Klarinet Archive - Posting 000224.txt from 2002/06

From: JMarioneau@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Teaching the 'students' of today
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2002 10:40:14 -0400

There are several band directors who play in the community band that I play
in (I am also a high school band director who is retiring this year. No more
marching band YES!!!) We get a few of our advanced students to play in the
band to fill out some of the sections if we need someone. We will look
around the band and tell the director or he will tell us that we could use
another french horn player, for instance. One of us will migh have one and
we will invite that player to play with the band. We will not get someone
who cannot hang with the level of music we play. The ten or twelve high
school kids we have playing in the band love it because the music is
challenging, they have to be on their toes, and with only in one rehearsal
per week it has to be worked up in a shorter amount of time than their high
school band. It helps them musically to play with adult musicians, most of
whom play much better then the kids. You also have a different relationship
with the kids because they are on an equal footing with you as far as being
just another band member, not conductor/student. It also helps the kids to
see their band director having to work on a part just like they do in band.
The students have benefitted greatly from this experience. They are
continuing to play in college even though they are not majoring in music and
they have said that after they graduate from college, they hope they can find
a community band to play with.
James Marioneaux
Band Director, Barbers Hill H.S. (but not for long)
Carinet Instructor, Lee College, Baytown, TX

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