Klarinet Archive - Posting 000603.txt from 2003/04

From: CBA <clarinet10001@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Questioning Authority
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 00:38:59 -0400

Sam,

I agree wholeheartedly with the external teacher, if you can
afford it...the only thing is...hmmm, how do I put this...

Why did you go to this school for college without having a
teacher in your major? There are HUNDREDS of colleges across the
US who at least have a clarinet teacher, or have an external
teacher who is an adjunct teacher for the school without charge
to the student. For one year I went to a small liberal arts
college in Shreveport, LA, and my oboe teacher was a local
symphony player who taught me and the other oboist at the
school. I was the only clarinet major, and the wind
ensemble/orchestra director also taught clarinet and
sax...sounds familiar, huh? I couldn't get the saxophone
instruction from the doubler teacher, so I went back to
University of Southern Mississippi, where I liked it before, but
just had wanted a change.

How far are you from graduation? Could you transfer schools?
MANY schools of better means than the one you go to would pay
you a full ride for school, if you were willing to play in their
ensembles (usually including marching band.) Just a thought.

I am not sure whether the school you go to has their policies
based in reality if they hired someone to teach 3 instruments,
and they don't seem to know that much about one of them.

I have known teachers that were great doublers and teachers.
They are few and far between, in my opinion. This is one of the
reasons why, even though I play flute and oboe, along with
clarinet and sax, I only teach clarinet and sax, because they
are the ones I am very familiar with the learning process. Oboe
and flute teaching is NOT my forte.

Since you are not really close to any place to get regular
lessons with a teacher (as we have discussed before when
discussing repair possibilities,) you might want to take a trip
to Washington, DC or Atlanta, GA once a month to take lessons
from a high level teacher, and just practice your butt off in
between.

By the way, in an earlier post, you asked about a repair person
in Buffalo, NY (not sure why) and I had forgotten to reply. I
really am not familiar with Buffalo, as it is about 7 hours away
from New York City...sorry...can't help you with that one.

I do wish you the best. If you would like to discuss options
with me (or I am sure with anyone else who gives advice here on
the list) contact me off list, and I will see if I can help
direct you toward a better situation, or a good compromise. If
your playing is not improving, you will either be stuck in a
very bad job, since your playing will be not up to par, or you
won't be able to get into graduate school. Neither option is
really good.

Drop me a line if you want to chat about it...

Kelly Abraham
Woodwinds New York City
--- "Buckman, Nancy" <nebuckman@-----.edu> wrote:
> Sam,
>
> Ask if there is the possibility of doing independent study for
> credit with an outside teacher. Most schools worth there salt
> allow this sort of thing where they can't provide for an
> individual's needs. We do it here at the community college
> where I teach all the time. You might even take theses
> e-mails to your department head and show him/her what the list
> members have to say. It certainly can't hurt. I wouldn't let
> someone who doesn't even play the instrument teach an
> elementary school student, let alone someone who's working
> toward a degree. That's pure folly. You can always transfer
> to another school too. Not the ideal solution either, but it
> can be done.
>
> Nancy
>
> Nancy E. Buckman, Technical Assistant
> School of Health Professions, Wellness and Physical Education
> Anne Arundel Community College
> Arnold, MD 21012-1895 USA
> Phone 410-777-2316 Fax 410-777-2233
> E-mail nebuckman@-----.edu
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Samantha McDaniel [mailto:jupitertc@-----.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2003 9:20 PM
> To: klarinet@-----.org
> Subject: [kl] Questioning Authority
>
>
> I think I will take Bill's advice, and question authority for
> a bit. I've
> actually have in the back of my mind for quite sometime.
>
> My situation is this: I attend a fairly small (about 4,500)
> private
> university in the middle of nowhere North Carolina. I am the
> only clarinet
> student in the music department (there are probably 40-50
> students total in
> the department). The school can not afford a clarinet
> professor, a
> saxophone professor, and an oboe professor, or so they say
> they can not
> afford them. So they have hired a doubler to teach all three
> instruments,
> who's primary instrument is saxophone and secondary instrument
> is oboe.
>
> Don't get me wrong about doublers, I think they are awesome
> musicians. And
> I like my teacher very much. However, lately I question her
> knowledge of
> the clarinet. I have NEVER heard her play clarinet, and she
> actually
> encouraged me to get a new clarinet (for those who haven't
> read some of the
> previous posts, I play a Leblanc Concerto). I feel like I
> have not achieved
> anything in my playing, and that I have been playing the same
> way for the
> past two or three years.

Do you Yahoo!?
The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo
http://search.yahoo.com

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Klarinet is supported by Woodwind.Org, http://www.woodwind.org/