Klarinet Archive - Posting 000534.txt from 1997/10

From: Charles <chardy@-----.com>
Subj: Re: Music education in MI.
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 11:56:48 -0400

At 10:55 AM 10/13/97 -0400, you wrote:
>In my neck of the wood (Northville, MI school district)
>music starts in 6th grade, 5 days a week, no "group" or
>private lessons - but the bands at the middle school are
>split into basically woodwind and brass sections during
>most of the school year. The sections play and practice
>together every day, and only a couple of weeks before
>a concert do both sections practice together (the percussion
>section is split between both groups).
>
>In high school, there is no orchestra. Marching band is
>required if you're in symphonic band. Again, no group
>or private lessons - we're all expected to provide lessons
>for our children out of our own pocket if we want our
>children to really progress in music.
>
>The high scholl has an excellent jazz band program for
>after school, but no clarinets in it (I tried to get the
>director to change his mind ... to no avail).
>
>I talked last week to the director, Mike Rumbell, about
>whether or not they'll ever have an orchestra. He doesn't
>think so - he tried before, but in his opinion it takes
>a good 10 years or so to build a good high school orchestra
>program, and no one wants to stick around (or can commit to
>sticking around) for that long.
>
>There are other school districts in Michigan which run the
>music department completely differently. There is no state
>mandate or special support for music in the pre-college
>schools AFAIK.
>--
>Mark Charette, MIKA Systems, Inc., charette@-----.com
>">>As far as I can tell, no."
>">Fortunately, this is not correct."
>"Proving once again that ... the best way to extract useful infor-
>mation is to post wrong information." - Roger Glover, F90 mail list
>
It wouldn't be too hard for a good clarinetist to master the sax to play in the jazz band. There are not many arrangements for jazz bands that have "just" clarinet parts.

In order for there to be an orchestra in high school {of any quality) strings would have to be started in the elementary school and continued through the middle school. A five year plan would be more realistic. {than 10). You just need good teachers!

Charlie