While trying to find out how much kid private lessons at NEC cost, I ran into this
thread about whether or not conservatories are worth it.
They sound like pressure cookers that actually yield very few working graduates.
I feel that conservatories need the tuition dollars, especially those outside the elite circle of Juilliard et al., so are willing to accept a certain caliber of student—but in reality, will overwhelmingly focus on the most promising of these students. This, of course, is justified by the competitive nature of the industry—but I can’t shake the feeling that most students end up paying to support an organization that truly benefits far fewer. e
I think that might be the nature of a lot of educational situations outside of music, too, maybe less intentionally than it is at conservatories. Professors aren't inclined to teach at research universities (more or less), so they're going to help out students that are easy to teach. But they need the money from everyone else.