Klarinet Archive - Posting 000050.txt from 1998/09

From: "Bert Amten" <major.bam@-----.se>
Subj: [kl] SV: [kl] Children and Clarinet Playing
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1998 13:32:24 -0400

I sincerely believe that you are discussing this from a wrong view point.
In Sweden where I live it is not at all unusual to start children on cla-
rinet when they are beginning school that is 6 or 7 years old. If they
really want it they will be able to play without too much problems.
The big problems come a few years later when they naturally change
their teeth. Imagine trying to have a descent embouchure when you
have lost one of your lower front teeth. They develop the most weird
embouchure in order to be able to play at all, and they have to use
that embouchure for quite some time because their front teeth do not fall
out at the same time. To correct the habits from this takes a long
time and a lot of patience from both teacher, pupil and parents.
Believe me, my family has been through this stage. That was the time
when our now 13 year old daughter almost gave up her playing after
playing the clarinet for 5 years literally all days of the year.
It is also a necessity to get some kind of acceptance from the child
that it has to be done although the tone is not bad at all, but that
there will come more difficult tones later that demands a change.

Together with her another 5 pupils started at the same time of which
3 gave up because of this although they were not bad at all. None
of them had problems with breathing or fingering or the weight of the
clarinet.

My daughter is one of the smallest pupils in her class of 25 and one
of the smallest of her age in a school of 450, so it is in our case not
at all a question of body-size that made it possible for her to play
so early but her own will and a passionate teacher.

Bert Amten
Vaxholm
Sweden

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