 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Kristen
Date: 2000-05-19 22:28
Hi everyone,
I've been involved in this bulletin board for a short period of time, and everyone gives really good advice when I needed it. Now, I need it most of all. Those who don't know, I'm a middel school student and today I got the worst news in my life. My favorite teacher, the band director, was forced to resign. He has untill the end of the school year (1 week) and I'll see him on the trip to band camp, but then he'll be gone, in another state. We're all afraid that we'll have a teacher like a sub. we once had who slept for more than 1/2 of the class, then told us we sounded like budwiser frogs. The entire class cried, every singel person. I am so sad. Please, Please write a reply :(
sincerly,
Kristen
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-05-19 22:48
Worrying about what <b>might</b> happen is a waste of your energy and can stress you out. Things might get even better than they were - you just don't know!
Just keep on playing like you have been and let us know what happens next school year.
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Author: Bob Gardner
Date: 2000-05-19 23:07
I agree with mark--you can't play what if--it is always negative. The only thing in life to worry about is what you can control. So do teh best you can each day, and pray for what you want and need. Remember that all prays are answered and NO is sometimes the answer to prayer.
Bob
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Author: bill
Date: 2000-05-19 23:18
kristen-
when i was a jr. high student, there was a band director that was favored by all, but unfortunately he passed away towards the end of the school year. then next year, this hitler-like guy came and we all hated him. he was in way over his head! there was a big drop out, we lost about a quarter of the band. i was still the principal clarinetist, and the asst. principal was a real suck-up. i hated that kid so much! but then one day the director gave him first chair and put me somewhere else, so i quit and my folks made a big scene, since there was no audition and i was a million times better than he was. i still played sax in the stage band and clarinet in several other groups. to make a long story short, do not suck up to your new band director. good luck! bill
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Author: Kontragirl
Date: 2000-05-19 23:43
This kind of thing happened to me. Last year my beloved high school band director retired. We were so worried, would he find a good replacement? We had to trust that he know the right thing to do. He did, we ended up with an awesome band director...don't worry, you'll probably turn out okay too.
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Author: mike
Date: 2000-05-19 23:49
You say that he was forced to resign. Why was he forced out? If he was a good band director and popular with the students, then all the students should have their parents complain to the school principal, the local school board, write letters to the local newspapers, etc. That's assuming, of couse, that your band director wanted to stay and was forced out because some admistrators or small subset of students or their parents didn't like him.
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Author: gRAHAM
Date: 2000-05-20 02:37
Since its the end of the year the school has all summer to find a good replacement. When a teacher dies or leaves in the middle of the year they have a week to find a replacement. So the replacement isnt always good.
hope dont fret.
Graham
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Author: gRAHAM
Date: 2000-05-20 02:42
iS this the same guy you told Nicole Y. about?
why was he froced out so soon if things were good just a few days ago?
Graham
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Author: Cathy
Date: 2000-05-20 03:44
Hi Kristen,
Let me tell you, I've been in your shoes before! At the end of my sophomore year my school's awesome band director resigned. There was a great deal of crying, hair pulling, and gnashing of teeth, after all this was the same director who had led us to a state championship the year before and everyone just thought that he could walk on water. The new director my junior year was by many considered to be a disapointment. He enforced no discipline in the classroom whatsoever and the quality of our program dropped like a rock. (I'm not trying to scare you, trust me it gets better =)Well this director was so incredibly unpopular that he too resigned at the end of the year. This time around the school was much more careful about who they were going to hire, after listening to a year full of complaints. They hired my current (well sorta, I just graduated so techinically he's not my director anymore)band director and he's the best thing that's ever happened to my school's music program! Everbody loves this guy! He's enforced discipline, given us challenging music, forced us to push ourselves just one more step, and really made band at my school enjoyable again. Even though we may not have beeen as technically good as we were two years ago, the program will rebuild itself in no time at the pace its going now. Now after that long-winded story I guess what I'm trying to say is don't despair, things will all work out in the end. =)
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Author: Fred McKenzie
Date: 2000-05-20 12:38
Kristen wrote:
-------------------------------
We're all afraid that we'll have a teacher like a sub. we once had who slept for more than 1/2 of the class, then told us we sounded like budwiser frogs.
Kristen-
Can't you all take a joke? Don't you think it would have been funny if your old director had said that?
A substitute teacher may have a little knowledge about a lot of subjects, but not a lot about most. Their purpose is often just to keep the students from wrecking the classroom until the regular teacher returns.
Consider that a Band Director has to take the same education courses as other teachers, and in addition has to have extensive training in all aspects of music. In other words, they become a Band Director because of a burning desire, not just to get an "easy" college degree.
Even so, the new director won't be the same as the old one. Both the director and the students will have to do their part in order for things to work out. If the students have positive cooperative attitudes, and show a warm welcome to the new director, it will go a long way towards building the relationship. (Even if it turns out to be the dreaded sub!)
Fred
<A HREF="http://www.dreamnetstudios.com/music/mmb/index.htm">MMB</A>
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Author: Lelia
Date: 2000-05-20 15:19
IMHO, it's worthwhile to give the new teacher a chance. My high school had separate programs for band and orchestra until my senior year. I was in the orchestra. The orchstra director was one of the best human beings I ever knew. I think most of the orchestra musicians felt the same way about him. To be brutally honest about it, though, the orchestra sounded terrible. Part of the problem was that very few of the kids ever had private lessons -- not the conductor's fault -- but he was a soft-hearted person who couldn't stand to push the class.
All along, the band director connived to get the orchestra director fired and take over the whole instrumental music program. I despised that man so much that when he finally got his way, I almost dropped out of the orchestra. I had changed from band to orchestra because of him in the first place -- not because I was afraid of him but because I was afraid I might not be able to control my own temper. He was an alcoholic with a vicious temper and a mean mouth. He screamed and swore at the class daily. I was afraid one day I might go berserk and yell right back, and I *knew* that if he ever lay a hand on me, the way I saw him do to some of the kids, I'd haul off and slug him, because I startle easily. My fight-or-flight response was hair-trigger and about 99% fight. So I got outta there, transferred to orchestra, the first week of classes. However, he got results. The band won a lot of awards.
Anyway, my senior year, there he was, slouching over the podium in the orchestra, with his usual sour scowl and his ugly remarks to everybody. The first thing he did was make himself *really* popular by mocking the beloved orchestra guy (imitating how he talked) and telling us how incompetent he had been. As a senior, I had more confidence that I could keep my temper and deal with the jerk. I made up my mind that I wasn't going to give in to him and that I was going to keep first chair (where I'd been since freshman year), despite his comment the first day that he would probably have to replace all the woodwind people with people *he* had trained in the band.
Right from the start, I had to admit that he seemed like a better conductor than the one we'd liked so much. The very first week, the orchestra played better. We could follow his beat and stay together! Also, he expressed himself in grossly inappropriate ways, but his anger wasn't pointless. He frightened the violas into practicing, which was more than anybody else had ever been able to do! I don't condone his methods for a minute (today I think he's the one who would get fired, for abusiveness), and I never did learn to like him, but must admit that he did improve the orchestra. He also taught me most of what I know about clarinet playing. I learned I could control myself and survive under someone like that. I needed this experience later, as an adult in the working world! He sneered, criticized and bellowed at me all year long, but yes, I kept first chair. Battling him also temporarily held off my dreadful stage fright, which by this time had gotten out of control on piano. I ended up quitting all music cold turkey for years, but lasted longest on clarinet, because that creep gave me something else to think about.
Am I grateful to him now? Not really! But that year was a pretty good illustration of the trite-but-true expression: "If life hands you a lemon, make lemonade."
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Author: Laurie
Date: 2000-05-20 15:43
You have to trust that it's going to be alright. I have never been in a situtation such as yours, and I know i would be .. I don't even know how to describe it - if my director resigned. Distrought is the first word that comes to my mind. Everything happens for a reason, and in the end it'll work out. It will.You may go through hard times, you may not. You don't know. Enjoy the next few weeks.. Make the most of it. Cry, vent .. talk to your director - If he has e-mail.. get it. It makes a difference. It's said that it takes 3 years to forget an old director. Next year you'll probably find yourself saying " This isn't the way we do it" .. or " Mr/s. ___ did it bettter etc " .. but try not to. Give him a chance. Keep your head up. Don't have any expectations. Smile.. It'll be okay.
Laur
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Author: Penny
Date: 2000-05-20 22:31
I'm a junior in high school and we're going through the same thing at my school. The circumstances are different but we are still losing the best teacher we have. I'm scared too, but I'm really excited too. Change is a good thing someimes. You're school distric is going to hire someone terribley unqualified. If he is being FORCED to resign there's probably something you don't know about and it may be better in the long run. Just keepy our head up and stop playing that what if game. It won't do you any good.
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Author: Penny
Date: 2000-05-20 22:49
I meant isn't going to hire someone unqualified and keep your head up. It's been a long day.
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Author: Kim
Date: 2000-05-20 23:22
Let me tell you a story about the high school I graduated from. In band, I went through three band directors. The first band director I had switched schools after three years. He started the marching band program in the high school. The next director I had switched schools for a better job and more money, like the first. He continued the program, and we were so good the year he was there! Then we got a pretty bitchy, but very good director my senior year. She graduated from the high school with the best marching band in the state and was a drum major there. She made a huge difference for us! When I was there she was great, I really learned a lot.
Although I had three directors, throughout the years, the band improved gradually and we never lost much even though we lost directors. Your band director reccommends who he thinks is best for the job and the adminstration has the job of hiring that person. You should never underestimate the opinion of such a great director--after all, doesn't he want the best for you?
Don't worry. Be happy!
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Author: connie
Date: 2000-05-22 19:55
Kristen,
I'd just like to emphasize a couple of things that have already been said. First, take it as it comes, and try not to pre-judge the new band director. I've seen this cycle in a lot of different situations, where the outgoing guy is well-liked, so the incoming guy will be different and therefore, "worse". When this new, "worse", guy leaves, he will have been so bad that what follows is "good". I've seen this cycle with teachers, with babysitters, even priests. You can help the whole band by having a positive attitude and an open mind. Make sure you're not just basing your reaction on a difference in style rather than ability to lead a band and teach music.
And second, Lelia's story emphasizes that you don't have to like your band director in order to play well and to learn. Sometimes the likeable guy is too nice, and doesn't make a good leader. Fortunately, as Lelia said, extreme strong-arm tactics aren't tolerated any more, like they were in my (and her) high-school days.
One does have to wonder why the band director was forced out....I know from experience it doesn't have to be anything that affects the students, it could just be a personality clash with someone.
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Author: Mary
Date: 2000-05-23 03:23
Kristen-
Sounds like everyone is giving you good advice- give the new person a chance, don't worry till you see what's ahead, etc. I'm in my thirties, have played with a wide range of directors, excellent to pitiful, and I presently teach private lessons to thiry-some students. If you continue playing clarinet, you'll work under all kinds of conductors, and play with all kinds of people, some of whom you'll wonder how they got the job because they are so unqualified. You just need to play your best. Do you take private lessons? Is there a community band nearby that takes students your age? Would other musicians in your band be interested in playing duets, or a clarinet choir? If your musical opportunities are varied, not just limited to one group, then it's easier to take difficulties, or to focus on playing your best regardless of the circumstances.
Hopefully your new director will be great, if different, and you'll also get involved in other musical projects!
Mary
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Author: Dave Lee Ennis
Date: 2000-05-23 12:50
Kristen-
I have had panic attacks in the past about the future(YES GUYS IT'S TRUE!) but I think this one goes a bit beyond me. Was your present band leader THAT nice or good? I think I must be missing something somewhere. Calm yourself down and don't be worried about what might happen. The future will attend to itself, just be patient and give the other guy a chance.
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