Klarinet Archive - Posting 000820.txt from 2000/04

From: "Kevin Fay" <kevinfay@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Music and Academic Achievement
Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2000 14:50:21 -0400

Kevin Callahan wrote:

<<<Cool for you, but we still have some of the instrument predjudices. In
fact the only male flute player we have, who happens to be my best friends
and was so before I even knew he played flute, is teased immensely.>>>

My best friend in high school -- the guy I bought my first car from, and the
best man at my first wedding -- was the only male flute player in the band.
Consistent with your friend's experience, "Crazy Eric" was teased a great
deal for playing such a "girly" instrument. Much of the teasing was based
on immature homophobia; he was graced with all of the unfortunately familiar
epithets.

. . . which in the end made no sense. Eric was not a particularly good
flute player, but got to hang out a lot with girls, an activity he enjoyed
immensely. (FWIW, he ended up marrying one of his section-mates.)

Gender stereoptyping by instrument is stupid, which I define as the
emotional maintenance of prejudice in the face of contrary empirical
evidence. "Everyone knows" that females can't play trumpet (notwithstnading
the existence of Barbara Butler, Susan Slaughter, Laurie Frink, Jeanne
Pocius) and that males are physically incapable of playing flute (but see
Julius Baker, James Galway, Jean-Pierre Rampal et al).

Now it appears that the clarinet is a "female-only" instrument? Heck, it's
not that long ago that Sabine Meyer had trouble with the Berlin Philharmonic
for BEING female. Give me a break.

kjf
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

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