Klarinet Archive - Posting 001222.txt from 1998/09

From: pollyg@-----. Gulakowski)
Subj: Re: [kl] Marching band and (Concert Band also)
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1998 12:24:19 -0400

"Judged Exhibition" is probably the way to go. The critiques are there
but not the "competition". I didn't like the one show band season at
first, but in our case, it allows MANY more students to participate in
this EXTRACURRICULAR activity at our high achool.
We have a PRIMO violinist on the field for this year's show - projecting
all over the place and dueting with the mellophone. This kid can make
you hold your breath after he's done hoping that if you sit very very
still, he'll keep on playing...
Not too many football audiences can get exposure to musical excellence
hand fed so gently and agreeably to them. They probably would never make
a concert.

Paulette
Live a life of EXCLAMATION not explanation!
Old clarinetists never die, they just get reed-ic-u-lous!

On Wed, 30 Sep 1998 16:00:19 -0400 "Karl Krelove" <kkrelove@-----.com>
writes:
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Craig Earl Countryman <cegc@-----.net>
>To: klarinet@-----.org>
>Date: Wednesday, September 30, 1998 3:29 PM
>Subject: Re: [kl] Marching band and (Concert Band also)
>
>
>>This issue reminds me of something that has been eating at me for a
>long
>>time. Is it standard practice to play only three concert band
>numbers for
>>the majority of concert season
>
> My impression is that the increasing involvement with formal
>competitions
>and other kinds of less formal contest and "adjudication" playing at
>both
>the high school and junior high/middle school levels has made this a
>more
>common situation than it was when I was in school. It is, in my
>opinion, not
>good music education to limit students' performing repertoire for the
>sake
>of a bundle of new trophies each year. But, once a director has
>committed
>his ensemble to participate in these "festivals," he more or less
>obligates
>the band to learn the contest pieces as thoroughly as it can. The
>problem
>seems to be that in some cases, the competitions become the prime
>reason for
>the group's existing at all. Whether this orientation is driven by
>parental
>pressure, administrative expectations, or the teacher's own ego, the
>end is
>that it allows the director to take no chances that the group will
>sound
>less polished than the others. This fear of comparing badly to other
>ensembles is indulged, in my opinion, at the expense of good music
>pedagogy,
>which in an ideal world would concentrate not on learning that other
>disciplines can provide equally well, but on those areas in which
>music is
>unique.
>
>Karl Krelove
>
>
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