Producing Excellence

The Making of Virtuosos

Izabela Wagner (Autor)

Buch | Hardcover

336 Seiten

2015
Rutgers University Press (Verlag)
978-0-8135-7006-8 (ISBN)

Lieferbar (Termin unbekannt)
Versandkostenfrei
Auch auf Rechnung

Artikel merken

Driven by a passion for music, for excellence, and for fame, violin soloists are immersed from early childhood in high-pressure competitions, regular public appearances, and arduous daily practice. An in-depth study of nearly one hundred such children, Producing Excellence illuminates the process these young violinists undergo to become elite international soloists.

A musician and a parent of a young violinist, sociologist Izabela Wagner offers an inside look at how her young subjects set out on the long road to becoming a soloist. The remarkable research she conducted—at rehearsals, lessons, and in other educational settings—enabled her to gain deep insight into what distinguishes these talented prodigies and their training. She notes, for instance, the importance of a family culture steeped in the values of the musical world. Indeed, more than half of these students come from a family of professional musicians and were raised in an atmosphere marked by the importance of instrumental practice, the vitality of music as a vocation, and especially the veneration of famous artists. Wagner also highlights the highly structured, rigorous training system of identifying, nurturing, and rewarding talent, even as she underscores the social, economic, and cultural factors that make success in this system possible.

Offering an intimate portrait of the students, their parents, and their instructors, Producing Excellence sheds new light on the development of exceptional musical talent, as well as draw much larger conclusions as to “producing prodigy” in other competition-prone areas, such as sports, sciences, the professions, and other arts. Wagner’s insights make this book valuable for academics interested in the study of occupations, and her clear, lively writing is perfect for general readers curious about the ins and outs of training to be a violin soloist.

IZABELA WAGNER is an associate professor at the University of Warsaw’s Institute of Sociology. She is the author of Becoming a Transnational Professional.

Acknowledgments
Introduction: Prelude—Scandal on the Stage
1          A Short History of the Virtuoso Profession
2          Before Entering Soloist Class: Early Socialization of Soloist Students
3          Triad Collaboration: First Stage of Soloist Education
4          Crisis and Career Coupling: The Second Stage of Soloist Education
5          Entrance into Adult Career: The Third Stage of Soloist Education
6          The Soloist Class Students’ Careers
Conclusion: Career Coupling and Nothing New in the Soloist World
Appendix        Difficulties and Limits: Some Methodological Aspects about Attachment and Distance within Ethnographic Work
Notes
References
Index

Erscheint lt. Verlag	30.9.2015
Zusatzinfo	1 table
Verlagsort	New Brunswick NJ
Sprache	englisch
Maße	156 x 235 mm
Gewicht	567 g
Themenwelt	Kunst / Musik / Theater ► Musik ► Instrumentenkunde
	Sozialwissenschaften ► Pädagogik ► Sonder-, Heil- und Förderpädagogik
	Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie
ISBN-10	0-8135-7006-9 / 0813570069
ISBN-13	978-0-8135-7006-8 / 9780813570068
Zustand	Neuware