Klarinet Archive - Posting 000980.txt from 2000/02
From: Topper <leo_g@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Very much on-topic language skills
Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 15:07:59 -0500
One has to remember that there are a certain amount of students and
professionals who are not only trained musicians but artists. There are
times when the assembly line in the sky might be a give and take - leaving
one student with an overabundance of one skill and lacking in another. Yet
some students may manifest his or her artistry in a derivative form of
language which may very well be a way the brain is secretly applying a
memory or a creative process. This does not however excuse laziness. We
must also be aware and make them aware of their surroundings; that there
may be a possible "acculturative" or even a geographic reason for this. You
should hear the way students in high school speak these days. Not that the
English language is all so great in its proper forms. It is too heavily
bombarded by professors of one subject or another who claim exclusive use
and definition for a certain area for words that might otherwise be better
understood by their parts origins and context to make use elsewhere. I
think it's fun to experiment with words. Give the listener something to
think about and interpret. It is much about interpretation anyway.
There are also the dyslexic individuals who may wish to forgo the spell
checker to practise their inversions :-)
Same thing I have always done with my students. To accept their
shortcomings, point them out as more of a recognition of their individual
ways; suggest a possible cause as to help apply a solution. But never to
impose a language on anyone. Language is an art. Learning to recognize
where brilliance may disguise itself as a series of melodic inversions
rather than mere wrong notes is the teacher's responsibility. Even when the
training is rigidly exacting to classical standards one must keep an eye
open for various other routes where a particular student may flourish.
But I agree that the confidence, and manor by which one presents themselves
verbally; projecting in body, mind, and spirit as one level is tied to the
musical expression; in the way you say that one must speak as clear as one
projects a tone. This is important.
Cheers,
leo
At 11:07 AM -0800 2/26/00, Daniel Leeson wrote:
>Neil's note suggesting that grammatic diversity serves a useful purpose
>is shown below. I could not agree less.
>
>One of the things that a clarinet player will probably have to do at
>some juncture of his/her life is to write about what they do. Some
>players are very brilliant performers but cannot communicate the time of
>day in intelligable, clear, articulate English (or whatever his/her
>language might be).
>
>If one tolerates sloppy, misspelled, grammatically inaccurate writings
>on this list (or worse, if our better players manifest it in their own
>writing styles), then the younger players are not going to be motivated
>to follow suit. While this has some social consequences, that is far
>less of a problem than the financial consequences of being inarticulate
>or appearing uneducated when they attempt to communicate in writing;
>i.e., they can make more money by being articulate and playing well,
>than they can simply by planing well.
>
>There are brilliant clarinetists in the US (and elsewhere) today who
>cannot write effectively about what they do. If they could, their
>audience would be greater and their impact more substantial. Some will
>never write or communicate well because great clarinet playing does not
>necessarily mean having the needed abilities to communicate well. But
>most of us do have that ability and by failing to stress its importance
>to younger players, we do them a disservice.
>
>Neil Leupold wrote:
>>
>> --- Jim O'Briant <jobriant@-----.com> wrote:
>>
>> > I figured that with the level of English grammar,
>> > syntax and spelling that I see from students on
>> > several different mailing lists, a little bit of
>> > education wouldn't hurt, either.....
>>
>> Ah yes, I used to be this way. I've come to recognize
>> over time, however, that there are actually "styles" of
>> English misconstruction. These distinctions become part
>> of people's written identities and lend character to their
>> particular brands of discourse. It is certainly not spe-
>> cific to students. Rather than interpreting such aberra-
>> tions as indications of laziness or incompetence, I've come
>> to view them as unique forms of self-expression. With only
>> the written word for communication on a mailing list, these
>> idiosyncratic foibles can genuinely serve to enrich one's
>> perception of the individual where few other qualifiers
>> exist ~ and I mean that in a positive way. In short,
>> let the mistakes abound!
>>
>> -- Neil
>
>--
>***************************
>** Dan Leeson **
>** leeson0@-----.net **
>***************************
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>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
Cheers, Leo
Autions' Underway:
http://cgi6.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewListedItems&userid@-----.c
om
"You Take The High Notes" http://helius.carroll.com/p/leo_g/ My musical
instruments, parts, tools, classical LP, 1800's and 1900's piano music and
with violin editions. A family collection for sale and auction. Items for
sale date from 1813 to 1987. Please bookmark or link page as new items are
catalogued weekly. Links will be exchanged upon request. I am especially
interested in Musical Instrument History and technical date. Please email
me with interesting links.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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
