Klarinet Archive - Posting 000061.txt from 2002/02

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Stiff Finger joint
Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2002 18:45:14 -0500

At 11:04 AM 2/5/2002 -0700, Richard Bush wrote:
>When I read something like this I get mad. Why wasn't this person properly
>screened when she started? We shouldn't have very short people with short
>parents start trombone---no seventh position, even when they grow up. We
>don't put kids with course, shredding lip tissue on flute. We don't (or
>shouldn't) put kids with very double jounted conditions of their thumbs on
>clarinet.
>
>Were these music teachers sleeping through college, or were their colleges
>so inaddiquate that they didn't teach these BASICS to their music ed students?

It is possible that their education was deficient. However, speaking for
those of us in the retail school music business, we can lend our expertise
to help teachers. When we do a rental program with a school, we give a
test of basic note and rhythm recognition, so we can steer the tone-deaf
away from trombone and the rhythm-impaired away from percussion (not that
that helps much :-) ). We also do one-on-one fittings with the students
with the exact intention of PREVENTING the situations you describe. Of
course, we have no authority to enforce any of this, and the instrument
that is already sitting in Aunt Lucy's closet is often the determining
factor, but we do try, and allow renting students to switch instruments
with no penalty if the first choice is not working out due to unforeseen
factors.

Bill Hausmann bhausmann1@-----.net
451 Old Orchard Drive
Essexville, MI 48732 ICQ UIN 4862265

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is TOO LOUD!

---------------------------------------------------------------------