying there's no problem, and then she just keeps doing the exact same thing! 😕 Everyone is struggling with harmony solely because of her. Naturally, for the kids who don't actually care about getting into the conservatory, everything is just fine... 👎 Maybe some people here know exactly who I'm talking about, so they get why I'm feeling this way... 😬
Daisy, if the whole class is in the same boat, you should go straight to the dean and demand a teacher change for next school year. A teacher like that will absolutely wreck your future 👎. It won't be long before half a class of theory students ends up transferring to another school out of pure protest and desperation. I know how this works because I see it happening in institutions all over Chicago. Unfortunately, in situations like this, the school itself doesn't have much leverage because in America, it's nearly impossible to actually fire someone—not if they aren't performing, not if they're incompetent, not if they're clearly having a mental breakdown, not if they miss classes constantly, or if they're perpetually late. You can't touch them! The only way things shift is if you have an uncompromising principal willing to deal with the mess (though most principals avoid the headache because once their term is up, they usually have to reintegrate into the general faculty anyway...), or even better, if you have uncompromising parents demanding a competent instructor for their child (after all, you're paying for music lessons, after all). So, band together and call out those who aren't doing their jobs! Get the parents involved, push hard... these kinds of teachers usually defend themselves by pointing to the "success" of the class, which is why everyone is getting straight As! 😠
By the way, switching instructors for private lessons is a totally normal thing to do, and nobody should feel awkward about it. Sometimes it's purely a clash of personalities and might not even have anything to do with technical skill or lack thereof. I think even younger kids realize pretty early on whether their teacher actually knows their stuff or if they have any actual passion left in them, because at that age, kids are mostly working to please their teacher and earn that bit of praise.
It’s funny how it works, really 😉. You’ll see kids at the auditions who seem to have this incredible ear and perfect rhythm, but then you get a year into the program and realize they’re just totally tone-deaf when it comes to actual musicianship... and it works the exact opposite way too. I’ve seen students who barely scraped past the passing mark during admissions turn out to be the absolute stars of the class. Then you have those kids who never pick up an instrument or even sing at home, so they show up to the entrance exams looking like complete lost causes, even though they actually possess a natural sense of pitch. It's a weird thing—you can have a kid with great hearing and a solid internal clock, but they still end up being completely unmusical when it counts.
The golden rule when it comes to music education is pretty simple: you aren't looking for a prestigious institution, you're looking for the right teacher. Sure, you’ve got those high-end academies with big names and plenty of prestige, and then you have the local community schools, but honestly, even at a top-tier academy, you might end up stuck with a mediocre instructor who just doesn't click with your kid. It pays to do your homework and dig into the reputations of individual instructors. If you're serious, don't be afraid to actually show up during business hours, knock on a classroom door, and ask for a quick chat or a demonstration session to see if there's any availability. For a talented five-year-old, starting in a specialized early childhood music program is the way to go, but if they’ve already got the spark and the drive, some instructors are more than happy to take them on for a weekly private session outside of standard hours—think of it as "playtime" that builds a foundation, making their formal teaching much easier down the road. You can start introducing violin or piano through play as early as age five. I wasn't entirely sure if the Goldman Sachs academy offers an early childhood program or introductory theory classes at their satellite branch? There is this incredible violin teacher who has a real knack for working with little ones—she mostly teaches at the elementary level, but she lives over in the Minneapolis area (Eleanor Roosevelt). Just a heads-up, though: registration for kindergarten and first grade is already opening up at most school districts right about now.
I’m also a bit of a weather watcher myself, and I have this massive issue with Tylenol; it wipes out my headache with terrifying efficiency, but then leaves me feeling completely nauseous and ready to throw up. Plain old Tylenol—just straight acetaminophen—doesn't do a thing for me. Does anyone happen to know which specific ingredient in the Tylenol formula is the culprit behind the nausea?
Justin Fox, look, most of what you post is actually pretty solid, but I really think you need to dig a bit deeper into the risks and actual consequences of having a C-section. It’s not right to walk into a maternity ward acting like you’re just heading out for a night on the town—this isn't some casual debate over whether to get a tooth pulled with or without local anesthesia. We should be focusing on humanizing the delivery conditions in American hospitals so mothers can actually walk away with happy memories of giving birth, regardless of how much pain they went through.
I think that new, younger gynecologist over at the Railway Hospital near the Esplanade still works there—I can't quite recall her name... she’s on the opposite shift from Dr. Suade Hadžiselimović-Dijab. As for Dr. Grujić-Koračin’s "warmth," I think I already vented about that somewhere else up in the threads 😱. I'm curious, though—does anyone here actually see Dr. Hadžiselimović? What’s the verdict? Not that it matters much, considering she probably has a waiting list of about 9,000 women out there 🙄... To be honest, I used to find her kind of off-putting, so I basically fled to a private practice to see Grujić-Koračin instead... and 😁 well, eventually, I found my way back. I guess her personality has finally "clicked" for me now.
So, I was looking into seeing Dr. Sharice over on Vinogradska Street, and you can just call them up to book an appointment—though fair warning, the initial exam drags on for at least an hour. But here’s the kicker: apparently, Sharice has this little arrangement with an optical shop over on Water Street, and they act like you aren't even allowed to buy your lenses anywhere else. They won't even give you your results or your specific lens prescription in writing; instead, they basically force you to head down to the shop on Water Street, where the staff there calls the clinic to "verify" your data... it's honestly just ridiculous 🙂. It's a total medical racket! Honestly, it feels like it's the same story at every hospital; every single clinic seems to have its own high-priced preferred optician tucked away somewhere... Just remember, wherever you go, don't let them tell you otherwise: it is your absolute right to buy your contacts wherever you damn well please!!!
I can't speak to any of those semi-rigid types, but back in August, I picked up a little pack of Bausch + Lomb soft lenses from Tiffany & Co.—it was a four-pair set, which basically covers me for an entire year since they last about three months. They ended up costing me $173. If you buy through them down at the Square, they’ll even throw in a free eye exam, which is a nice little perk. Honestly, all those fancy LensCrafters or Visionworks locations out there just charge way too much, especially when it comes to the solutions; they act like they’re selling liquid gold or something... If you want to save some actual cash, the lens solutions are always cheapest at those "Four Leaves" drugstores—there’s one over on Drašković Street near City Hall and another on Savska Street right across from Conti. They actually run this daily discount where everything is 10% off between 2:00 and 3:00 PM.
If you’re an amateur singer looking to actually make this a lifelong thing—I mean, not just singing until your vocal cords naturally give up the ghost—you absolutely HAVE to learn from a professional vocal coach. Most choir directors or group leaders don't have a clue about actual technique beyond some vague, surface-level advice about breathing from your diaphragm and whatnot. Honestly, you can tell your director is a total amateur the second they try to force you into a vocal range that clearly doesn't suit your natural timbre. If you want, I can shoot you a private message with the name and number of a fantastic professor in NYC who really knows how to work with both hobbyists and seasoned ensemble singers.
Now, sure, a doctor can diagnose what's going on with your vocal folds—like checking if you've already developed nodules, which, let's be real, you probably have by now—and they can prescribe some medication, but they aren't going to teach you how to actually sing.
"So, Dr. Snježana Belak called me this morning—she’s got her practice over on 5th Avenue, specifically at number 5. Every Monday, between 1:00 and 5:00 PM, she opens her doors to women who don't have any kind of health insurance. Honestly, you don't see much of that anymore; it's actually pretty impressive.
Anyway, if you happen to know a girl or a woman out there struggling because she's uninsured and can't afford basic checkups, please pass this along."
Emotional intelligence—which basically covers all those specific behaviors and mental frameworks people usually mean when they throw that term around—is something you actually CAN realize, learn, master, or sharpen up... however you want to look at it. Daniel Goleman's book on the subject is exceptionally well-written, and honestly, it isn't one of those cheap, shallow self-help rags you'd pick up just to kill time on a beach somewhere...