Klarinet Archive - Posting 000561.txt from 2002/09

From: LeliaLoban@-----.com
Subj: [kl] Sturdy mouthpieces for angry beginners
Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2002 16:03:53 -0400

Thanks to all who replied (here and privately) with suggestions for a
reasonably priced student mouthpiece for a 9-year-old boy with a history of
throwing and breaking his mouthpiece. It seems there's *no* unbreakable
mouthpiece currently on the market, although private correspondents suggested
the Rico Royal "Graftonite" (guaranteed for normal use, though not for abuse)
and the Fobes mouthpieces as sturdier than average. I've passed these
suggestions along to the boy's mother.

Several people expressed concern for the clarinet itself. The boy's mom told
me that his behavior is ritualistic and that (so far, at least), he rips off
the head of the "snake" and throws only that. The clarinet, it seems, is the
snake's dead body and of no consequence. He swabs it out and puts it away!

Right now, he's on probation: Until his mom can save up money for a
replacement mouthpiece, he's using a school loaner, under adult supervision.
Every morning, he leaves the mouthpiece in the school office, where he can
pick it up on his way to band class, the last period of the day. He turns
the mouthpiece in to his mom when he comes home from school. She stays in
the room with him when he practices. If he starts going non-linear, she says
quietly, "That's enough for today," and takes away the clarinet. She takes
him to and from his weekly lesson and collects the mouthpiece at the end of
the lesson.

So far, he's following this regimen. She's not sure whether he can maintain
his self-control once she relaxes this supervision. However, she's impressed
on him that if he breaks another mouthpiece, his clarinet will disappear and
he'll lose his lessons and band class until his mom and his counsellor are
sure that he's mature enough to trust with an instrument again.

Seems to me that somebody could make some money and do the world a favor by
inventing a truly unbreakable beginner mouthpiece, made of one of those
plastics developed for the Space Shuttle program. Thanks again for the
suggestions.

Lelia

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