Klarinet Archive - Posting 000216.txt from 1998/02

From: Gary_VanCott@-----.com
Subj: Re: Starting on E-Flat?
Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 04:41:52 -0500

>I take your point. But I think the same question would apply even to kids
a couple of years
older.
>-rick-
****************

Let me explain my experience is greater detail (rather than try to answer
Roger's question which would take me off the deep end into the differences
between wind instruments and other instruments, with a side trip on why
there are apparently no child prodigies on wind instruments).

I believe that many/most kids of typical ability (on wind instruments at
least) need the enjoyable experience (musical and social) of group playing
to keep them going. My son started lessons about 14 months before he
entered 6th grade (he was about 10 1/2 when he started lessons). This
worked as I had hoped and he has always been the best clarinet player in
the his grade. He is now in 8th grade and is first chair in his middle
school band. I wish I could get him to practice longer, but at least he
practices. He has also caught the saxophone bug (happened to me at the same
age) and I have promised to get him one if he does well in school the
second semester.

If one year early was good, would two be better? I tried this with my
daughter (she wanted to do it). However, after a year of lessons she became
so resistant to practicing that we decided to stop. So she is now on
"vacation." She is planning to start lessons again this summer before she
starts 6th grade. She played her clarinet the other night for the first
time in months and sounded pretty good. She has continued to do quite a bit
of music in school in the choir and was selected to play in the Orff
festival. Some of her friends are going to start instruments next school
year including clarinet so I hope that will motivate her to practice more.
She is still quite small, but has grown some and I hope that will make it
easier for her to reach all the keys and support the instrument properly.
She tried a neck strap, but didn't like it.

I am sure that the other parents of school age children on the klarinet
list want to afford their children every opportunity to develop a love for
music and if possible some musical skills. Two kids is a pretty small
sample to generalize from, but sharing experiences may be valuable others.

Gary Van Cott
Las Vegas, NV