Klarinet Archive - Posting 000841.txt from 2000/04

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausman@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Music and gender (was: Music and Academic Achievement)
Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2000 18:32:51 -0400

At 03:27 PM 4/19/2000 CST, Diane Karius wrote:
> 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.
>
I would assume the comment was meant to imply that you played with
confidence and a strong tone, not timidly and wimpily "like a girl would."
It was clearly a compliment, however wrongheaded.

Bill Hausmann bhausman@-----.com
451 Old Orchard Drive http://www.concentric.net/~bhausman
Essexville, MI 48732 http://homepages.go.com/~zoot14/zoot14.html
ICQ UIN 4862265

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is too loud.

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