Klarinet Archive - Posting 000456.txt from 2004/02

From: mginesi@-----.net
Subj: Re: [kl] Costco Clarinets!!!
Date: Fri, 27 Feb 2004 12:10:36 -0500

quite right!

when i have students and/or parents bring in a 'minimal' clarinet i take the time to show them the differences as compared to a 'better' [not necessarily that more expensive ] clarinet. i always have two or three set up - and let them play a 'better' clarinet to experience the difference. i will show them as well the proper way to assemble and disassemble the instrument....show how the keys will bend with the pressure of a 10 year old [or 17 or 59 year old] in simple assembly....most of the time they listen...

educating the masses is of top priority...but if nothing else one person at a time is better than nothing at all.

michael
> Although many of the parents who buy these instruments are truly unaware of the
> problems they're setting up for their children. SOME are looking for the
> cheapest way to discourage the child's interest without having to say "No"
> outright. The parents who are actually unaware, in my experience, are usually
> receptive to the suggestion that the instrument is an impediment and they should
> try to get something better.
> This isn't a new phenomenon. I had a student almost thirty years ago come to a
> lesson with a new Bee flute her parents had bought. It was very inexpensive -
> much cheaper than the rentals our regular vendor supplied. She couldn't get a
> sound to save her life, and neither could I. I could see most of the keys were
> not covering completely. On looking more closely, I realized the whole flute was
> arced (curved) ever so slightly from one end to the other so none of the pads
> had a real shot at coming down level to the seat. The original vendor didn't
> offer service (it's 30 years ago - I forget some of the details, like why
> service wasn't available) so we sent it in to the store that supplied our
> rentals. They sent it back untouched and said they wouldn't even attempt to fix
> it. This isn't Costco, nor is it contemporary.
> This leads me to a comment about shops not accepting these instruments for
> repair. It's true that they probably *can't* be fixed, and repair techs
> shouldn't be wasting their time trying to fix them. But they need to be very
> careful how they word the rejection. As a young (and fairly hot-headed) teacher,
> my reaction to the shop's message about the Bee flute was to think them snobbish
> and only interested in selling their (more expensive) instruments. I should
> probably have known better, even at the age of 20-something, but if as a music
> teacher, however inexperienced, I reacted badly to the message (which was not at
> all diplomatic in its wording - you could basically hear them snickering between
> the words), I can't imagine any better a result from a parent who knows less
> about the problem than I did (than we do). The shop guys (or customer reps) need
> to be very careful that they explain the problems with the instrument factually
> and don't project an "attitude" to the parent. Parts that cannot be gotten, keys
> that melt if you try to solder them or break if you try to bend them into place,
> pads that can't be seated with any reasonable amount of effort will all resonate
> with a concerned parent (never mind the one who just wants to discourage the kid
> without looking bad - that one's probably hopeless in any case).
> Karl Krelove
>
> > These Chinese junk horns are putting a real crimp on the legitimate band
> > instrument business. As a School Services Representative (roadman), I see
> > so many shiny new First Act, Simba, Harmony, etc. instruments out there in
> > the hands of young children who don't know any better, and will soon become
> > frustrated and quit band because they cannot play, thinking it is THEIR
> > fault. How are they to know that BENNY GOODMAN could not have made one of
> > those things play! We are trying to institute a policy of not accepting
> > them for repair, since parts cannot be obtained, keys melt if you try to
> > solder them, etc. "Take it back to Sam's Club/Wal-mart/Costco/Penney's
> > where you got it."
>
>
> > Bill Hausmann
>
>
>
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>

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