Klarinet Archive - Posting 000773.txt from 2002/01

From: "Laurence Young" <klarinette@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Kids and the klarinette
Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2002 11:26:41 -0500

Obviously the kids are a little confused. Bassoon is the 'bundle of sticks'
not the clarinet. Anyway, I have no idea how anyone could hate our
instrument or think it geeky. I mean we have the cool solo right after the
celesta in the Nutcracker, the pretty theme that gets chopped off in Berlioz
(not to mention the wild witches in the final movement), and I defy anyone
not to like the Mozart concerto. I just don't understand people with this
mindset. I mean I had to put up with kids calling me names and generally
ostracizing me, simply because I enjoy listening to classical music. I
remember when the Met broadcast Wagner's Ring on the TV, I was in third or
fourth grade at the time and I thought the rainbow music from the Rhine Gold
was fantastic and I had really wanted to share this at show and tell day but
I decided not to because I figured they'd make fun of me. Actually now that
I think back on it, that was a little geeky for a third grader but I thought
the stories were cool, with gods, giants, a dragon, and a fine immolation
scene at the end and the music was spectacular like the rainbow bridge
music, the magic fire music, Sigfried's forest romp music, and of course the
end of the Damnation of the Gods. The point is I suffered much teasing and
taunting through until after High School from my peers who didn't know any
better. I was lucky because people I truly respected, like my Uncle, kept
me interested in the clarinet and in classical music and always showed me
what was really cool about it. I only wish he could see where I've gotten
to now. I'm sure he'd be so proud of me and so interested in what I'm
doing. I also think he'd love this list. So the moral of the story is,
encourage your kids to ignore what the bullies say and get out there and
don't be ashamed of what you like. Sorry for this long rambling message.
I'm going to class now, or practice, or something. Over and out.

Larry

----- Original Message -----
From: <CassildaYhtill@-----.com>
Subject: Re: [kl] OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!! Mastercard Clarinet

>
> Seem like nobody is getting it but I thought the point was the commercial
> shows somebody thinking clarinet is so terrible it is "priceless" to
switch
> to another more fun or easier instrument. It is a bad image of clarinets.
>
> I notice something in newspaper ads for Music & Arts, for band
instruments,
> the kid they show playing a clarinet is always the most awful pencil neck
> geek with his mouth in a huge geeky grin with too many teeth showing. He
> looks like a natural born fool. What kind of a message is that for kids
who
> might want to play clarinet? How do they sell any clarinet that way
anyway? I
> am so glad my son fell for the sound and never mind the image. He is only
8
> but thinking for himself, not a lemming. At the school where he had to
> transfer some kids saw him with the clarinet and start calling him faggot.
I
> don't think they know what that is suppose to mean in third grade but to
them
> it mean geek. He hate that school anyway so they never could turn him
around
> against the clarinet.
>
> Cass Hill

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