Klarinet Archive - Posting 000992.txt from 1997/10

From: Fred Jacobowitz <fredj@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: bad tone
Date: Sat, 25 Oct 1997 12:40:21 -0400

NETSKE (what a fascinating name - is it slavic or WWW? ;-)
You raise a strong, but misguided point. A school band teacher
must be a jack-of-all-musical-trades. We all know how almost "jacks" are
not truly expert in all fields. This is not a slam at music teachers. It
is quite impressive that they can demonstrate some competency on as many
instruments as they do. I surely can't deal with string instruments. I
think it is admirable that this teacher wants to help enough to go out of
his way to research the problem and try to get a solution, rather than
give up and settle for mediocrity, as some (like, it seems, your
son's teacher) would. I would be very happy to
have a teacher with this one's attitude teaching my child's band.
As it happens, this problem is a rare one (in the 15+ years I have
been teaching I have only come across it two or three times) so it's not
surprising that he hasn't heard of it or dealt with it. Look at it as a
doctor consulting with specialist colleagues about a condition he is not
sure of. Not all doctor's know about every medical condition any more than
music teachers know all in their field. I think you are being unduly harsh
on this teacher.
As for your son making better progress with a private teacher,
BRAVO. You did the right thing just as you would in sending a child with
behavior problems to a counselor instead of a GP. Any responsible band
teacher will tell you that group sectionals in school teach only the
bare-bones
basics and that all students should have one-on-one instruction. But don't
fault the band instructors for not being experts on particular instruments
and don't expect a band program to do the job of private instruction.

Fred Jacobowitz
Clarinet/Sax Instructor, Peabody Preparatory

On Sat, 25 Oct 1997 NETSKE@-----.com wrote:

> Hello all!
>
> I have a problem with the bad tone message. If someone is a teacher of
> woodwinds, on any level, should'nt they know or find out how to solve the
> pupils problems on their instrument? If the teacher does not have a clue,
> how can the student improve? My son had a similar experience in school band.
> The "teacher" did not address the trouble he was having with his instrument
> and he became very frustrated with the entire musical experience. He gave it
> up for the school year and became re-interested in the summer. I decided to
> get him a private instructor and see if he could make better progress. It
> worked! My son found a new love for music and his instument and is
> progressing at a steady rate. I'm sure not all children would be affected
> the way he was, but it worked for him.
> I feel the "bad teacher" problem in some of our schools turns a lot of kids
> off to music and playing instruments. If a student does not know what levels
> of ability are out there, how can they ever aspire to play on a high level?
> Hiring a professional to teach can be very expensive, but a good school
> music teacher can guide them in the right direction initially. There will be
> a time when the student will need to study with a pro on their chosen
> instrument if they want to go beyond playing in community bands. The point
> I'm trying to make is that if you are a music teacher and you can not
> personally help the student, find someone who can. By not helping the
> student, you do exactly the opposite of what your job is supposed to do. A
> music teacher is supposed to help make musicians. Thank you.
>

   
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