 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-07-02 03:51
When I was "but a lad" and was studying (many moons ago), my then teacher made practise most of the hair raising excerpts from the "standard" romantic orchestral repertoire. I hated it at the time, but then - I did eventually play professionally and it's amazing how one remembers these things.
Nowadays - the Sydney Symphony requires all orchestral musicians to have a degree in music performance (not music education) and the orchestral excerpts are delivered usually two or three days before your audition (behind a screen). It was the same in my day, but not behind a screen, just with half a dozen musicians from the orchestra (generally section principals) sitting with surly gazes and bored expressions.
At the time, due to the dilligence of my teacher - I had NO problem with the sight reading of orchestral excerpts because I had learned them all (clarinet and viola). My question, do degrees have a specific area devoted to orchestral material or is your college, conservatory fulfilling this via the college's orchestra?
Love to hear your experiences.
diz, Sydney (seldom online these days)
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Author: William
Date: 2002-07-02 15:21
How lucky you were to have teachers that included orchestral excerpts in their curriculum of study. As I look back (also "many moons"), my college course of study seemed more geared toward the clarinet soloist rather than the ensemble member. I did study (and perform many) of the mainstream sonatas/concertos, but was never required to prepare a single orchestral excerpt during my five years of musical study. I did have a most wonderful private teacher (Benny Ehr, Madison, WI) during my high school years, that did require us to learn certain orchestral solos and cadenzas, and many of his former students have gone on to perform professionally as a result of his fine teaching. Many of Benny's interpretive markings have remained relevant throughout my own playing career. It may be of interest (to some) to note that Benny Ehr taught clarinet until the day before he died, a few years ago, at the age of 89. He remains a ledgend in this community as a musician and teacher, and remains revered by all of his former students, including myself!! In fact, all I had to do--during five years of college private lessons--was to practice new materials and improve of the skills that Benny Ehr had already taught me in high school.
Bottom Line: my university preparation: clarinet soloist & small ensemble, very good; orchestral, not so good.
Disclaimer: That university situation existed many years ago while the (then) clarinet instructor was quite young. As he matured as a teacher--earning his DMA and securing full professorship (and after I had graduated, GRRR)--the situation improved and continues to grow under the new clarinet professor. If anyone needs any further, more specific info, please feel free to email me direct.
My experiances--back to Diz, "down under" (BTW--What's wrong with a music education degree if the teacher can play???)
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Author: Gretchen
Date: 2002-07-02 17:57
i will be a sophomore in college this year. Most of my practicing and developement my freshman year was to learn to play the instrument...learning control, tone, technique and everything you need in order to be able to play any piece of music that's written. (Of course you work on that all of your life, but it is very much focused on in my lessons.) I didn't even get a solo to work on until 3 weeks before my jury. Maybe my experience is weird, but that's what i've done. Here at home, however, the teacher i study with here gives me etudes, scales, orchestral excerpts and solos to work on. I think it really depends on the teacher.
The ensembles help a lot with learning rep, and in my school, we have what's called a "rep. class." where we have mock auditions every week. It's more the university that helps with learning rep than teachers in my experience. 
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Author: John
Date: 2002-07-02 20:56
Gretchen...where do you go to school?
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-07-03 00:21
There is nothing "wrong" with a music education degree, but often those not wishing to persue performance careers (very few in Australia, unless you play harp or double bass), rather the performance degree focuses more on repertoire rather than the theories of teaching music.
Anyone who persuse a career as a high school music teacher (and survives and is successful) deserves a Nobel Peach Prize. I still remember giving our high school music teacher a really bad time - just because he was an intelligent and very gifted musician. Of course, I didn't get involved in this - well, not much anyway.
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-07-03 00:21
Actually that should read "Peace" prize - LOL - silly, recalcitrant fingers.
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Author: David Dow
Date: 2002-07-03 11:01
I have seen peopole with degrees in music who could'nt play for beans...
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Author: David Pegel
Date: 2002-07-03 14:15
In high school we seem to give our band directors merry hell. Our band director we have now seems to do well because he's fresh out of college, a phenomenal trombone player, and he jokes around with the students. If he gets mad, we listen.
Just thought I'd throw in on what I knew about high school band directors.
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Author: Mark Pinner
Date: 2002-07-04 11:40
I've got a B.MusEd. and out of my graduating year we had about 6 people who would easily have @!#$ in a performance degree such as those doled out from the Sydney Con.. All 6 of us still play professionally at a high level. The rest were just taught how to pass exams. I can still read fly @!#$ of a wall. The brass and military band training helped more than the bloody degree!
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