Klarinet Archive - Posting 000401.txt from 2000/06

From: "webler1" <webler1@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Students in general, was Re: [kl] New Student
Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2000 07:52:11 -0400

You can go ahead and print it out and leave it on music stands. I hope that
it helps.
Thanks for the kind words.

I live in Lilburn, Georgia. About 17 miles from Atlanta.

I too, which I could go back and start again knowing what I know now. How
much progress
I could have made if I didn't spend most of my time doing it my way. I'm
just thankful that my
memory is good enough to remember many of the things I was taught.
Unfortunately, some of the people that taught me are not around, so I'm not
able to apologize to them for my own stubbornness.

Jay Webler
Jay's Clarinet and Percussion

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tony Wakefield" <tony-wakefield@-----.net>
Subject: Re: [kl] Students in general, was Re: [kl] New Student

> Hello Jay,
> Not a <ramble> I say. I wish I could be 13 years old again, starting with
> you. What I would like is for you to allow me to print out your <ramble>.
I
> can then leave copies lying around quite innocently on the music stands. I
> do promise to credit <you> with composing the ramble tho`.
>
> Incidentally, would it be nice if we could all state where we all live?
Not
> necessarily age, or proficiency, but some little personal info we could
all
> relate to. Just a thought - or does that begin to assimilate the <chat>
> lines too much? I live in Ashford in Surrey, quite close to Heathrow
> Airport. Half an hour into Central London. I compose, and I also play a
> little restaurant piano, but to my life long frustration, I have never
> picked up a <good> orchestral position on clarinet. I`m taking my wife to
> the Royal Opera House this Thursday to see the Kirov Ballet do The
Sleeping
> Beauty, (birthday treat). It will probably be the R.O.H. Orchestra tho`.
> Nothing wrong with that tho` I say. It took me 20 minutes to get through
to
> the booking office. (it`s that William Wright surfing for tips again) I
> heard pretty much most of the music over the phone waiting, so I said to
the
> ticket office "There`s no need for me to come now, I`ve heard it!"
> Tell me if all this bores you - please!!!!!!!!!
> Nice to meet you Jay,
> Tony W.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: webler1 <webler1@-----.com>
> To: <klarinet@-----.org>
> Sent: 12 June 2000 03:09
> Subject: Re: [kl] Students in general, was Re: [kl] New Student
>
>
> > Hello Joshua,
> >
> > First of all I commend your dedication to the instrument and the hard
> work.
> > Keep it up, but don't hold your breath for 20 measures if need to phrase
> > with the rest of the band. (slight pun).
> >
> > Although, I sympathize with your opinion concerning students who don't
> > necessarily want to be professional players I must say that I find
myself
> > disagreeing with your over all assessment. If you want to play an
> > instrument in your own home, on your own time to help you to get your
mind
> > off of your problems then that is fine, and I heartily recommend it.
> > However, as soon as you sit in a group you have a responsibility to help
> > that group sound as good as possible. Music is one of those areas where
> > people think that they can just do it for themselves while forgetting
that
> > others are depending on their ability. Imagine for a moment, a high
> school
> > football player who told his coach that he was just in it for the fun,
and
> > didn't really want to take it too seriously. Would this do the team any
> > good. More importantly, what does this say about the individual who is
> > saying this. One of the first things we must learn in life is to stop
> > thinking about ourselves all of the time and realize that what we do
> affects
> > others. (That is not a pleasant thought to those of us who have grown up
> in
> > the me generation).
> >
> > When I have a student who doesn't care about how they play their
> instrument
> > I also become concerned. Not because I want them to be a professional
> > Clarinetist, but because they need to learn to get out of themselves.
We
> > must all learn to continue on even when we are faced with stress and
> > difficult times.
> >
> > We must also learn to follow directions. You will be faced with this
for
> > the rest of your life. One of the things that frustrates me is when a
13
> or
> > 14 year student tells me that, "I don't want to learn this new
fingering,
> > because it's confusing". That tells me that the student would rather
> spend
> > their life doing something the wrong way because they don't want to
spend
> > the time learning a way which will make things easier in the long term.
> It
> > also tells me that they don't understand what it means to be a student.
> If
> > a student is not teachable in the lesson room, more than likely they are
> not
> > teachable in other areas of school and life. One of the things that a
> Music
> > teacher can do for a young student is to help them learn the value of
> > learning.
> >
> > About a month ago I wrote about a student who just flatly refused to do
> some
> > of the things that I taught. It even came to a point that I had to tell
> her
> > that I would not longer be her teacher if she continued to be stubborn.
> > Last week she auditioned for a special band in middle school. She
didn't
> > make it, but she did tell that she
> > received compliments on her sound, intonation, and sight reading. (She
> > became extremely nervous and messed up her scales). I asked her why she
> > received the comments. She said, "because I started to use the
breathing
> > that you suggested, and I got the reed that you recommended. She began
to
> > see the benefit of listening to her teacher. She may never learn to be
a
> > great Clarinetist, but if she learns to trust a teacher and puts away
some
> > of this childish rebellion that most youngsters have, she will be much
> > better prepared for the struggles of life.
> >
> > My point is this, a good teacher is not just interested in cranking out
> > professional musicians. We want these students to learn how to live.
> >
> > How many of you adults remember the teacher that just let you go. For
> > myself, I remember the teachers that cared enough to tell me the truth.
> >
> > Sorry for rambling.
> >
> > Jay Webler
>
>
>
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