 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: David Pegel
Date: 2002-01-04 22:40
I have been told that in order to be accepted in an American College to major in music it helps to take physics in high school. Is that true?
If it is, can somebody kindly explain WHY????
Is a physics credit even related at all to musical performance?
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-01-04 23:04
David -
The U.S. high school curriculum marches (or used to march) in lockstep. Presumably the college-bound curriculum still does. In my day (more years ago than I care to count), it was biology in the 10th grade, chemistry in the 11th and physics in the 12th.
I've found that musicians tend to be more intelligent than average. An elementary science background (and, believe me, high school science courses are pretty elementary) is part of every educated person's mental background. At that level, it's not difficult to understand.
And physics *is* related to musical performance. Understanding why a flute overblows at the octave and a clarinet overblows at a twelfth -- that's physics! Adjusting reeds is applied physics. Undstanding how the various keys on the clarinet work, how to find leaks, adjust springs, where to apply key oil -- all physics.
Besides, musicians make small enough incomes that they need to know how to change a light bulb, or even a light switch.
Few clarinet performance majors, even from the top conservatories, make a living playing clarinet. To get a teaching job, you need to have the basic credentials, and to get along among teachers you need a greater than average breadth of knowledge.
Finally, I object to the idea that the sciences are irrelevant to music. You wouldn't say the same about literature or history. I think music theory is at least as close to math or physics as it is to poetry.
I'll stop now and let Mark get in his licks.
Ken Shaw
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Author: beth
Date: 2002-01-04 23:56
University of South Carolina offers a nifty college level physics course through their distance learning curriculum entitled "Physics in the Arts" covers physics of music and physics in the arts other than music. What revelence this has is probably none, but its a neat approach to the subject.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2002-01-05 00:45
Well said, Ken.
Every aspect of instrument design, including every acoustic compromise, is steeped in physics. Perceptions of pitch, stretched octaves, enharmonicity, modes, fluid dynamics near the reed, effects of boundary layer modification, venting, .... all physics.
Those without some fundamental training in physics can never appreciate just how much they don't know. This knowledge of one's limits is fundamental to personal development, both in a technical sense and in an artistic sense.
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Author: Micaela
Date: 2002-01-05 02:01
Well, three credits in high school science is good for most US colleges. They don't necessarily have to involve physics, though. Colleges are a lot more flexible than high schools. If you're going to a conservatory, your audition's the thing. But if you're applying to an academic school majoring in music, good grades and hard classes (read: as many APs as your school offers) help a lot.
This is strictly in terms of admission. Useful skills are another thing entirely...if you don't like the idea of physics, you can probably get out of it without harming your prospects too badly. But it may prove to be useful to take it.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2002-01-05 16:37
David - Ken, Gordon and others have given you all of the reasons I can think of for at least supplementing musical education with physical-science education. I have done it [the other way-round] with chemical engineering degrees, 40 years of pro [oil company] experience and individual study into "interesting" subjects [such as patents], with [only] a "minor" in woodwinds. For anyone who looks up "pi" to 10 places, showing mathematical interest, you do have the qualifications for scientific study as well as music [they are inseparably related!!] . I have been looking for the equation for calculating this non-ending transcendental [HELP]. Short answer, take all of the science you can! Don
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Author: David Pegel
Date: 2002-01-06 20:19
Ahhh. Now it makes sense. I knew I'd end up taking physics anyway, but I wanted to know whether I would find it worthwhile considering the physics teacher here at our school has a reputation for not teaching well (that is, no one learns anything in her class.) So I wanted to know whether I'd be a step behind or not.
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Author: sarah
Date: 2002-01-07 21:44
The University of Southern Maine offers a physics class that is based on music, but it is not required. I have picked up most usefull things is the required music classes, like history and theory.
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Author: Emms
Date: 2002-01-11 13:02
Science study also promotes an enquiring mind, an ability to experiment,and to understand WHY things happen.
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