Klarinet Archive - Posting 000157.txt from 1999/03

From: "Rob Breen" <robert.v.breen@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Options for further education
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 1999 10:17:31 -0500

Ryan Huch wrote: .
> I am a High School senior and am still trying
> to decide on where to go to continue my musical studies. At first, I was
> set on attending a local University (Michigan State University to
> be exact),
> but now I am not so sure that is the best way to go. Just recently I was
> shown what the Marines have to offer with music. They offer many
> opportunities, but it almost seems too good to be true. If it weren't
for
> the 4 year commitment, I wouldn't have to think so hard about the whole
> Military thing, but 4 years is a good chunk of time. I am interested to
> know what other Clarinetists who have been in this position have to say
> about this, and what suggestions anyone can offer. Thanks in advance.

Michael J. Lu responded:

>On the idea of the Marine thing, know that your primary areas of study for
a
>while will be in boot, and that's where they teach you to fight and kick
>ass, not to concentrate on the musical aspects. Fight first, entertainment
>second kind of idea. For colleges, you might want to consult your band
>director, and someone has recently joined the list that attends the
>University of Illinois, where another has mentioned has a good program
with
>a very strong clarinet core.

>From my perch as a holder of a university degree in music and a veteran
of more than 20 years service in U.S. Army Bands, both active duty
National Guard, let me offer my $0.02 worth.

First off, search the Klarinet archives on this thread. It has come up
before and there are some worthwhile comments out there. With that said,
University study and military service need not be mutually exclusive.
Granted, active duty military service tends to take an overriding position
in your life, but there are ways to fit the two pieces together. In my
case,
I went to college first, then into the Army. A few classmates did similar
things, but one grad student had already served 4 years in the Navy and
was studying with Harold Wright on the GI bill. Not a bad deal. (Not sure
when, where or how he did his undergrad work.) Then there's the part time
military option. Several of my colleagues in the CT National Guard Band
are university students who get the benefit of free tuition at the state
universities for being in the National Guard. Don't know if your state
Guard offers this benefit, or if your state Guard has a band, but it might
be worth looking into.

There's also a mind-set issue regarding military music. From the outside,
things like uniforms and regimentation tend to equate very quickly to
some sort of automoton stereotype. The joke is that military music and
military intelligence are both mutually exclusive terms. Indeed, there is
a way of thinking and a way of living that are unique to the military, but
that need not be an obstacle to being a fine musician. Personally, I've
been able to compartmentalize the military and the music to the extent
that I can deal with both without compromising either. In a larger sense,
I've been able to selectively apply the positive aspects of military life,
such
as disciplined routine, to my daily life in such a way as to get the most
out of available practice time. Life is what you make of it.

As far as training goes, all military personnel must complete basic
training
in their respective service. USMC basic is longer and arguably more
challanging than the others, but none is easy. Following basic, Army,
Navy and USMC send you to the same place: The School of Music
at Norfolk, VA. That's for all active duty folks. Some, but not all,
Guard and Reserve folks get to go there. They teach theory and
put you in two or three different bands depending on what you play.
Lots of practice rooms. I was down there for an advanced NCO course
last summer and heard one Navy clarinet student in the basic course
who could play rings around me. She was a graduate of one of the
big mid-western universities - not sure which.

As a final note, consider the following list of military band veterans:

Harold Wright - U.S. Army
Larry Combs - U.S. Army
Anthony Gigliotti - U.S. Navy
Ignatius Genussa - U. S. Navy

Regards,
Rob

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