Klarinet Archive - Posting 000574.txt from 1997/02

From: "Edwin V. Lacy" <el2@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Male & Female players / natural ability
Date: Sun, 16 Feb 1997 22:29:04 -0500

On Sun, 16 Feb 1997, CLARK FOBES wrote:

> The fact that there are more men playing the clarinet than
> women has mostly to do with the ingrained sexism in the classical music
> scene. Fortunatley, we are beginning to see a break away from that
> tradition.

I have been somewhat mystified that we seem somehow to have come to the
conclusion that male clarinet players outnumber female ones. Perhaps
those who are saying this mean to include only those clarinetists in
professional orchestras.

I can relate from experience that in elementary schools, junior high
schools and high schools throughout the mid-section of this country, male
clarinetists are almost non-existant. I began on the clarinet many years
ago, and was one of two male clarinetists in an entire school system, as
compared to perhaps 50 or more females. I taught in public schools for
six years in Indiana and Illinois, and rarely had a male clarinetist. In
my last couple of years of teaching, my clarinet sections in the high
school bands consisted of 16 females and 2 males. Here at the University
of Evansville, we currently have 11 clarinet majors - 10 women, one man.
In the past 20 years there have been only 2 male clarinet majors. I have
observed a similar distribution in many other schools.

What is the evidence for statements such as the one quoted above?

Ed Lacy
*****************************************************************
Dr. Edwin Lacy University of Evansville
Professor of Music 1800 Lincoln Avenue
Evansville, IN 47722
el2@-----.edu (812)479-2754
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