Klarinet Archive - Posting 001758.txt from 1998/04

From: "Carl Schexnayder" <carlsche@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Re: auditions - Why schools turn out inferior musicians
Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 14:08:23 -0400

I don't know if this ever went through.

-----Original Message-----
From: Carl Schexnayder <carlsche@-----.com>
Date: Monday, April 27, 1998 9:08 AM
Subject: Re: auditions - Why schools turn out inferior musicians
>>
>
>>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>>From: Roger Garrett <carlsche@-----.com
>>>>To: klarinet@-----.org
>>>>Date: Thursday, April 23, 1998 10:53 AM
>>>>Subject: Re: auditions
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>On Thu, 23 Apr 1998, Hat NYC 62 wrote:
>>>>>> As to why schools are putting out clarinetists with performance
>degrees
>>>>who
>>>>>> have no understanding of these details. . .I can only guess that is
is
>>>>that
>>>>>> peculiar American obsession with having an enormous symphonic band
and
>>>>needing
>>>>>> warm bodies to fill the clarinet chairs. They are 'tuition fodder' in
>>>the
>>>>>> worst and most exploitive sense of the word.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Another Point of View:
>>>>
>>>>I think it may have something to do with the general lack of standards
in
>>>>our country. In the public school situation, (or mine anyway), students
>>>>don't want to be held responsible for anything, their parents don't want
>>>>them held responsible for anything, etc. So the parents complain to the
>>>>school board members, who complain to the superintendent, who complains
>to
>>>>the principle, who calls you in and wants to know who the hell you think
>>>you
>>>>are??!!...FAILING this student just because he can't play his instrument
>>>and
>>>>so on.
>>>>
>>>>One year, I was given a remedial math class to teach, (out of my field).
>>I
>>>>told the students that, in my opinion, to pass a remedial math class,
>they
>>>>should learn enough math to be placed in a practical math class the next
>>>>year. These students were not dumb!! They could easily pass that kind
>of
>>>a
>>>>class. I had to teach at the second grade level. But why should they
>>>learn
>>>>to do math?? If I would just cooperate with the system like the math
>>>>teachers, I would just pass them in remedial math 1 and they would go to
>>>>remedial math 2, which was exactly the same as remedial math 1 because
>the
>>>>teacher had to start over from scratch again. Sadly, they would
>>eventually
>>>>get a diploma!!!
>>>>
>>>>I refused to give them my part of that diploma. At the end of the first
>>>>semester, there was one student passing the class. So, what did the
>>>>administrator do? After first trying to get me to lighten up, he gave
>the
>>>>class to someone else to teach, (which was fine with me anyway)!! But,
>at
>>>>the end of the year, I asked the other teacher how many students passed
>>the
>>>>course. The answer was "0"! They picked the wrong person, another
>>>non-math
>>>>teacher), to take my place!
>>>>
>>>>Well, you can imagine, what kind of expectation there is for an
>>>"unimportant
>>>>subject like band!! Of course, everyone should pass no matter what!! I
>>>>once had a parent tell me that, "certainly no student in a gorgeous
>>>sounding
>>>>band like mine could have possibly earned an "F" because, otherwise, the
>>>>band wouldn't sound so good"! So I had to break the news to her that
the
>>>>reason we sounded so good was because I gave her daughter a solid
>>>>mouthpiece. (Not really, but I let her sit in the band and fake playing
>>>her
>>>>music!
>>>>
>>>>I could go on, but you get the picture. Anyway, my thought is that this
>>>>type of philosophy cannot help but be perpetuated in college, at least
to
>>>>some degree!
>>>>
>>>>Carl Schexnayder
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>
>>
>
>

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