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Re: Where have all the etudes gone?

Author: Brad Behn
Date: 2018-03-06 00:43

Hi Dan,

It is sad to me to know that etudes are being usurped by solo rep. My teacher Robert Marcellus taught his pedagogy through etudes, and only discussed solo rep at times when I brought it in for recital prep.

Dan, you are an expert math-man? How did your daughter's math studies compare to your math studies as a student? I expect much of the fundamental foundational stuff was similar? Much like music, the foundation remains ever important, and unchanging. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Etudes offer such a great opportunity for students to learn precise elements of clarinet pedagogy, technique, musicianship, articulation, etc. under the magnification a single page etude can impart. For example:

Marcellus called Rose 40, No. 1 "The hardest etude in the world." And that statement would of course set the student's mind aflutter, as on first glance it doesn't look especially hard.

So the process would unfold, a discussion, questions, discovery, insights into Marcellus' mind - as to why he would say such, and so forth.

And of course the great thing in his teaching approach was to create an atmosphere of discovery. Let the student find out on his/her own how, what, and why.

Flash forward 32 years, and I respectfully share Marcellus' statements with my students, "...the hardest etude in the world." And the conversation repeats. A good conversation for sure...although surely I can't "conver-splain" it with as much poignance. Indeed Marcellus was an elegant communicator.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Brad Behn
http://www.clarinetmouthpiece.com

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