Klarinet Archive - Posting 000703.txt from 1998/02

From: "Gene Nibbelin" <gnibbelin@-----.com>
Subj: Re: Asking students to double
Date: Thu, 19 Feb 1998 03:42:26 -0500

Ed -

I agree with most of what you say regarding the necessity of the
director/teacher influencing instrument choice when the students are
beginning their instrumental studies. I understand this as the band at our
daughter's high school once had about 14 flutes, 4 clarinets and plenty of
brass. This resulted in an extremely weird and etherially sounding band.
Extremely unique, to say the least.

What irritated me about the original posting was the band director's
display of total and inexcusable lack of knowledge of woodwinds as
evidenced by his statement that "if you can play a Bb and a bass clarinet,
you should be able to play an Eb without any trouble." Bitching at and
putting down a student in the way that this director did is grossly
unproffessional. Sounds like a Revelli throwback. (Fortunately, in my
scholastic and brief professional career, I never encountered such a
conductor.)

Gene Nibbelin

----------
> From: Edwin V. Lacy <el2@-----.edu>
> To: klarinet@-----.us
> Subject: Re: Asking students to double
> Date: Wednesday, February 18, 1998 12:57 PM
>
> On Tue, 17 Feb 1998, Gary L Smith wrote:
>
> > 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).
>
> We have had this discussion previously, and the whole argument is faulty,
> because it is based on an incorrect assumption. It's not the _director_
> who needs complete instrumentation in their group, it is the students who
> need to experience the music as it was written.
>
> If left to their own devices, a large majority of 10 and 11-year-old
girls
> will say that they want to play flute, and a similar majority of boys
will
> say thet their preference is for trumpet or drums. So, should the
> director just give in to these societally-conditioned responses and do
> away with bands and orchestras in favor of drum and bugle or drum and
fife
> corps? If the director makes no effort to ensure a complete and balanced
> instrumentation, every student who plays in the band or orchestra is
> cheated.
>
> Also, another factor is that many students will express a preference for
> an instrument for which they are physiologically unsuited. Often, this
> occurs because "Uncle John" has a saxophone (flute, trumpet) in the attic
> which he used to play, but which has now become available for little
> Johnny or Susie. Still, if the director makes no attempt to guide the
> student into a choice of instrument with which he/she is suitable or
> adaptable, then the director is doing the student no favors.
>
> Ed Lacy
> el2@-----.edu

   
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