Klarinet Archive - Posting 000679.txt from 1998/02

From: garylsmith@-----.com (Gary L Smith)
Subj: Asking students to double
Date: Tue, 17 Feb 1998 23:30:48 -0500

On Tue, 17 Feb 1998 15:34:29 -0600 (CST) Roger Garrett
<rgarrett@-----.edu> writes:
>While it was not me making the comment about the conductor and Amtrak,
>I
>feel the conductor is taking advantage of the student....as I posted
>earlier. No one questions the value in being able to double on Eb and
>Bass....it is the quality of education that is being discussed. As a

I think we could start a whole topic on directors who throw different
instruments at students, not to help them develop, but because they need
(or think they need) a (oboe/bassoon/bari sax/whatever). Often, it's the
student who's the most promising on their primary instrument they do this
to - thus yielding a mediocre clarinet/oboe player or even a mediocre
bass/eefer player, rather than a fine player of one instrument who is
prepared to move on to something else later. Sadly, many young players
are so intrigued by the novelty of it all that they don't realize what
they're doing to themselves.

While we can't judge what Wendy's director's mindset is, I'd be concerned
in this case. Three clarinets to keep proficient on, two of which are at
opposite extremes. And I assume she has some other school obligations
too, so there again it's a different story than when you play, uh, for
money. :-)