Klarinet Archive - Posting 000024.txt from 2010/02

From: Mark Charette <charette@-----.org>
Subj: [kl] Re: The Klarinet Posting
Date: Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:49:46 -0500


On Feb 2, 2010, at 15:18, Stephen Charette wrote:
I say congratulations to them! I think its part of Japanese culture to
concentrate on one thing over and over again until it's technically
perfect. Technically perfect can be beautiful too (Japanese martial
arts like Iaido comes to mind), but most western music doesn't fit
into that category too well. Sadly, it could be what the judges are
looking for in the competition. Isn't that what it's like in most
competitions? I agree with Sean Osborn too. The students play the same
piece over and over again so many times that its ingrained in their
heads, and hard to change musically for some that want to be serious
players later on. As far as I know, the Weber Concertino is asked on
every college audition and most competitions.

I don't know what it's really like in Japanese schools. I heard it's
very military-like in some. The junior orchestra I work with has a
much more open atmosphere, thanks to my teacher who is the music
director there. Our next concert features an elementary school marimba
player playing the Creston Concerto. The concert before that featured
a middle school student playing the Rodrigo Guitar concerto. She was
one of those rare musically gifted students. De Falla Three Cornered
Hat was our main program. Love that piece, and lots of fun!

I work with amateur orchestra's that prepare the same piece over and
over again 6 months ahead of time. If I were them, I would get so
bored practicing the same piece over and over again every week, even
if it were a Beethoven or Brahms Symphony. But that's the way it works
here, and they seem to enjoy it. So that's all that matters.
Professional orchestras are different of course. It's the same
everywhere else in the world, the less rehearsals, the better. I have
to say though, some of the amateur orchestras here are better than
some of the "professional" ones.

It's still common to see some older Suzuki method teachers slap a
student's hand or back if they have bad posture. Right in front of
their parents! If that happened in the States ... You know what would
happen.

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