Klarinet Archive - Posting 000105.txt from 2009/02

From: kurtheisig@-----.net
Subj: Re: [kl] Bass Clarinet Major-flexiblity of education
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:00:00 -0500

When I was in college I had auditioned on saxophone, and received
a full scholarship for my first year as a saxophone major. Since I played very little clarinet, I majored on clarinet at first to catch up. Later I studied flute and oboe, and the oboe prof tried to talk me into majoring on oboe! As I said before, I had real trouble trying to switch back as a saxophone major. We had 17 sax majors and over one summer the clarinet prof (a great clarinet prof, by the way.) got 15 of the 17 of us to leave the school. I went to the department chair and they hired a sax teacher JUST FOR ME! Old Gib Walters was something else. He had also previously purchased a Selmer low A bari sax for MY USE ONLY, for our very fine sax quartet. The sax quartet was under our rather divided clarinet prof!

Over the years teaching college and preparing high school students, many of them on baritone sax I ran into lots of students who had "no time" to practice because of general ed homework. I also had students with concerns like Andrew's. (Are you the Andrew Siegel that came through our Saratoga store a few years ago on bass clarinet?)

Needless to say I was also a bit fed-up with rules that were there for no good reason. I started doing research on flexibility in education.

I am not saying this is the only way, nor the best way, but it IS what is POSSIBLE. I will go down the mechanics to show what CAN be done. I highly recommend that anyone that does something like this make sure they play several years in a good band. I even recommend that all school band directors should play in a good community college band for life.

I like the following because it gives a framework that we can use to mentor students through college ourselves, and give them a much more intense education than they often get at the institution.

What IS available:

In California, if a student will be 16 at the end of his sophomore year he can take a high school equivalency test. This gives him a high school diploma directly from Sacramento (our state capital). He is now officially through, though he does have to take a few minimum hours of "approved" education per week until he is 18. (Is school then possibly time spent instead of education???)

At that point, as a graduate he can take the CLEP or DANTES tests and get, typically, 24 units of credit in college. Our military members can verify that the military does it that way. These tests are put out by the SAT people. There are also the PEP tests by the ACT and TECEP by Thomas Edison State College in New Jersey.

A student can STAY in his high school, if he chooses. The school will have some requirements with Sacramento to keep getting their ADA money (Average daily attendance). He no longer has high school requirements, so he can play in all of the musical groups and PRACTICE! I suggest that he take a 3 unit course in both semesters, typically then with the tests and those courses completing his freshman year in college by the end of what would have been his junior year in high school. He can also play in the community college band and study with one of us and have 2 more units per semester, or 34 by June. In the next year he is more acclimated to a different style of education and can take 2 courses per semester along with clarinet and band for another 16 units, or 50 units total.

This allows a student the time to spend on his horn, and saves his parents enough money to buy him several instruments which he will need.

There are also a number of "credit bank" type schools around the country that allow a student to lump all his "smorgasbord" units together. there are 5 Governors Board colleges in Illinois, Charter Oaks in Connecticut, Thomas A Edison State College in New Jersey and Excelsior in NY.

Another interesting thing is that if someone already has one degree, a second degree in music from Thos Edison is only 30 units of study. Or that history degree you never thought you could finish...

For further info go to Amazom and order "Bear's Guide to Earning College Degrees Non-traditionally", by John Bear Phd. It may be out of print, but a used copy would be very useful. Also Google Thomas A Edison State College, and Excelsior College. I always suggest Thomas A Edison because they offer specific majors, not a Liberal Arts Degree.

Imagine---a second major--or second instrument--or work while going to school---do 4 years of mostly performance---a poor student can take lots of time on homework and get "A"s----or?

--Original Message-----
>From: Andrew Seigel <andrew.seigel@-----.com>
>Sent: Feb 4, 2009 5:49 AM
>To: klarinet@-----.org
>Subject: [kl] Bass Clarinet Major
>
>Hi all -
>
>I'm looking to gather some information about colleges and universities
>that allow clarinet students to either "major" or at least focus on
>bass clarinet. I remember this coming up in past years, but have not
>had luck finding it in the archives, so...
>
>I wonder if someone might either
>a) point me to the archived messages or
>b) list a few (or more!) schools that allow for this type of thing.
>
>Thanks in advance.
>
>-Andrew
>
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