Klarinet Archive - Posting 000771.txt from 1998/02

From: "Gene Nibbelin" <gnibbelin@-----.com>
Subj: Re: Asking students to double
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 1998 17:14:57 -0500

Stephen -

I have an Irish temper, which over the years I have become more able to
control. Over my 40 + years in banking and as a department head, I learned
that losing one's temper is unproductive at best and disastrous at worst.
You don't lead people, bankers or musicians, by losing your temper.

In my student days, if the band director had thrown a chair at me, he
probably would have gotten 3 or 4 chairs back in return, and I would have
been just following his example.

I knew a high school and college orchestra conductor, now retired, who,
immediately after his college years gained the reputation of being an
"enfent terrible". He soon learned that this was not the way to succeed.
He became the head of a small college music school and built it into a
school with considerable prestige. Successful enough, that the Music
Building is named for him. In addition, he developed that rare ability to
consistently deliver orchestra performances several levels over the real
ability of the orchestra. He made them play better than they knew how.

I predict that your band instructor will not go far unless he changes his
attitude - or - finds a different line of work. The latter may be
preferable because, obviously, he is not happy doing what he is doing now.

Gene Nibbelin
----------
> From: Stephen J Frederick <joesmarts@-----.com>
> To: klarinet@-----.us
> Subject: Re: Asking students to double
> Date: Thursday, February 19, 1998 7:03 PM
>
> My teacher Mr. Strang throws chairs and batons at people!
> On Tue, 17 Feb 1998 23:30:48 EST garylsmith@-----.com (Gary L Smith)
> writes:
> >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. :-)