ABSTRACT
The master-apprentice model, deeply embedded in Western European classical traditions, endures in higher education’s applied music studios, despite its perpetuation of exclusivity. This chapter explores the history, benefits, and drawbacks of the master-apprentice model, ways in which it has historically limited access and equity to the applied music studio, for how to modernize the tradition to meet the needs of diverse 21st-century music students. Parental socioeconomic status, family cultural capital, and geography eclipse presumed “musical talent” in predicting student success. This trifecta of factors is often ignored by the applied professors who can act as gatekeepers, accepting and working with students whose experiences mirror their own, resulting in a lack of diversity in the professional field. While many of the issues outlined in this chapter are caused by broader systems of inequality, there are a number of activities applied studio professors can undertake to increase access and equity in their studios. Most importantly, applied studio professors are encouraged to break the veil of secrecy surrounding the master-apprentice tradition and make public what happens in the applied music studio and what their expectations are for success within it.
