Klarinet Archive - Posting 000204.txt from 2007/09

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Military Bands
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 23:52:16 -0400

At 04:30 PM 9/23/2007, Crystal Proper wrote:
>I found your response a bit harsh. Obviously musicians
>join the military for VERY different reasons than
>regular folks. And if the military wants to continue
>to recruit high quality musicians, the whole
>deployment thing needs to go away. I can already see
>the effects in my band of great musicians separating
>because of it, and in their places mediocre ones are
>being hired because we're desparate for certain
>instruments.
>His questions were completely valid, and are not
>unlike the concerns I had seven years ago before I
>joined.

Maybe a LITTLE harsh, but I could not stomach his proposition that
his service would be based upon his personal approval of the results
of the presidential election. In the military, you have to serve
WHOEVER is the president, whether you personally approve of him or
not. I had to serve under Clinton without complaint, so he can just
suck it up and take whoever is in office, or find another venue to
ply his craft. The other questions were a bit on the order of
"What's in it for ME?" It is not bad in and of itself to ask such
questions, but in the absence of any balancing questions the post
looked overly self-serving to me.

A positive thing for the young man to keep in mind: Clarinetists
seem to be hard to come by in military bands. Such a shortage WILL
work to his advantage if his attitude adjusts properly.

Bill Hausmann

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is TOO LOUD!

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