Klarinet Archive - Posting 000411.txt from 2002/12

From: "Patricia A. Smith" <patricia@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: HELP! -- Teaching Beginners
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 17:59:24 -0500

Karl Krelove wrote:
> Bill,
>
> I think there's a good deal of discussion of this in the archives - it's
> come up several times in the past.
>
> To me, the most important things to keep in mind are:
> -make sure the beginner is playing on correctly functioning equipment
> -keep it simple and refine in as small steps as needed
> -keep focused on music the children will want to play
>

...make sure they have an instrument in good working order, a mouthpiece
with an intact facing
> and reeds that have strength and consistency characteristics that are
> familiar to you - Ricos may not be what either of us would any longer choose
> to play on, but at least you know what the kid has when he takes one out of
> the box.
>
> You need to distill what's necessary for a good embouchure to the most basic
> essence. I try not to meddle too much at first with what a student does
> naturally. I try to correct problems that interfere with immediate success
> one at a time if possible...
>
> Any of the method books from the major school music publishers will provide
> material in a graded sequence that will introduce one or two new notes at a
> time. The authors tend to differ primarily in when to introduce the break
> and when to introduce eighth notes, and in their philosophy about page
> layout, use of color, pictures, ancillary text, etc....
> >
Will your students be in private or group lessons? If in a group
> you have the added challenge of trying not to bore the latter while you give
> the slowpoke at least a decent chance to have something "click."
>
> By the way, children develop cognitively and physically at very different
> rates, and in the age range within which our students here normally start,
> the differences can be staggering. You didn't say how old your beginners
> will be - if they are older, say, middle school, some of these differences
> will have begun to even out. ...[Some]children may need all the patience you can muster to just wait them out
> until their development catches up with the physical and musical demands of
> playing clarinet, or they need to be counseled to wait until they're older.
>
> There was recently a series of posts about when (and how) to teach tonguing.
> ...

>
> More than $.02's worth; sorry if I've gone on too long.
>
No you have not. Though I snipped a lot of your post for space, I think
that, basically, you have said, pretty much what I would have said.
In other words, you saved me a lengthy post!

Now we can say, oh, at least $.04!

Oh, one thing I'd add - print out Mr. Krelove's post & save it for
reference, Mr. Semple!

Patricia A. Smith

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