Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2015-08-10 07:51
Ari, I can understand your frustration. I think the issue goes way beyond clarinet sectionals. The issue is that your band director really doesn't understand clarinet issues and is giving faulty advice, especially his advice about reeds. You really care and want him to see the light, but he doesn't seem to be interested.
I was a band teacher in public schools for many years, but I'm doing other things now. I currently teach private lessons, and have students who sometimes get very questionable advice from their band teachers who are mostly brass players. It does frustrate me too.
I know it's hard, but please take a few minutes to see things from your teacher's point of view. In order for a person to become a certified school music teacher, he or she must cover an incredible amount of material in college. He or she takes private lessons on a primary instrument every semester. There are also music theory, history, literature, conducting, and ensemble requirements. Of course, there are also courses in how to teach music, and courses on the various instruments. When a new music teacher graduates from college, he or she is expected to be an expert in everything from teaching kindergarten general music to middle school orchestra to high school marching band. As you can probably guess, it's hard to be a complete expert in everything. I spent most of my teaching career in music rooms, but I have taught other things too. I'll say this: teaching music in a band or orchestra setting is very hard. It's difficult to teach math, science, and the other subjects, but teaching music is harder. There are so many things to deal with--a stuck trumpet valve, a snare drummer who just can't get the rhythm right, a flute pad that's coming out, a clarinet cork that's coming off, an alto sax that can't play a low B-flat because a pad is leaking, sheet music that's been lost . . . I think you get the idea!
Your band director might be under a lot of stress for an additional reason. You've probably read about the incredible pressures public school teachers are facing today. That's a discussion for another time, but you can look it up if you haven't heard. Stagnant salaries, budget cuts, loss of tenure protection, etc. are all items that are causing teachers to retire early or leave the profession. Attacks on public school teachers from self-serving politicians don't help. Fine arts programs in some places are being cut because of demands for higher scores on standardized tests.
Speaking from many years of experience, you'll deal with situations in life that are a lot more frustrating than this one. I could share some stories about one of my college band directors (not good) and some of the administrators I worked with, but this is not the place.
So . . . what should you do? As hard as it is now, don't do much. If you can help some of the others before or after band practice, fine, but if not, don't stress yourself about it. During marching rehearsals, just try to be as cooperative and helpful as you can.
When concert season starts, just keep using the same mouthpiece and reeds that you're using. Don't discuss them with your director, and he probably won't ask. You might want to ask innocently if the professional woodwind teacher can come back for sectionals. If he says "no," don't argue.
One thing that you can do if you want him to have a better understanding of reeds and mouthpieces: contact Vandoren and D'Addario (Rico) and ask them to send you information about their reeds, mouthpieces, and recommended reed/mouthpiece combinations. When your teacher isn't busy--and he's in a good mood--tell him that you wanted to learn more about current products available. Give the information to him, and tell him you're happy to share it with him. It might make a difference, and it might not. That's all you can do. Good luck.
Post Edited (2015-08-10 08:08)
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