Klarinet Archive - Posting 000387.txt from 2004/11
From: "Patricia A. Smith" <arlyss1@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Clarinets - Identification markings ect.,
Date: Wed, 10 Nov 2004 11:50:16 -0500
kimi wrote:
>In mean time one of the students came milling back and heard the commotion about the clarinet and next thing I know, the student
>is taking the top half off a clarinet she had in her hand and said to me and my daughter, "I borrowed it because my top half was broken, I'm sorry" and then she walked away!
>
>I was extremely upset by then as it was. She never asked to borrow it nor did she tell the band director that her own clarinet was broken. She basically just took it without a thought to how it would make my
>daughter feel.
>
>SO I have a couple of questions.
>
>It seems on a yamaha clarinet that the serial numbers are only on "one" part of the clarinet and that is the second half. The bell nor the top half has any serial numbers on it. Does anyone have any ideas on ways that all pieces of her clarinet can be marked and is
>there such a thing as a locking clarinet case with a key or combination lock to prevent this from happening
>again.
>
>
>
Kimi,
To answer your questions:
1) yes, the serial number can be marked on ALL parts of the clarinet.
Someone who is more of a tech-head on the list can tell you just how it
is done. I do know that it should ONLY be done by someone who is a
skilled repair tech, as if it is done improperly can do irreparable
damage to the instrument, in more areas than just the one where the
serial number is being inscribed. (And, there are more ways to do this,
than there are ways to screw in a lightbulb, believe me. I've always
been of a mind that some things should never be undertaken alone!)
2) I take it that your daughter's case does NOT have locks on it, nor
does it have keys, etc. Heh. The things some companies do to save
money these days. My Yamaha case, and every case of every brand I've
ever had, had locks on each tab of the case, and came with at least two
keys, each of which fit BOTH locks. (That way ,you could leave the
spare at home, in case the other was lost, and you could still open both
tabs) However, that said, I pretty much never used them, simply because
I kept my clarinets under my personal surveillance nearly all the time,
especially in a school, if they were not locked up in a locker.
This all said, sounds like that other kid (can't call her a young lady;
she isn't, judging from THAT behavior) has no clue how to properly ask
to borrow something. People like that annoy me, regardless of what
their age is. The concept is called "BOUNDARIES". However, I won't
rant, I promise. All too often, there's way too many of them, and not
enough of kids who have some clue about whose is whose, and how to ask
to use things APPROPRIATELY.
I personally would suggest to your daughter that she lock her horn up in
her own personal locker when she's not in band, or carry it around with
her to classes. If students are permitted to carry backpacks between
classes ( shockingly enough to some people, there are schools where they
are not - gee, is that Osama bin Laden in your bookbag, Jonny?) she
could simply stash the horn-in-case in the backpack & continue on her
merry way. If her current bp isn't large enough, I think a larger
backpack would be worth the investment in this situation.
Let us know how she gets on with all of this. You, btw, are a very
supportive mom. I wish ALL parents of students were like you, and
investigated the interests and talents of their children as extensively
as you have done. This sort of thing is a type of "advocacy for our
children" that is all too often overshadowed by negative stereotypes of
"stage mothers", which is too bad. Supportive parents can make every
difference in the world to plenty of children.
Patricia Smith
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