Klarinet Archive - Posting 000365.txt from 2003/10

From: "Christy Erickson" <perickso@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] [clarinet] reeds for beginners?
Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 14:41:03 -0400

Audrey, You have a very big job that seems almost impossible to do and =
I'm
certain you are doing the very best you can with what you are given and
within the time constraints you have. Again, however, you are taking my
comments far too personally and you simply don't fit into the category =
of
the type of band director I am speaking of-not even remotely with the
numbers you have. Therefore, you have nothing to worry about. The
situations I'm referring to are schools where the band directors have =
the
opportunities to work with the kids in individual or small group lessons =
at
least once a week, as well as one large group rehearsal. Is your =
situation
typical in Canada, by the way? I live in Wisconsin and I'm wondering if =
our
music programs are perhaps more generously funded and staffed than those =
of
some other states. =20
I am very familiar with tight time schedules, and student overloads =
and I
do think that probably most band directors out there are doing a great =
job.
Perhaps the negative is coming out more due to the subject we are =
talking
about. Even though my own high school band director was a brass =
player,(and
never taught me a thing about reeds, except that fact that they were
necessary to play the clarinet) I have the utmost respect and adoration =
for
him. He had a knack for helping kids believe in themselves and their
abilities, he expected a lot and he got far more in return. He began
working at my high school during my first year there and by the time our
class graduated, EVERYONE wanted to be in band. To this day, I =
correspond
with this man and it's been 26 years since I graduated from high school.
Sometimes, I think that due to the fact that my own experience in the
music program was so much fun and so good, I find myself making =
comparisons
and perhaps I'm being a bit idealistic. Our high school band director =
had
left another school district due to a teacher's strike in that town-it =
was
their misfortune and our gain. He came into the job with boundless
enthusiasm and energy and he poured his heart and soul into that job to =
gain
the respect of the community for the music program in the school.
The HS band director in our town has a separate band director to =
assist
and direct the freshman band program. As if that weren't enough, the =
guy's
wife is employed by the school system as his full-time assistant and she =
has
her own office in the band room. No one ever seems to have heard this =
guy
play an instrument. He does no lessons with the kids to speak of and =
gets
away with never taking the band to district solo/ensemble contests to =
play
as a group. He is into marching band and concentrates mostly on =
half-time
shows to wow all the parents at the football games and takes the band =
kids
on spectacular trips. It's very sad, since the kids in our district =
start
at 5th grade level (age 10-11) and they are given a very good start at =
the
elementary and junior high level. The progress seems to end at the high
school level. We always joke that this guy knows something he's holding
over someone's head to get away with the things he does. =20

Christy=20

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