Klarinet Archive - Posting 000704.txt from 1996/10

From: "Robert D. Shaw" <theshaws@-----.NET>
Subj: Re: Decisions, decisions...
Date: Mon, 28 Oct 1996 08:07:10 -0500

Neil Leupold wrote:
>
> > On Tue, 22 Oct 1996, Kelly Rohm wrote:
>
> > > Is there money out
> > > there or do you find yourself teching just to get by? ...
>
> ...to which Richard Johnson replied:
>
> > Did you watch "Mr. Holland's Opus"? If not you should rent it. Wonderful
> > movie. Music was what Mr. Holland really wanted to do, but he ended up
> > teaching to get by. But it wasn't really a bad thing.
>
> This is all very confusing to me. Teaching music to students "just
> to get by" ?? It's made to sound as if there were something shameful or
> unrewarding about the art of teaching one's skills and knowledge to
> younger aspiring musicians. I can't think of many things more noble than
> passing one's legacy onto future generations. And being an active
> orchestral player who doesn't make enough from gigs to support himself, I
> take enormous pleasure, and derive substantial fulfillment, from
> complementing my income by teaching younger students how to play the
> clarinet -- rather than bagging groceries at the local supermarket or
> doing some other non-music related job to pay the rest of my bills. I
> have innumerable other interests in life, but my dream was always to
> "make it", to wholly support myself, by musical means -- putting music
> first in my life and pursuing the OTHER ambitions as hobbies on the side
> in my spare time. Clark Fobes has a lucrative and stimulating clarinet
> repair and products business, freelancing with the San Francisco
> Symphony, Ballet, and Opera orchestras when somebody gets sick or an
> extra body is needed. I'm sure if you asked him, he'd say "Hell YES I'd
> rather have a fulltime gig with an orchestra", but I doubt he'll ever
> utter regrets about how things actually turned out. He could have ended
> up sitting in a desk job typing memos 9-to-5, or doing something else
> that has nothing to do with his passion for music -- all the while, still
> performing with San Francisco's world-class orchestras on the side.
> Given a choice, I'd rather teach, or repair, or computer-engrave
> composers' scores -- SOMEthing to with music -- for primary financial
> support while honing my skills and developing my performance
> career...until the day I win that job with Big Name Symphony Orchestra,
> if it ever comes. Having spent the years supporting myself in law offices,
> real estate offices, and managing a multimedia company, doing something
> musical like teaching clarinet to others finally gave me hope that I
> could involve music as an integral part (no calculus pun intended) of my
> daily work life and not have to rejoin the corporate rat race which once
> sucked away all of my creative artistic energy. If teaching is considered
> "just getting by" by some, I'm HAPPY to do it and do it well.
>
> -- End of Neil's verbosely fatuous editorial --

I have to agree with Neil. I love to play my instrument and am actually
going back to school to get my masters degree in performance in the fall
of 97. But nothing can replace the joy that I get sharing my instrument
with my students (I have 30 at this time!) I have had many students go
into music and someday I hope to have a student go further than I can
ever dream of going( a couple have come close). Then I know that I am
successful!
For musicians, teaching and performing go hand in hand.

Deborah