Klarinet Archive - Posting 001353.txt from 2000/05

From: "Krelove, Karl" <kkrelove@-----.us>
Subj: Re: [kl] Teaching YOUNG students
Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 14:56:22 -0400

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This is why it's a questionable strategy to start kids this small on a
clarinet. Mark's suggestions about a smaller instrument or a plateau-keyed
one are two possibilities, but the student's parents have already shelled
out for one instrument, and the student will outgrow the need for anything
smaller probably within a year.

You can kind of tread water - find material that only goes down to the notes
he can play easily (low Bb or A, most likely) and rearrange anything you can
find that only violates his fingering limits occasionally. Depending on the
kid, you could introduce more involved rhythmic content and perhaps
articulation combinations without introducing new notes until his hands have
grown enough to make coverage easier. This is a lot of work for you, because
this stuff doesn't come this way in any of the standard books. You'll have
to collect folk songs, simple pop songs, anything that will hold his
interest, and write it out (if possible with music notation software,
because reading manuscript can also become an issue with an 8 year old).

If you take this route, check occasionally with a piece that takes him down
below his present limit to see whether his reach is expanding. Once he can
produce a low F, you can start to move into more standard method material if
you like. E/B will take longer, but you can usually work around them.

The important thing is to find a balance between boring him with too little
progression of material and frustrating him with notes he has to struggle
with no matter how much he practices. If he's really very quick and
interested, he'll end up experimenting ahead of what you're trying to teach
him, and *he'll* let *you* know when he can get those last two or three
notes with greater ease. That's if he doesn't become afraid of them first.
Good luck.
Karl Krelove
----- Original Message -----
From: <KDL123@-----.com>>
Subject: [kl] Teaching YOUNG students

> Hello,
>
> I have a very interesting problem....and hopefuly I can find an equally
> interesting solution. I'm a college music education major, and it's
standard
> at are school for us to make our "living" (pay our bills) by teaching
private
> lessons to young students. Young usually equals 11-14, but now this is
> different.
>
> I'll skip alot of things and get straight to the point. I am beginning an
8
> year old on clarinet. The student is quite smart and catches on very
> quickly....he was progressing beautifuly until we got to the right
hand...his
> hands just are big enough to adequatley cover the holes....ANY
SUGGESTIONS?

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