Klarinet Archive - Posting 000631.txt from 2004/10

From: Adam Michlin <amichlin@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Is Clarinet for Girly Boys Only?
Date: Fri, 22 Oct 2004 12:08:50 -0400

My first thought is: Lies, damn lies, statistics, in that order.

My second thought is:

Quoting from the article:

"But most activities tended to represent western European classical
traditions or theatre and film music. The result was 'a safe, undemanding
and somewhat repetitive repertoire'".

Anyone equating the western European classical tradition with the words
"safe, undemanding and somewhat repetitive" must be playing and teaching a
different western European classical tradition than I am. I have to say I
find the entire article suspect.

My own experience:

Things may not be 50/50 (are they ever?) but things are much more even than
they have ever been (at least in the states). There are many more females
playing "traditionally" male instruments. I don't even think in terms of
male and female instruments, but there are still a few old school people
who do. I suspect things will be very different in 40 years as all these
young female brass and percussion players grow up. There was, after all, a
time when the flute was considered a very masculine instrument.

I am very happy to say I believe the days of teachers telling students to
play an instrument because of their gender are either swiftly disappearing
or already gone. The social whims and pressures of kids, who can ever be sure?

-Adam

At 11:30 AM 10/22/2004 -0400, Shaw, Kenneth R. wrote:
>At least in England, of children taking up clarinet, girls outnumbered
>boys 77% to 23%. The only more lopsided ratio was for flute, 91 to 9.
><http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3764402.stm>.
>
>Band directors: does this match your experience?

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