I had wonderful lessons there, and any place with great teachers is great. I am glad I went to Oberlin first. I think musicians should not primarily concentrate on becoming stars, although they may become them along the way. I like the liberal arts. I think it would be nice if more classical musicians had a broader cultural education.
Many young artists have to cope with entering competitions.
I have had some good and bad experiences at competitions. I think that competition, by nature, is antithetical to music-making. People enjoy watching them, as people enjoy any spectacle which turns out a definite winner. It would be nice if people enjoyed more ambiguous, less goal-oriented musical experiences. All this is fairly obvious.