Klarinet Archive - Posting 000391.txt from 1997/05

From: BKruse@-----.com
Subj: Evil band directors
Date: Mon, 12 May 1997 16:08:45 -0400

None of my clarinet teachers ever tried this dumb trick with me so why
would it be OK for some general-purpose high school band director to do it?
(My apologies to those of you who are high school band directors.) I
didn't see the original incident so I may be flying off the handle
prematurely, but it sounds like a case of boundary violations. High school
band is rife with possibilities for intimidation and abuse without this
kind of stuff. Even if the incident in question were staged as a careful
demonstration with the voluntary consent of the student, it still seems to
me that it could easily mislead kids into adopting a pinched off sort of
embouchure (sort of like the complaints leveled against marching band
embouchures on the recent thread).

Barry
_____
Subject: re:scales
Author: MUS_JCA@-----.EDU at MINDSCAPE
Date: 5/11/97 8:04 PM
<snip>
Now a question: Recently I was annoyed when some band director jerked the
clarinet that was in the mouth of one of my students, presumably to check
the "firmness" of the embouchure. This procedure involved wiggling the
instrument to see if it would remain in her mouth, I guess. The student had
a look of horror, I was mortified, but I have since discovered this is THE
way that the area band directors check for embouchure "firmness"--I have
not in recent memory seen this procedure done, and it has bothered me ever
since, but I seem to be in the very minuscule minority, even amongst
woodwind players, when I've expressed my displeasure at this abuse.
Apologies,if I'm just out-of-it, and this is a standard acceptable practice
by clarinetists, which is my question: Is it?
Thanks for your input!-------Julie