 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2005-01-13 13:38
okay heres my situation ....
my neice is in 7th grade and trying out for all-state band on the 22nd.
some background ....
she has been playing clarinet since she was 9 (and just turned 13). i started teaching her and then when the music program started in her school (5th grade), she got a teacher from the school, but i still worked with her occassionally, or just played duets.
so - shes finally old enough to try out for all-state. she got the music when school started and i began helping her. well, shes always been a natural at the clarinet so hasnt had to work very hard to do well with it. but, with an audition coming up - i got a little more serious with her working on more than just notes and rhythm. trying to et her to be more musical with her playing. she is now at a point where she has to work harder. and im not saying to ONLY work hard - of course have fun too - ... well, she decided she didnt want to be that serious (work hard) - she just wanted to have fun and goof off. she wasnt enjoying it anymore and didnt like practicing etc ..and she said that her teacher didnt give her homework (like i did when i was teaching her) and they just play duets. and besides - she was working on the audition music with her teacher.
so i backed off and let her be. after all, i think its her choice how involved she wants to be, not mine. and i was also feeling like - if i pushed too hard, she might quit becuz she didnt enjoy it anymore. infact, once i stopped pushing and she did what she wanted - she enjoyed playing again and spent more time playing this and that (altho she want 'working' on anything)
so now ... here it is a week before the audition and she goes into her lesson - and NOW her teacher is trying to teach her these things i was trying to show her at the beginning of the school year. i think he should had started a little sooner. she left her last lesson frustrated becuz she couldnt get it and was down and negative.
so NOW - she (her family) has called me to help her and she is coming over on sunday to work on the piece (im not really a teacher - ive just played a long time and play in a community wind symphony)... but, really - WHAT can i teach her/show her in one 2 hr lesson that is going to make a difference for her audition on the 22nd? any advice?
thank you - janlynn
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-01-13 13:49
Well, you may have seen it before, but the most important things in an audition are rhythm and rhythm.
They won't worry AS MUCH about tone, or even getting all the right notes, so long as she continues through with the correct rhythm.
Check out this thread . . . and I would say just try to work on them from the top down. Just don't overwork. Like you said, 2 hours isn't a lot. But even if you can only fix ONE problem, there's ONE less point that's going to be taken away.
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=166253&t=166138
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: clarinetist04
Date: 2005-01-13 23:10
Good advice. I'd also say that with rhythm goes tone. She has to have decent tone or she will be docked many points. That's where they got me every time I auditioned (8th-12th grade!). I understand how it must be frustrating for you but you need to help her and if she gets flustered, so be it...having said that, ask her if she really wants this....if she says yes, then work and work hard...if not, then it's your perogative.
If she is auditioning with high schoolers, make sure she understands that if she doesn't audition successfully it's not the end of the world...she's now auditioning with the best of the best. (Don't blame her having not practiced on a bad audition result if that's what it comes down to...if she has the roller coaster of emotions that I've gathered from your letter.)
Good luck!
-Robert
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2005-01-14 12:30
thanks so much for your replies and the link.i went and read all those posts.
robert - she isnt old enough for the high school audition. shes trying out for the jr.high all-state band - shes in 7th grade. if she doesnt get in, she has plenty of time to try again. or if she decides she doesnt want to - well, thats okay too.
i just hope i can help her do 'something' better when she sees me on sunday.
janlynn
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2005-01-14 15:22
With this little time left, stick to the basics.
On the rhythm front, she must not stop counting when she has long notes or rests. The most common errors in rhythm are not holding a long note long enough and jumping in too soon after a rest.
Emphasize to her that she has to count twice as hard on a long note or rest. She won't have the moving notes to remind her of the rhythm, and the judges listen for these errors more than anything else.
Second, she should play just slightly slower than she thinks she can. It's better to be slow and perfect than fast and sloppy. If the judges want to hear it faster, they'll ask, and she has advantage of having just rehearsed it.
Wish her good luck.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Wayne Thompson
Date: 2005-01-14 18:36
I'll say this, though I bet you and her have already had this discussion. Just 'playing and having fun' is good, but it's also fun to work at something and improve. So your two hours may feel like work, but it will also be rewarding in a bigger way.
Kids sometimes don't get that message that it's fun to learn. In fact they unlearn it, right? They learn so naturally when they're three or seven, and then they come to believe that learning is work and bad. Maybe she and her family should respectfully consider that there are better teachers for her out there than the one at school. Maybe you're the better teacher for her in the long run?
Wayne T.
PS I'm one of the least experienced teachers in the world, but I do have one new twelve year old, and she and her Mom and I have agreed that we will 'just have fun' so to not stress her out. (She's got many difficult classes and much homework.) So I tried this logic with her, that we'll look for a way to work and learn and still have fun and to not worry about it. We'll see.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-01-14 18:59
Quote:
I'll say this, though I bet you and her have already had this discussion. Just 'playing and having fun' is good, but it's also fun to work at something and improve. So your two hours may feel like work, but it will also be rewarding in a bigger way. So true. I always looked at the clarinet as 'fun'. Recently, I decided to suck it up and bear my way through practicing scales and other patterns. And now, I'm picking up music that I once found WAY too dificult, and having fun actually being able to work on it instead of getting frustrated because I mess up TOO often!
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: 3dogmom
Date: 2005-01-14 20:10
Okay, I've been through both sides of this, both as a clarinet player and as Mom who pushed too hard and had a daughter quit an instrument. My two cents are as follows: you are her aunt, not her teacher. That relationship lasts forever and is far more important than whatever happens with her audition. If I were in your shoes, I would encourage, praise, and second whatever her teacher says.
Sue
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2005-01-16 14:19
thanks so much everyone!!! im just about to go see my neice now. a new obstacle ... she sprained her right thumb at basketball yesterday and ended up in e.r. UGH!
okay so here is what ive learned from you guys
1. have fun
2. follow directions
3. count long notes and rests
4. rhythm
5. rhythm
6. rythm
lol and have more fun
wayne ... i have to admit that i personally think i am a better teacher for her, but time and distance doesnt allow me to work with her on a weekly basis so im her supplemental teacher when she wants it. however, she hopes to join the wind symphony i play in, this summer (if the conductor allows her since she will be 1 yr too young) and i think it will be a lot of fun to practice the music together. theres a lot she will learn from playing with this group and a lot for me to teach her.
thanks again! janlynn
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