Klarinet Archive - Posting 000022.txt from 2001/12

From: "Russ Conjerti" <rvconjerti@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] High School Band & Practicing
Date: Sun, 2 Dec 2001 00:01:03 -0500

In 11th grade I moved from a high school where NOT practicing was the norm
to a school where there were 2 bands. Only the 1st band got to go on tour.
The band director kept a big chart on the band room wall with everyone's
name and all of the scales & arpeggios and checked them off as you played
them for him to his satisfaction. No one got to go on tour unless all of
their's were checked off. That was when I STARTED practicing - I really
wanted to be in the 1st band and go on tour. When I practiced more with the
tour as my motivation and began to improve was also when I realized that I
loved playing. I still do 35 years later.

We were encouraged to take private lessons but there was no "requirement" or
mandatory practice time. The point is that giving us a goal to shoot for
worked better than any mandates.

Russ Conjerti

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