Conservatory  -- Answer: MOZART -- By Andrew Ryder

As the teacher's note indicates, it is important to examine the melody first.  What the teacher does not tell you is that the melody is actually Morse Code.  Using 8th notes as dots, quarter notes as dashes (the one instance of two 8ths tied over a bar line does count as a quarter) and rests as gaps, you get:

-... B
.. I
.-. R
- T
.... H
-.. D
.- A
-.-- Y
.. I
-. N
-... B
.- A
... S
... S
.... H
.- A
.-.. L
...- V
. E
... S

The bass line starts with a half rest followed by a series of seven dotted half notes.  After that there are no more half notes in the piece, so this is the only interesting part of the bass.  If you've done your music theory homework, you'll recognize that this piece is written in A minor.  Assigning I to the tonic and counting upward from there, the bass notes (not the harmonizations) become (rest) I II VII I VII V VI.  If you simply decide that they're letters, they read (rest) A B G# A G E F.  Those can be mapped to numbers using a=1, b=2, etc.  Either way, you should get 01/27/1756, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's birthday.  Therefore, the answer is MOZART.

In case you're curious, here's what this puzzle sounds like.

Hints

  1. When you're practicing, don't forget the articulation!  8th notes should be played stacatto.
  2. Get the rhythm right first.  Pitch will follow.
  3. How can you turn eight elements into a birthday?