Klarinet Archive - Posting 000929.txt from 2004/07

From: Haschengeliebter@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Advice needed on young clarinet student wanting to learn sax
Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2004 20:30:48 -0400

well, I cannot say to much as I don't know of them starting so young but it
seems like she is enjoying herself. If I was you I would talk to her about it
and start her on the saxophone because it is similar to the clarinet. Maybe
even have her wait till the school band starts and start on Sax so she will be a
beginner with the rest of them I play both along with the baritone I wanted a
sax when i was younger but they could not buy me one so I started out on the
trumpet then my grandma bought me (a flea market piece of poopoo) Bb Clarinet
and i went to that after a few years on that wanting to play the sax i fell in
love with it and when i got the sax it didn't seem to mean as much as before
because I had my clarinet and I stared a year later then the other girls and
had skipped ahead of them. then the next year (10th grade maybe) i learned to
play the baritone. all the while i pretty much taught myself never having real
lessons on anything but the guitar. if SHE wants to do it then i say let her.
it should be up to her and also i would let her know if she ever wanted to play
just one for a while it would be OK...i know that wont help much with lessons
but eventually she will choose her best and stick with it...that's my opinion
and IM not much of a clarinetist just yet so it you just disregard it i wont
mind...but i would defiantly let her decide (i hate to see when parents or
teachers decide for there kids) thank you for your time in reading this :)

~Krista~

In a message dated 7/26/2004 4:48:06 PM Pacific Standard Time,
perickso@-----.net writes:
I have a young student (going into fourth grade this year) who started
taking clarinet lessons with me last summer. I was reluctant to take a
clarinet student so young, although I have had students this age in the past
and have been successful at teaching them to play. The student in question
originally wanted to learn to play the saxophone, but was a bit too small
for that instrument so we started her on clarinet with a neck strap.
This child turned out to be an absolutely awesome student. Her clarinet
tone is excellent. When I had my last student recital, this little 8 year
old asked why a 9th grader's clarinet tone sounded "funny." I didn't know
what to say but her observation was right on. I had been working with the
older student on tone and hadn't been able to get very far in helping her
improve her tone, even with various mouthpieces, reeds, etc... This 8 year
old is simply a natural with a great ear.
This morning, she came to her lesson with an old Selmer Bundy saxophone
her Grandma had purchased at the local St. Vinny's, of all places, and she
had taken it in to be overhauled. This girl also started taking piano
lessons this summer and I'm a bit hesitant to start with the saxophone, for
fear it may be a bit overwhelming and a tad confusing to be working on 3
instruments at the same time but the Mom has really been pushing for it.
She is crossing the break on her clarinet but is still having some
difficulty with that skill. She does learn by ear, and so it has been a bit
of a challenge to teach her to read rhythms from the written page.
Any ideas or suggestions? I'm under the impression she intends to
continue playing the clarinet but I just think 3 instruments at one time may
be too much. Shall I suggest to the Mom that we discontinue clarinet and
start working on saxophone? Continue with clarinet and start saxophone at
the same time? In our area, kids don't start on instrumental music until
5th grade so I'm wondering what she'll be doing in the school band program
by that time without being incredibly bored. Percussion perhaps? I do
have a friend who had a flute student who started at a very young age and
when that student got to 5th grade, they did have her play percussion for
the first year so she wouldn't have to sit through all the beginner flute
lessons.
Has anyone had an experience similar to this? Ideas please.
Christy

Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a
certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop
it.
- Pope John Paul II

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