Klarinet Archive - Posting 000018.txt from 1998/09

From: "Sherry Katz" <slkatz@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Children and Clarinet Playing
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1998 21:06:35 -0400

-----Original Message-----
From: Ed Lyons <edlyons@-----.com>
Date: Tuesday, September 01, 1998 2:51 PM
Subject: [kl] Children and Clarinet Playing

>
>
>Any ideas on how young a person can start learning clarinet? Is it a good
idea to start a child out on the Eb? or should a parent wait (assuming
there is sufficient interest on the child's part) until he or she can handle
a Bb?
>
>Excuse me if this has already been a thread on the list.
>
---
I don't know what the accepted wisdom is - but I started at 8 on a Bb
clarinet, and I was small for my age (I'm in my 40s now). I wasn't even
interested in clarinet per se - my parents picked it for me. I guess it
worked out because I still play and really enjoyed it as a child. Our
school started up on Flutophone (like a recorder) and reading music in first
grade. I started clarinet in third grade - I don't think it was too soon
but any earlier would have been. A younger child can learn to read music
with a simple instrument or keyboard though.

Sherry Katz

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