 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: Dutchy
Date: 2008-09-26 03:49
One of my oboe method books, the Standard of Excellence Book 2, I obtained at a local used bookstore. And I saw that in the front, there was a girl's name written, the same name as a girl, now 20-something, who goes to my church, and who I always knew as a teenage flutist, before she went away to college, and then came back home again. This is a big city of about 90,000, so it could have been a coincidence, same name, but not the same girl.
So I always wondered whether it was her, and whether she played oboe, too, and finally Wednesday night, I got the chance to ask her.
And her face lit up with fond reminiscence. "Oh, yeah, that was my book! I started out on flute in the fifth and sixth grade, and then when you got into seventh grade, you were allowed to start double reeds. So I played oboe through seventh and eighth grade, but when it was time to start high school, the band director said they already had too many oboes, so I dropped it and went back to flute."
I was just flabbergasted. "I've never heard of a high school band director thinking he had 'too many oboes'..."
She said, "Well, he had two oboes in the freshman/sophomore band, and two oboes in the junior/senior band, and he said that was enough, and I didn't want to keep it up in the hopes that someone would graduate, or drop out, so..." She shrugged philosophically.
And I was just depressed all evening thinking about this. This band director has a huge band; it's an 1,100 student high school. My daughter was in the senior band for two years, she was one of six clarinets, he had six or eight flutists, trumpets ditto, at least a dozen percussionists. I cannot believe that three oboists somehow would have been one too many.
So I came home from church and was fulminating about this to my husband, and he pointed out, "Well, Mr. C. likes to win band contests, doesn't he?" Which is true; this band regularly wins all sorts of state band contests.
"Well," he went on, "You don't win band contests by allowing anybody to play anything they like. You win band contests by being picky about it, which includes having only the requisite number of oboists, and no more."
And he was right.
So then I was even more depressed, thinking about this supposed educator who placed a higher priority on winning band contests than on allowing a child to continue with an instrument she had chosen.
I think it's telling that this girl has routinely refused to play in our tiny church orchestra. Much is now explained. The flute isn't her chosen instrument; the oboe was.
Maybe I can get her interested in picking up the oboe again...
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Author: JRJINSA
Date: 2008-09-26 19:39
This isn't so sad, neat coincidence though, you have her book. At least she stuck with something and learned how to play it. That is most important. I was recently introduced to a wonderful flutist who gave up the oboe to play the flute. She's a very happy and sane woman now who told me with a gleeful smile, "I breathe so much easier because I don't have to worry about good reeds the day before the concert."
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Author: Herakles82
Date: 2008-10-10 04:21
WOW! I've just read your post, Dutchy, and can't believe it. I'd say someone has his priorities screwed up (and that might be a little too kind a phrase for him).
I'm 49 and just beginning the second year of my oboe instruction and wished that I'd picked this up years ago. It's been fun, frustrating and a rush, to say the least. But for a music educator to turn down the chance for another oboe player (it's not like they are everywhere) is a mystery.
I hope that you will try to convince her to pick it up again. Years down the road she might look back and regret that she did not.
Good luck and thanks for sharing.
Chuck
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Author: FrankM
Date: 2008-10-10 12:40
I'm the only person in my house playing oboe.....and my wife says that's too many as well.
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Author: oboeidaho
Date: 2008-10-15 06:31
I find this incredibly depressing too, Dutchy. I hate the organized compartmentalization of our kids into neat easily taught packages. What a load - to say that 3 oboes is too many! In your top auditioned band, sure you should only have two - but did he routinely kick out flutes and clarinets if there were more than his ideal number? If you were trumpet number 5 did you just drop out because there was no room for you in band? I am sickened by this story.
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Author: Dutchy
Date: 2008-10-15 13:42
I don't know that he was/is equally picky about other instruments, but knowing his drive towards winning competitions, I'd guess that he is.
And it isn't really an auditioned band as such--it's just "Band", it's a high school course. My understanding is that he doesn't need to audition the juniors and seniors for "his" band because he works closely with his subordinate who has charge of the freshman/sophomore band, and I would presume that any player, even on a desirable instrument, who was still completely inept by their sophomore year would be quietly discouraged by Number Two from signing up for Band with the Big Man their junior year.
And so he could keep the numbers of flutes et cetera down, too, by having Number Two quietly discourage those who were marginally talented, by simply telling them bluntly, "We have enough flutes next year..."
I don't *know* that he does that, but I think it's plausible to assume.
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Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2008-10-16 02:48
I'm with JRJINSA and FrankM: maybe, just maybe, the girl wasn't all that gifted for oboe and the flute suit her much better in the end? That the director's comments were a rather pathetic but polite way to steer her to another choice? I don't know, I wasn't there...
I just loaned one of my oboes to a friend in her 40s who wanted to pick it up again after many years; she is enjoying it so much. So, if you really want to, it's never too late to oboe.
mary (aka GoodWinds)
GoodWinds
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