Klarinet Archive - Posting 000164.txt from 2003/07

From: "Patricia A. Smith" <patricia@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: Passion for Music was Peanuts Hucko
Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2003 16:27:22 -0400

Gil Guerrero wrote:

> If you're "sad" about people not knowing about this music, what are
> you doing to expose people to it? Are you supporting your local jazz
> station? Are you phoning in requests to your jazz station to hear this
> music? Do you go see it played when it's in your area? Are you
> listening to NEW artists? One of the biggest problems today is that
> labels don't care to nurture young players when they can sell you a
> third release of the same back-catalog titles. It's money in the bank,
> no recording session! This is the same problem that classical music
> has: why should we record Beethoven 9th again when Solti, Klemperer,
> <Insert your favorite composer here>, have already done it.
>
> If you're doing all those things. you've earned the right to complain;
> everybody else should sit quietly. I voted in the last election and
> earned the right to complain, if you stayed home - you got what you
> deserved. So few choose to do anything about it, to "evangelize" this
> music, that it withers. The reason orchestras are going out of
> business is that so few are doing outreach into schools, exposing NEW
> people to this music, and trying to keep it VITAL. Everything seems to
> stop at Rimsky-Korsakov (or Mahler, or <insert the name of your
> favorite most recent composer>)
>
Thanks Gil, for a truly thoughtful post. There is, as you say, entirely
more complaining, than there are people who ARE part of the solution, as
there always is.

I suppose the best thing I'm doing, is exposing my OWN children to good
music - not just the usual Beethoven, Haydn and Mozart - they get that
in Elementary General Music (which is woefully presented, IMO, and is so
watered down, IMO, it exposes A LOT, but actually teaches very little -
not a slam on the teachers, but more on the Virginia State Standards of
Learning, which force teachers to alter their planned curriculum to that
which is planned on a state-wide level ) Anyhow, so as not to go too
far afield, I start with familiar film music they have already heard,
such as, of course, the themes from movies such as Harry Potter and Star
Wars. Then we watch DVD's of works that are not familiar, such as
Prokofiev's ballet, Romeo and Juliet (that one entranced one of my sons,
who studies ballet and jazz), and Mozart's Magic Flute (which is herein
presented in a quasi-modern setting to Mozart's music). I've found my
kids LOVE symphonic music of all kinds. They simply need to hear more
and more of it. What seems to really hook them is any kind of story
behind it, such as information concerning the composer, his life story, etc.

As for jazz, well, I need to listen to more of it myself. I like it; I
simply don't listen to enough of it. But, it will happen. As it is,
I've just started teaching my son (same guy as is studying dance)
clarinet. It's fun!

Patricia Smith

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