Klarinet Archive - Posting 000033.txt from 1999/06
From: Gary@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] What the Boomers will bring
Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 17:25:11 -0400
Both the community college and the university have community oriented
bands, here in Las Vegas. This is the only band at the community college
and it occasionally has one or two actual community college students in
it. The age range is about 13 to 80. Some of the players are
professionals (this is Las Vegas after all) who don't have enough to do.
UNLV has another band for regular students but they have quite a few
students playing in their community oriented band.
This arrangement has a number of advantages. For the price of a
semester's tuition (about $39 at the community college, over age 62 is
free) we get a professional conductor, a good rehearsal room, a nice
auditorium, lots of music, etc. The community college in return gets a
more complete looking music program and a band to play at graduation.
It might be worth looking into. I know this arrangement exists in other
places. It also avoids the politics and fund raising that are often part
of independent community bands.
Gary
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ Gary Van Cott - VCIS, Inc.
+ Clarinet Books and more - New & Used - Sold & Purchased
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+ Phone & Fax: 702-438-2102 Email: Gary@-----.com
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Subject: Re: [kl] What the Boomers will bring
>Exactly the need filled by the growing number of community bands around
the
>country. They come in all ranges of skill and size. I have personally
>played in or conducted several groups over the last 15 years or so
ranging
>from 6 or 7 players doing junior high music through 65-member bands
playing
>standard band repertoire. No money in free bands, except sometimes for
the
>conductors, but a collection of potential students for those interested
in
>teaching. And a way to keep us old baby-boomer fogies off the streets
one
>night a week!
I'm getting to the point where I'd like to play for living beings who are
not my cats. But the problem for me, at least, is FINDING a community
band. Some areas of Jersey have them, but up around here in Lyndhurst,
where the musical culture is confined to kids blasting rap out of their
open street racers, there IS no action, nor is there any perceived
interest
among local church music ministers to rewrite arrangements for the pipe
organ to fit a bass clarinet or alto sax:-). The most I've seen is
occasionally a guy fills in for the organist on a 12-string guitar.
Kumbaya, my Lord....
How does one go about STARTING a community ensemble? I gather that in
many
of them, your skill level going in is far less important than your
enthusiasm: the better players will often take the less-skilled under
their
wings and teach them specific techniques for particular situations. So
everyone benefits. But again, where I am--and I wonder how many others
here are in a similar situation--the issue is of creating something from
nothing.
Ken
Kenneth Wolman kwolman@-----.net (or)
kwolman@-----.net
"From the Meadowlands": http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Gallery/1649
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