Klarinet Archive - Posting 000988.txt from 2000/08

From: "Lacy, Edwin" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: RE: [kl] Which one? (Uh-oh...newby alert!)
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000 17:00:48 -0400

> Here where I live it is against the law to do what your child's band
> director is doing. Band director's are prohibited from
> dictating to parents what they must and must not purchase or rent.

So, is the band director supposed to pretend that he/she doesn't know that
some instruments are of better quality than others? After going to school
to learn these things, is the teacher prohibited from offering advice?

> First of all, children choose for themselves what they want
> to play instead of the band director dictating what he wants based on what

> section he needs musicians to fill out.

I wouldn't assume in every case that the director is being that
self-concerned or arrogant about making recommendations as to what
instrument a student might play. In many cases, students settle on an
instrument which may be very difficult or nearly impossible to play. Many
have chosen, for example, the flute because their friends play the flute,
even though they may find producing a tone on the flute to be an almost
insurmountable task.

> We have a band night in the all-purpose room of every
> school and all the stores who want to rent or sell can come
> and display their wares so that the "hopelessly ignorant fathers " (and
> mothers) can choose for themselves what they want to rent or buy.

That would seem to pretty much ensure that no store could sell enough
instruments to make it financially feasible to participate in such a circus.

Ed Lacy
el2@-----.edu

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