Klarinet Archive - Posting 000248.txt from 1996/02

From: thehat@-----.ORG
Subj: Wind Ensemble/band
Date: Fri, 9 Feb 1996 16:57:43 -0500

In a message dated 02-07-96 INTERNET: talb4841=UWWVAX wrote to ** ALL **:
It> Not to detract from anything from your wonderful post on Mr.
It> Paynter, but I wanted to ask about one of your comments:
>> "I now think that the wind ensamble and concert band are doing more
>> harm than good in the educational world,....."

It> As a matter of interest, what do you mean here? What is you
It> perspective on this?
It> Sean UW-Whitewater

I didn't express myself perfectly here. What I meant by "educational world"
was the college level and higher, referring specifically to performance
majors. My opinion is that requiring performance majors to play in concert
bands in no way prepares them for a career performing in the real world.
Though better than no ensemble experience at all, the band does not encourage
the development of the highest level of musicianship.

The wind ensemble, consisting of one-on-part playing, CAN encourage this type
of refinement, but the problem of repertoire still exists. I certainly
haven't had occasion to play ANY large wind ensemble music as a professional
(large meaning larger than the largest Strauss wind piece).

My opinion is that the time spent rehearsing band music could be better spent
reading orchestral literature, using two pianos to fill in the string parts.
This is done at some music schools.

On the positive side, the concert band is responsible for the high level of
wind playing in the USA today. Many if not most of the leading wind players
in the top American symphonies started out in a school band program.
Beginning with the 19th century bands and culminating with the Eastman Wind
Ensemble under Fennell among small groups and the University of Michigan
Symphony Band under Revelli among large groups, the band proved that it could
produce a wide variety of wonderful sonorities with a high degree of
virtuosity. Even with these groups, few true masterpieces have been composed
for the band format in the last 30 years.

The need to fill an entire concert band forces schools to accept far more
wind instrument majors than is good for either the schools or the students.
As we all know, there just isn't enough work out there for everyone to make a
living. So why have 30+ clarinet majors? An early dose of reality could save
a lot of people from much suffering later. Large schools needing multiple
teachers also dilutes the pool of available good teachers, causing much bad
wind teaching to take place.

In my 4 years at NU, I played principal clarinet on about 5 pieces in the
orchestra. Sad to say, that is more than most other clarinetists got to
play there. In fact, most clarinet players never play in an orchestra at all
at NU before their junior year. That's a disgrace.Those who don't "make the
cut" and get into the orchestra should really receive MORE intensive training,
rather than being tossed in a 100 piece band with non-majors.

I am afraid that bands have become self-perpetuating entities, producing more
band conductors, more mediocre band music and requiring more warm bodies of
music majors to fill their ranks. At the pre-college level, they are a
wonderful, exciting way to introduce kids to classical music and wind
instruments. Once someone has made the commitment to a career, though, it is
unfair to provide only band as a pedigogical ensemble while waiting for the
student to somehow become "good enough" to join the orchestra. Either schools
should find a way to make orchestral experience available to all majors, or
they should take fewer wind instrument majors.

That's my opinion.

David Hattner
clarinetist-at-large, NYC
-> Alice4Mac 2.4.4 E QWK Eval:04Feb96
Origin: Hat's Nut House