Klarinet Archive - Posting 000837.txt from 2000/04

From: "Diane Karius, Ph.D." <dikarius@-----.edu>
Subj: [kl] Music and gender (was: Music and Academic Achievement)
Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2000 17:27:04 -0400

Kevin Fay wrote:
> Gender stereoptyping by instrument is stupid...

... and damaging.

> 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.
>
It may be perceived as a "female-only" instrument at one level
(it certainly was seriously skewed that way when I started, a long
time ago), but based on comments directed to me, apparently only
males can actually be good at it. My favorite of these comments is
still "You play clarinet like a man". When I asked what that meant
(okay, so it _wasn't_ my brightest moment:-), that statement was
explained to me as "You play too well". The leaps of illogic
required to support this contradiction (female-only instrument played
well only by men) are spectacular, and IMHO, explain why Sabine
Mayer can have problems at the same time young men are discouraged
from picking up the instrument.

Diane R. Karius, Ph.D.
Department of Physiology
University of Health Sciences
1750 Independence Ave.
Kansas City, MO 641o6-1453
email: dikarius@-----.EDU
http://uhsweb.edu/physio

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