 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2004-12-19 13:00
(Disclaimer - I am a maker of the Forte' clarinet)
I myself just returned from the Midwest Clinic as an exhibitor and it gave me a new and even greater appreciation for the school band director (a gross generalization to be sure about all band directors).
I met and talked extensively with more than 100 band directors ranging from American middle school through college and found them on the whole very dedicated to their jobs of trying to do the best, and get the best musical advice for their students - woodwinds being only one of their concerns.
Many did not have an extensive woodwind background and were at the Midwest Clinic to gain knowledge and greater understanding of both the hardware and the techniques used by other teachers and to sift through the options that would be best for their student woodwind players. Their hearts were in the right place and they were overwhelmingly open to constructive criticism on their choices of instruments, mouthpieces, ligatures, reeds, etc. to recommend to their students.
It was obvious that old habits die hard and that certain commercial interests target and push product recommendations to band directors for their own products and products with the greatest profit potential. Discussions among the band directors themselves often reinforce and reiterate these same commercial pitches. The non-woodwind schooled directors, IMHO, were very open to listening to other view points and logical arguments to try other products.
In all, I have nothing but praise for these hardworking band directors and their dedication to their students and desire to learn and try different products than those branded on the school woodwind player by tradition. Our own discussions about the sometimes hard-line and - to some - poor recommendations comes from a genuine feeling by some band directors to provide "good" equipment for the students and obtain a uniformity that they can deal with and build upon without addressing a multitude of equipment options that need individual recommendations to help each student perform their best.
The Doctor
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