Klarinet Archive - Posting 000322.txt from 2001/03

From: Gary Truesdail <gir@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] while on the subject of oboe
Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2001 23:48:05 -0500

I used to teach school music so I may know what I am talking about here. Your
school is supposed to teach you the general education stuff that will make you a
knowledgeable and productive citizen for this country. That includes the
necessary skills to communicate with others in both written and verbal form
(English classes), understand numbers and how they are used in the real world
(Math classes), some understanding of how this country came about and why you
should be a patriotic citizen and vote in every election, the ability to
observe all data (real or perceived) that comes your way and make an intelligent
decision as to what you do with that data (problem solving) and to expose you to
differences in peoples and cultures around the world so you can develop a sense
of how you fit in in this thing called life. While all this is going on you are
somehow supposed to gain additional employable skills (job training) (that will
allow you to compete in today's market place) and you are supposed to be given
an opportunity to explore/develop your own interests in things recreational
(sports, etc.) and artistic (visual, i.e. painting, drawing, industrial, i.e.
metal/wood shop, home economics), (aural; band, choir, orchestra). These
courses are usually called electives where you get to choose the class. When it
comes to music you not only get to pick which musical group to be associated
with but you should have your own choice of which instrument to play. Many
times, and I have been guilty in the past, usually, I thought, in the interest
of getting a student to become as advanced as he/she could in as short a time as
possible, so that they could develop the necessary self esteem that it takes to
continue on after they left my music program, that I would encourage a student
to stay on the same instrument (or is it discourage a change of instrument).

A teacher that will not allow you to explore other instrumental possibilities is
not meeting your needs and is probably more interested in his/her own needs of
producing an impressive musical group that will make him/her look good in the
eyes of the parents or school administration. Sometimes the negative is a very
strong pull especially if your program is successful but the administration is
constantly cutting your budget or in other ways working against your program.

My suggestion: Keep trying to communicate with your director and explain why
you want to explore the oboe. Don't give up. Personally, I would have jumped
with joy at the chance to have a student that really wanted to play oboe by
choice. They always make the best oboe players. If worse comes to worse, and
it looks like it already has, as you said you are in home school, you could
always take private lessons on the instrument of your choice.

GaryT

Laura M wrote:

> Hello All!
> Recently (the past 2 years) I've been basically sick of playing clarinet.
> So I started doubling on flute. I don't want to play flute, but I wanted to
> have something other than clarinet, and it so happens that we had a flute
> lying around the house. So now I play clarinet and flute. I love playing
> clarinet, it's just that the motivation isn't always there. When I first
> started playing clarinet, I had wanted to play oboe. I've wanted to play
> oboe since I was 3. I got into band when I was 10 (5th grade) on clarinet.
> My father (a trumpet/sax player) and my band director had told me that when
> I was in 8th grade I could switch to oboe. Well, 8th grade came, and I was
> the best clarinet, so my band director wouldn't let me switch. I got out of
> 8th grade and entered the 9th grade, I was the best clarinet there too (I'm
> in 10th grade and homeschooled now) so the band director wouldn't let me
> switch. I don't want to completely switch to clarinet, but I would like to
> at least try oboe, and maybe double on it rather than flute. Well, that
> would be my dilemma and I'm asking you in the clarinet world to give me your
> input, thanks!!
> ~Laura M~
> Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
> Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
> Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
> Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org