Klarinet Archive - Posting 000760.txt from 2001/01
From: <rkabear@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Copying teachers?
Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2001 15:22:53 -0500
Another good trick to provide a way of improving a student's skills in to=
ne
analysis is taping their lessons (and at home practice too, when possible=
=2E)
Then they can go back and listen to how they sounded when they were playi=
ng in
the lesson after they get home, so they don't forget what went on in the
lesson. They can also do a comparison if you play a passage, and then the=
y
play the passage to show them what level they are at in tone production.
Finally, it gives them a point of reference for *one* direction (yours as=
a
teacher) they could possibly choose to pursue tone and technique producti=
on. =
I tape all of my students@-----.) They save the ta=
pes,
and after a month or so, we go back and listen to the tone and technique =
then
and now. It helps them see the progress they might have missed being too
internalized to notice. It's a great motivator, especially when they are
frustrated to show how far they have come.
Kelly Abraham
Woodwinds/Computer Geek
New York City
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HatNYC62@-----.com wrote:
> Respectfully, Dr. Lacy, I have to disagree with what you say. I believe=
very
> strongly that the amount of information put forth by an excellent
clarinetist =
> actually playing rather than explaining how one ought to play is drasti=
cally
> higher. As clarinetists, we are really singers, we have to conceptualiz=
e =
> everything we do, including tone production (especially tone production=
) =
> before we can play it on the horn.
> =
> As one earlier post said, and I paraprhase: teacher and student could p=
lay =
> the same reed, mouthpiece and instrument and sound totally different fr=
om =
> each other.
> =
> This is exactly the reason the student needs an aural tone concept impl=
anted
> firmly in the brain! No matter what equipment you use, it is a private =
> internal sound concept that produces the individial character of each
player. =
> What is considered a 'good' sound must be enforced in the brain. =
> =
> I know, I know, who are we, as teachers or even as professionals to def=
ine =
> what 'good' is? Well, that is an interesting conceptual point, but my =
> personal experience suggests that students (most especially younger stu=
dents
> and beginners) respond and improve more quickly in lessons when I am =
> demonstrating for them a lot. =
> =
> The suzuki method, based almost entirely on aural communication, is one=
of =
> the most successful musical training programs in the history of music. =
More
> professional musicians today grew up on Suzuki than any other one indiv=
idual
> musical training concept.
> =
> The point about reading music poorly or without comprehension is a vali=
d
one. =
> And it is solved by addressing it as a seperate issue. Since you are th=
e =
> teacher, you can also make sure the student is given special assignment=
s if
> music reading skills are slow to come. You can make them write out scal=
es
and =
> arpeggios for their own practice or all kinds of things that will work =
very
> effectively for solving that particular problem.
> =
> But a poor or underdeveloped sense of sound concept, real musical prhas=
ing =
> and especially articulation will make the music reading issue relativel=
y =
> unimportant. I say especially articulation because the entire mechanis=
m for
> its execution is internal and 99% unobservable. It is also an area of g=
reat
> difficulty for most young clarinetists. . .it certainly was for me. My =
> principle in teaching articulation is: it is far far better to be able =
to do
> it than to understand how it is done. It just is. 'Knowing' how it is d=
one =
> without being able to do it effectively would have to be an awfully =
> frustrating thing anyway.
> =
> I respect your opinion, though. I simply wanted to present my argument =
for =
> the contrary view.
> =
> David Hattner, NYC
> =
> << But, if you think you sound exactly or very nearly like your teacher=
, or
> that your students sound exactly like you, there is a better than even
> chance that neither of these are happening. We have to remember that t=
he
> sound of an instrument to the player is very different from the sound t=
o a
> listener, and also different to a nearby listener and a more distant on=
e,
> such as in an auditiorium at an orchestra concert. If you sat next you=
r
> teacher, listened, and then tried to make a tone that sounded to you
exactly
> like the teacher's example, you would be producing a different tone
quality.
> =
> However, in my opinion, there are even more and better reasons for NOT
> playing along with students in lessons. It is true that they need to h=
ear
> good examples of the tone of their instrument, in addition to matters o=
f
> musical interpretation. But, if the teacher is playing along with
> everything or nearly everything the student does, then a student with a=
good
> ear isn't really reading music, but is merely recreating what the teach=
er
is
> doing. I have seen many examples of students who have been instructed =
in
> this manner who have very little idea of what music reading is all abou=
t.
> =
> Someone told me something early in my career which is somewhat
> controversial, but which I have found to contain some truth. He said, =
"If
> you are playing, you aren't teaching." True, you are giving examples o=
f
> various kinds, but this falls in the category of rote learning. I woul=
d
> like for the students to take a little more initiative, so that they ca=
n
> also play to the top of their ability when I am no longer sitting besid=
e
> them. When I play in lessons, I find that I can never concern myself 1=
00%
> with what the student is doing. There seems to be no way for me to tot=
ally
> ignore my own playing. After all, as the teacher, I want to play as we=
ll
as
> I am able for the student, so I find myself thinking about how I am pla=
ying
> the music, how I am sounding, how my reed is working, etc. >>
> =
> =
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