Klarinet Archive - Posting 000309.txt from 1996/06

From: Nicole Marie Stanteen <nms0003@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: new discussion topic: talent vs hard work
Date: Thu, 20 Jun 1996 01:08:52 -0400

Suzi Crookshank said:
>
> I think innate ability is more important. That statement comes =
> from a person who could be called moderately talented and practices more =
> than any other person she knows, and yet is still not exceptionally =
> good. I like to think that if I practice enough I will eventually be =
> able to be successful as a performer, but whenever I go to a college =
> audition I am reminded of how far I have to go. I have to tell my =
> friends that I'm not really that good (they think I'm cool because I =
> made first chair in Symphonic band at our high school), because if I =
> really was, I would have gone to both districts and/or all-state this =
> year.=20
-----In Texas, which is where I went to high school, all-state is a
really big deal-- in my high-school band, if you made all-state, you got
your name put on a plaque that hung on the wall in the band hall, and you
were a legend, at least until the freshmen who knew you graduated. I worked
hard my senior year, fully expecting to make all-state-- I had the best
teacher, the best clarinet, a good reed, and most important of all, I was
well-prepared. But in spite of all my preparation, I didn't make it-- missed
it by two chairs.
I was really disappointed, crushed almost. I was so upset that I
abandoned my clarinet for practically that whole summer (i hope my
teacher isn't reading this, otherwise he'll know I faked it through a lot
of lessons-- if he didn't already know, that is). Then when I got to
college I played in the band there because it was a small school and
they really needed people and they gave me money to do it. I realized
that I had forgotten how much fun I had playing. It was the thing I loved
to do the most in the whole world!
My point is, all-state band is a good mechanism for getting people
to practice. A lot of people think it's fun to compete, so they practice
more if they have a goal of being the best in the state. (I am one of
those people.) I think it's a good indicator of how well you play the three
etudes that whoever-it-is assigns under a LOT of pressure from your band
director, your peers, your parents, and YOURSELF. And it is a big honor
to be selected for all-state-- the people who make it have worked very hard,
or are very talented, or both, and they deserve credit for that. But I don't
think that making all-state means you're good, and not making it means you
suck. There IS life after all-state! And your level of competence as a
clarinet player is NOT determined in high school. You meet SO many people
who influence how you play and how you think about music-- musically, I am not
the same person I was when I graduated from high school. My teachers, my
friends, new ideas, weird things I have seen while living in a college town,
all have changed the way I think about music.
So don't lock yourself into the mindset that, because you didn't
make all-state, you are not a good player. Wait until you get older to do
that, like I did. (HA! Just kidding!)

> I do think that teachers should always encourage their students, no =
> matter how lacking in talent they are, as long as they want to improve. =
> They may never play in a symphony orchestra, but they might play in a =
> community band. They will also have a deeper appreciation of music and =
> the people who make it.
-----And isn't that what it's all about? Right on!

Good luck this upcoming semester!

NMS