Klarinet Archive - Posting 000395.txt from 2004/04

From: "Karl Krelove" <karlkrelove@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Music exams in U.S.
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 14:21:11 -0400

And many of mine want to know, "Why CAN'T there be sharps and flats in the
same key signature?" The answer in your case is "because the composer said
so." In my case it's "Because you can't."

Seriously, I don't know what it's like to teach in the UK or any European
country, but here most of the students I have taught just roll their eyes
back in their heads and find something else to think about until I'm
finished talking about keys and chords and intervals so they can get back to
playing. If I persistently (and stubbornly, considering the resistance
level) include short explanations of the harmonic or melodic structures
they're playing in, they'll listen (a little distractedly), but I can't get
in enough information that way for anything to make sense.

Apart from my suspicion that our entire society in the US is becoming ADD or
ADHD at an accelerating rate, I think this kind of information about the
structural context of the music we teach can't be effectively taught within
the context of a 30-60 minute lesson, particularly at the shorter end (most
of mine are 45 minutes). My impression is that there is a deal more
attention given to study of the arts (or at least music) in regular European
schools than is the case here. It's ludicrous to think that a mode of
expression that is at least as complex and subtle as verbal language is in
this country generally taught in 45 minute segments once a week - when it's
convenient to fill the "regular" classroom teachers' preparation periods. If
unions hadn't years ago made prep periods a priority, there might be no
music taught in our grades K(indergarten) through 8 at all. If anyone
seriously suggested teaching English or even a "foreign" language that way,
they'd be laughed out of the discussion. But somehow we can teach music
history, solfege, creativity, social skills, world cultures and the rest of
the lot in the MENC National Standards in 45 minutes a week (unless a school
holiday or special assembly interferes). Without more opportunity to give
students a background in school, I don't see how we seriously expect any
other result in private instrumental lessons than rolled-back eyeballs from
*most* (musically non-exceptional) students. And by definition, those are
who most teachers teach most of the time.

Karl

> -----Original Message-----
> From: GrabnerWG@-----.com]
> The attitude is sometimes "Why or HOW CAN there
> be Eb and
> an
> F# in the same measure?"
>

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