Klarinet Archive - Posting 000424.txt from 1996/06

From: "Michael D. Moors" <mdmoors@-----.US>
Subj: Re: Instrumentation concerns
Date: Wed, 26 Jun 1996 17:07:20 -0400

Scott,

If you put my entire post in perspective the true intent should be there.
With all of the talk about instrumentation for jazz bands a few weeks ago I
felt it was time to air a band director's viewpoint. Until you face 90% of
a class wanting to play saxophone, percussionists that can't keep a beat,
oboes that can't play with good intonation or horn players that are on the
wrong pitch more than they are on the right you can't fully understand.
Yes, it is a public school teacher's job (responsibility, duty) to train
these kids. In some cases it is possible (if the desire is there). I have
come to the conclusion several years ago that you are doing kids a great
disservice if you set them up for failure. If a student doesn't have an
inherited sense of good pitch why steer them to horn? It makes no more
sense then taking a student with short arms and giving them a trombone.

In our district we use this approach to fitting: a. Student interest in a
given instrument. b. Classroom teacher recommendation. To determine work
habits and attitude. c. Aptitude test results to check for pitch and
rhythm. d. Physical characteristics for a given instrument. e. Last...
balanced instrumentations of the band class. We show the movie Great
Beginnings by Yamaha and have all the instruments displayed. Students think
of what their top three choices of instruments are during the movie and
display session. Using this method when a student comes to see me 98% of
the time students get their choice. The only time they don't is if they
have poor work habits, grades, aptitudes and are wanting to play a horn,
oboe, bassoon or school tuba. Sometimes I have had to cut off saxophones or
flutes. Many times students like two instruments equally using my method.
I can sway to clarinet or some other instrument and students still have
their choice.

I still remember one question when I was hired in my district. "With
sports, required classes and other outside activities it is hard to keep
students in band. What do you propose as a solution to keep kids in band?"
I thought about it for a minute.... It has to be worth their while!
Students have to feel good about themselves... These are two of my most
deepest convictions. We have the distinction of qualifying more bands in
the State of Michigan for State band festival than any other school. (Not
that this is a measure of success) We have numbers and happy kids. In 7th
and 8th grade there are 300 students next year. We have 800 students in
band district wide. Alpena, Michigan has a population on 13,000.

In conclusion, you have to have decent instrumentation for students to fully
appreciate the repertoire. It is possible for the students and teachers to
be happy with instrumentation. The music dept. has to function as a team
for this to happen. This works for us, I am throwing it out again just for
the other perspective. I know there are many parents, music stores and
individuals that feel that a student should walk into a store, pick out what
ever instrument they saw on MTV and play it. I know a teacher in Washington
D.C. that had students coming to class with a soprano sax.

In a state of electrical shock,

Mike Moors

At 10:28 AM 6/19/96 -0400, you wrote:
>>2. Trying to put students on instruments they are suited for. We give an
>>aptitude test to check to see if a student has a good sense of pitch for
>>instruments like oboe, french horn and a school tuba. It also isn't to any
>>one's advantage to put a kid on percussion that has little sense of rhythm.
>>By using the testing process, knowing what kind of student you have,
>>checking physical characteristics, taking the students choice into
>>consideration, and last balanced instrumentation. The student will be more
>>happy then letting them automatically play what the had as a first choice.
>>Why?? They will be successful.
>>
>>Mike Moors
>
>Perhaps what we need is a more brutal test!
>I (you knew this was coming...) propose the following:
>
>1) Lock each student into a suitably unventilated (i.e. "standard")
>practice room.
>2) Strap student to suitably uncomfortable (i.e. "standard") band-room chair.
>3) Using no less than 10 feet of duct tape, attach headphones to student's
head.
>4) Subject student to twelve hours of music featuring the first-choice
>instrument.
>5) If student starts to doze off, apply mild electrical shock through
>chair to keep awake.
>6) Have student fill in a new form with instrument preferences.
>7) If the first-choice instrument remains the same, let the student learn
>that instrument.
>8) If the first-choice instrument has changed, repeat process.
>
>Note: Beware of students who return over and over again: these are true
>masochists! Do NOT teach them how to play ANY instrument. Instead, hand
>them a baton and teach them how to conduct!
>
>-Scott
>
>Scott D. Morrow
>Department of Biochemistry
>School of Hygiene and Public Health
>Johns Hopkins University
>(410)-955-3631
>
>SDM@-----.edu
>
>

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