Several orchestra members teach at the ZHdK. Four of them talk about their experiences.
"If I had to say what the most important thing about teaching is, I would say two things: Firstly, the students are always at the centre. And secondly, it's about teamwork at all levels. It's crucial that there is good cohesion in the class, that the students don't see each other as competitors but support each other. This is not possible in any other way with percussion: our instruments are large, and transporting and setting them up is time-consuming. If someone has a gig, others in the class take over. That's why we don't just look at how talented someone is during the entrance exam. We also try to find out what makes him or her tick as a person.
When I say 'we', I mean our team of professors: my orchestra colleague Klaus Schwärzler, Raphael Christen and I have been jointly supervising the percussion class at the ZHdK since 2018. Each of us is responsible for a specific area, for example I'm in charge of the timpani. We work closely together, each of us knows what the other is doing and thinking. The fact that we don't always see everything the same way is an advantage; the different perspectives help the students to find their own stance.
Our commitment to them goes far beyond music. If someone is struggling with blockages or is otherwise in a crisis, we are also there to help them psychologically. And if someone is hospitalised, we visit them. Sometimes I have the feeling that we are almost a bit of a substitute parent for some people.
We currently have 22 students in the class, all of whom have prevailed against dozens of others in the entrance exam. Once they want to play in the orchestra, it gets tight again: there are often up to 200 applications for one position. The standard is really high. But things are going well for us: a number of our people have been offered orchestral positions or won competitions, and some are now teaching at universities themselves.
It's a special network that has been created. I remember one Sunday when I invited those from the class who were in the Toni-Areal to my home. In the end, ten people from ten countries were sitting around the table, all connected by music and much more - that's enormously enriching."
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"What fascinates me most about teaching is how different the students are. It is therefore very important to me that they can develop their own musical personality. Of course, I have certain general recipes when it comes to technical questions or sound design. But I don't want them to play like me; I want them to find their own individual style.
I started at the Zurich University of the Arts in 2005 as a part-time lecturer in reed playing and orchestration. I have now been a professor in charge of a major subject class for five years. Sometimes I think before a teaching day: Wow, this is going to be exhausting. But in the end I always have an enormous amount of energy and the work motivates me a lot. In our concerts too, by the way: When students sit in the audience, it's a special kind of tension.
Unlike in the orchestra, where you're always part of a large group, I'm more independent at the ZHdK. I can organise things as I see fit, which I really appreciate. But there are also collaborations there, for example I will soon be organising audition training for our classes with Martin Frutiger. I want to do it as well as possible, not just in training. I currently have students from China and Australia, they are so far away from home - I also feel a human responsibility.
Most of the students want a future in an orchestra, but I always tell them that this can't be their only goal. Flute positions are rare and the competition is huge. That's why you need a plan B; some go into teaching, others switch to music management or take a completely different path. However, there are quite a few former students who now play in orchestras in Spain, Germany or Iceland - and also with us: my colleague Alexandra Barreira Gouveia did her Master's in Solo Performance with me."
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"I've been keeping a list of all my students since I started teaching. There are now over 148 names from 30 countries on it! I currently have oboists from Armenia, Belarus, Australia, Japan, Italy, Portugal, Austria and Switzerland in my class. That's also hugely exciting beyond the musical side of things.
I started out as a part-time English horn teacher at the Zurich University of the Arts. But at some point I was tempted to take on more responsibility. For nine years I was in charge of a major oboe class in Lucerne, and for almost three years now I've been an oboe professor at the ZHdK. Of course, people often come to me who are also interested in cor anglais. But nobody can concentrate exclusively on this; for every English horn position in an orchestra, you first have to play the oboe very well.
Lessons are never just about musical development, but always about personal development as well. All these students were once the best in their music school, and now at university level they are suddenly told: "Here you have a problem and that's no good either. They may give a concert somewhere and hear from the audience how moving it was - and the day after they are criticised for the same programme at an audition at university. It's not easy, we all know that from our own experience. As a teacher, you are challenged both musically and personally.
Some of my former students got a great job as a musician, others are now doing something completely different. It's not easy to follow this path. That's another reason why I really value my position in the orchestra: Here I can play music at a high level and I don't have to organise my performances or market myself. I see that as a great privilege."
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"From my point of view, the combination of playing in an orchestra and teaching is an absolute win-win situation. I can pass on a lot of my orchestral experience to the students. Conversely, working with them keeps me alert and fit: their ideas and questions prompt me to try things out or do research - which also benefits the orchestra. There are no clashes between the jobs; it's clear that the orchestra always takes priority.
I've been teaching at the Zurich University of the Arts since 2006. I started out as an assistant to our former principal cellist Thomas Grossenbacher, with whom I still work closely; we are a good team. Today, my work is very wide-ranging: I supervise the subsidiary subjects of reed playing and orchestral parts, and I also work in the main subject area of school music and music and movement. And finally, I have a position in the PreCollege, i.e. with the very young students who are preparing for university.
Their entrance exam for the Bachelor's programme is my final exam, so to speak, so I feel quite a responsibility. The same applies when I work on orchestral parts with Master's students with a view to an audition: these are very decisive phases on the path to professional life. I also value my varied tasks in this context: If I were responsible for ensuring that everyone was well accommodated in a large main subject class, this responsibility would probably put a lot of strain on me.
I recently turned 60 and the exchange with the students is a huge benefit for me. They have a different background and different role models, and thanks to them I regularly get out of the orchestra bubble. At the same time, I realise that I'm getting better and better at responding to their individual needs: Thinking about which sight-reading part has the right level of difficulty or what could lead on stylistically - that's a lot of fun for me."
