Klarinet Archive - Posting 000872.txt from 1999/07

From: Roger Garrett <rgarrett@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] school music programs(kinda defending corps too)
Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 08:28:05 -0400

On Wed, 21 Jul 1999, Paulette W. Gulakowski wrote:
> Compare the percentage of highschool musicians who have the opportunity
> to at least learn a little about Carmina Burana through a corps
> transcription and the percentage through the local youth symphony.

Ah yes, the voicing Orff used, the colors, mixtures of sounds......kind of
like saying that experiencing Doonsbury at least teaches the general idiot
about art.

Sorry Paulette, I like a lot of what you have to say, but your point above
is simply not correct.

> At
> least around here, it costs hundreds and hundreds of dollars to play in
> these "youth symphonies", they are by audition only (buncha snobs we have
> I sometimes think) and there's not many. I drove 45 minutes one way and
> sat in a semidark parking lot for 2 hours every week so my son could play
> in a youth symphony (parents weren't allowed in). (He was also head
> section leader in the marching band when he got a little older - and he
> drove himself to symphony at the same time.)

Tendency to judge all youth orchestras by one experience. For every bad
youth orchestra experience, there are 100 bad marching band experiences.

> If we can change an
> indifferent student into one who at least is interested in learning more
> about Carmina have we not promoted good music in an acceptable way?

Perhaps, but not necessarily. What you have prompted is an interest in
SOMETHING with a particular type of music as the carrot. That doesn't
make it good music - just an interest. You could also have your son learn
the electric guitar and play in a terrible rock n roll band (as opposed to
a good one), and his interest might really soar - that doesn't make it a
great musical experience.

Roger Garrett
Professor of Clarinet
Director - Concert Band, Symphonic Winds & Titan Band
Advisor - Recording Studio
Illinois Wesleyan University

---------------------------------------------------------------------
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