Klarinet Archive - Posting 000681.txt from 1998/06

From: "David C. Blumberg" <reedman@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] re:teacher talent (was beginner)
Date: Sat, 20 Jun 1998 09:02:23 -0400

Mitch, what you gave IS an example of someone who can (or could) play.
That is what counts. The teacher had the talent, and knowledge of doing the
art at a high level. Do you think the great gymnast coach Bela (whatever
the heck his last name is) who consistently coaches top Olympic gymnasts
can do much now? No not at all probably, but when he was young, he could.
That's the difference. How can one teach good tone, if they can't (or never
could) produce it themselves? One can't teach phrasing, if they don't have
the musical sense to do it themselves?

Date: Fri, 19 Jun 1998 11:21:26 -0400
From: Mitch Bassman <mbassman@-----.com>
Subject: Re: [kl] Beginner students
At 09:49 AM 6/19/98 -0400, Mr. Sheim wrote:
>I tend to disagree with this. "If you can't play, then you can't teach" is
>quite different from "If you can't teach, then you can't play."
>[snip]
>So "If you can't play, then you can't
>teach" really IS a valid statement.
Sorry, but I have to provide a (qualified) counterexample. My daughter just
spent the past four years studying with a voice teacher who cannot sing.
But, wow, can she teach! The teacher is an older woman who was a vocalist
in her younger days. Unfortunately she suffered a stroke, and now speaks
with a very raspy voice. She is not able to demonstrate what she wants her
students to do, but she apparently has no trouble describing it.
The results speak for themselves. An example of an outstanding teacher who
know longer can use her instrument.
Mitch Bassman
Burke, Virginia, USA

David Blumberg
reedman@-----.com
http://www.sneezy.org/clarinet/Music/Blumberg.html
http://www.sneezy.org/clarinet/Sponsors/

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