cover image Nothing But the Best: The Struggle for Perfection at the Juilliard School

Nothing But the Best: The Struggle for Perfection at the Juilliard School

Judith Kogan. Random House (NY), $18.95 (239pp) ISBN 978-0-394-55514-0

Kogan, a New York City lawyer who studied harp for 10 years at Juilliard, tells sad-funny stories about the young men and women who train, practice and perform there. Quoting from school gossip and from lively remarks by students and observers, she organizes her material in chapters on auditions, pressures, the pre-college division, teachers, competitions and the school orchestra. Other chapters center on the cafeteria (a major arena of student activities), the love life ofa brilliant Korean pianist and her less gifted American boyfriend, and problems of what to do after graduating from Juilliard. This insider's account of what goes on at America's foremost training school for musicians may either repel or inspire, but it will leave few unmoved. (April 13)