Klarinet Archive - Posting 000232.txt from 2001/11

From: Tony@-----.uk (Tony Pay)
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: clarinetist's block
Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2001 06:33:41 -0500

On Mon, 05 Nov 2001 15:12:19 +0000, assembly1@-----.com said:

> I'd imagine that David and other American teachers find such rigorous
> programmes necessary due to the chaotic American musical education
> (often lack thereof) before university. There's a steep learning
> curve for talented students whose only education consisted of marching
> and concert band music.*
>
> Having said this, I can't imagine such a routine would give a student
> a renewed love for the instrument, nor is it always the way to
> progress technically. I agree with your suggestion for Jess to "do
> it" - it's just that I can understand why some people don't.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Virginia

Yes, and I wasn't necessarily disagreeing with anything else that had
been said.

I think the various people who have posted, including yourself, have
covered the ground fairly comprehensively. After all, it's impossible
to know exactly the right thing to say to the chap who started the
thread; and other people who may be having similar experiences of
stuckness will each need different stimuli to get them going again,
probably.

One other thing occurs to me, again adding to rather than disagreeing
with anything that's already been said.

As a teacher, I used sometimes to feel bad if I couldn't get all my
students to practise and prepare as much as they should. Even though I
tend to be enthusiastic and inventive myself in lessons, some people
seemed to need more than that: they needed, and even wanted, to be
bullied. I knew other teachers I respected were tough with their
students, but couldn't summon it up myself.

Nowadays that doesn't bother me so much. I figure that if I look round,
I'm not especially struck that what's needed in the world is *larger
numbers of professional clarinet players*. I have doubts myself about
the worth of what I do, and the last thing we need is players who, in
addition, really don't want to do it.

Let them give up playing the clarinet, if they're not committed to it.
Perhaps they'll find something more useful and important to do.

That has perhaps some bearing on the argument about 'success' in the
profession being a function of instrumental ability rather than musical
talent; or even, heaven help us, a function of efficient self-promotion
and self-aggrandisement rather than musical talent.

I don't say that musical talent can't be nurtured, and that someone may
not turn out to be a much better musician than it looked as though they
would be when they started out. Nor that I don't do my very best, this
side of bullying, to have that happen for my current student. (It's
what I'm being paid for, after all.)

Just, that we need music to be played *well*, which means more than
simply efficiently; and that may not necessarily be going to be done by
the person we're dealing with, if we encourage them to go for 'success'
*at any price*.

Compare Micro$oft.

Tony
--
_________ Tony Pay
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