Klarinet Archive - Posting 000486.txt from 1996/07

From: "Shari D. Smith" <Shdesmith@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Clarinet Jobs & Brahms in Band
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 1996 17:12:00 -0400

Several years ago a friend of mine, concerned about employment prospects for
clarinetists, urged me and others to apply for military bands. I laughed at
him. Two years later I found myself applying for just such a position out of
desperation. Four years of out-of-state doctoral work had taken its toll on
my finances. I also did not want to be "owned" by the United States
government or stuck marching in an endless stream of parades and ceremonies.
Fortunately for me, the band I joined is one of the Army special bands, in
the DC area, whose mission is primarily playing concerts and traveling. When
we do march, it usually involves an interesting event such as the
Presidential inauguration or the 50th anniversary of the end of WW II (which,
by the way, involved a trip to Europe). This job is certainly not for
everyone, but if I had not taken the chance I would still be several
thousands of dollars in debt. Besides that, I discovered that I like this job
much better than I thought I would, warts and all.

Shari Smith
Clarinetist U.S. Army Field Band