Klarinet Archive - Posting 000249.txt from 1998/02

From: Janet McNaught <mcnaught@-----.com>
Subj: Re: Starting on E-Flat?
Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 04:42:25 -0500

At 09:55 PM 2/3/98 -0600, you wrote:

>Will your daughter have access to a music education program in junior
>high? If so, perhaps not starting her on the clarinet at all until the
>program begins may be your best bet. Putting the musical debate aside
>for the moment, she will be at a disadvantage socially if she starts now,
>and her friends don't start until 6th or 7th grade. While they are
>puttering around on "Mary had a Little Lamb," she may or may not feel
>alone practicing the Weber Concertos. The best friends I have today I
>met because I was in band. I wouldn't trade the social side of it for
>anything. After all, she is just a child, and in the 6th grade, she
>needs to be developing as such. I am afraid that starting her too soon
>may result in frustration and eventually may lead to dropping the
>clarinet all together.

I had a different experience. I started recorder at age 5, piano at 8 and
clarinet at 10. We switched school districts, and I ended up in a music
program which started band instruments in grade 9 - I was a few years ahead.
So I learned percussion, flute and euphonium, and continued clarinet lessons
through private study. I played clarinet in the senior band, flute in the
junior band and percussion in the orchestra, and had a great time! And my
best friends were from band. So I agree that the social side is really
important, but starting early and being more accomplished than other players
doesn't necessarily cause problems.