Klarinet Archive - Posting 000144.txt from 1997/08

From: "Todd and Lynnette Staley" <nette@-----.net>
Subj: Re: Kids Today
Date: Tue, 5 Aug 1997 22:07:58 -0400

Sarah,
Speaking as a music ed student and soon to be teacher, the problem is that
in college, one is required only to take a semester course in such things
as brass, woodwind and percussion and spend only weeks on each flute,
clarinet, etc. At my school, the woodwind tech class is one semester and
only three instruments are studied, usually flute, clarinet and bassoon or
oboe. None of the instruments are studied as in depth as they should be,
only the basics of playing such as fingerings and embouchre. As future
band directors, I have long felt that we should be required to thoroughly
study every instrument in more detail such as cleaning, reed and
mouthpiece choice on woodwinds and on brass. I intend to find experienced
people to come in and do master classes in my band rooms to help eliminate
such problems as you have described. It is only the fault of the
instructor that the kid put the clarinet inthe bathtub. The first lesson
you should get on any instrument is proper care. Until directors realize
that they are not experts on every instrument, these things will happen.
Lynnette
--
Todd & Lynnette Staley
email: nette@-----.net

----------
> From: Sarah B. Horney <benevolent1@-----.com>
> To: klarinet@-----.us
> Subject: Kids Today
> Date: Tuesday, August 05, 1997 7:34 PM
>
> What's the matter with *kids* these days? Well, speaking as a
> kid whose first band director never told me how to do anything with my
> instrument, I ask what is the matter with band directors these days. I
> never was even told how to choose a reed or how to correctly swab my
> instrument until our school hired a real woodwind two years later than I
> started. The first director played trumpet and couldn't even put a
> clarinet together, let alone teach us how to care for it.
> Sorry, I just had to vent. I am so sick of being told that because one
> kid did something a bit questionable (as this bathtub thing was), I am
> stupid or rude or cynical. I maintain straight A's, and am president of
> a debating society. I started in JYR when I was in second grade, and
was
> elected president when I was in fifth. This society is for members aged
> 7-18, and the high schoolers who made up the majority of the club
thought
> I was responsible so they elected me as their leader.
> I know this was probably left as an off-handed remark, but I
> think you could have ended the otherwise well-meaning thought with a
more
> appropriate closing. I am sorry, this was not meant as a chastising
> message, but I really dislike generalizations when more appropriate
> conclusions could be made.
>
> Sarah
> benevolent1@-----.com
>
> On Tue, 05 Aug 1997 18:03:41 EDT hlandry@-----.com (Harvey G Landry)
> writes:
> >
> >True story: A friend of mine who is a band teacher told me once that
> >one of his clarinet students tried to wash his instrument in the
> >bathtub. And it was a WOOD clarinet. What's the matter what kids
> >these days?
> >
> >Mel
> >hlandry@-----.com