Klarinet Archive - Posting 000695.txt from 1999/07

From: "Edwin V. Lacy" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: [kl] Re: School Music programs
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1999 23:26:17 -0400

Since at times past I have become a little impatient about marching band
threads, I feel a little guilty at having started similar threads on two
different lists. I ordinarily wouldn't have posted about this, but was
feeling a bit frustrated a few days ago about the prospect of a student
trying to learn the bassoon without a teacher, while at the same time
spending most of her waking hours in marching band. A few people have
written to me privately to question whether a program such as I described
could actually exist. I assure you, it does. We have had problems with
students from this particular high school in the past.

A few years ago, I had an oboe student who attended the same school. She
began having symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. When she had to miss a
marching band rehearsal to go out of town to consult with a hand surgeon
of national reputation, the director threatened to lower her grade in
band. Eventually, she had to have surgery. When her mother informed the
director that her daughter might not be able to play continuously in every
rehearsal, he questioned the student's degree of "committment."

As I indicated earlier, this school will complete their marching season on
a Saturday in November. On the following Monday, two days later, the
director traditionally holds his "organizational meeting" for the *next
year's* marching season.

In this area, there are quite a few band directors (I don't call them
music educators) who are smitten with the idea of the drum and bugle
corps. They will drive across the country to hear one perform. On their
holidays and weekends, they watch videotapes of drum and bugle corps or
marching band competitions. If you go to their music teacher's staff
meetings, they talk an incomprehensible jargon belonging to the drum and
bugle corps culture. To participate, you need to learn casually to throw
about such terms as "curvo-linear," "horns south," and others. However,
at no time in these meetings will you hear any mention of music.

Ed Lacy
el2@-----.edu

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org

   
     Copyright © Woodwind.Org, Inc. All Rights Reserved    Privacy Policy    Contact charette@woodwind.org