Klarinet Archive - Posting 000246.txt from 1998/02

From: Dee Hays <deerich@-----.net>
Subj: Re: Elitism
Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 04:42:22 -0500

Actually there does seem to be an amazing amount of elitism in picking /
recommending clarinets. On the bulletin boards, etc I see a lot of
people taking the approach (or students being pushed into the approach
by an instructor) that everyone who plays, regardless of their musical
activity, should play a professional grade instrument. This is
nonsense. That's like saying everyone should drive a Cadillac or
Mercedes. And I imagine that most people would balk at buying a
Steinway concert grand for the home.

While I do agree that students can benefit from the best equipment that
they can afford, when it gets to the point where a high school student
is taking out a loan to buy a professional level instrument it starts to
smack of fiscal irresponsibility on the part of the person "pushing"
these concepts. Students can make good musical progress on student and
intermediate (new or used) instruments while SAVING for a better
instrument. Students need to be made aware of the fact that they can
save up the money for an item in less than half the time it would take
to pay off a loan. Yes it requires some sacrifices but in the end is
worth it. If they haven't the discipline to make the sacrifice of
continuing on their existing clarinet and the discipline to save the
money, they really don't need a pro instrument.

Now I am not as rigid as this may make me sound. For example if a
student's existing instrument is beyond repair and their music is
important to them AND they understand that they are paying more by
taking a loan and are willing to sacrifice some other things, then we
have a scenario where it may be reasonable to do this.

Professional players are also in a totally different situation than
students.

Dee Hays
deerich@-----.net
Canton, SD