Quote:
|
Originally Posted by tpter1 Quote: |
Originally Posted by cornetguy i work as a substitute band director. i would love to see more transcriptions played, but the problem with doing a lot of them is when a school band as 5-6 clarinets, 1 trombone no tuba, 12 saxophones and 15 drummers (word used is delibrate, most of them can only bang drum loudly) this is not an exaggeration i have seen several bands at the junior and senior high like this. the kids all want to play sax, and drum. so manipulating the instrumentation becomes an issue. plus at least from what i see the kids aren't willing to put the individual time in to do a transcription right, and there is a limit on how much one can spoonfeed the kids | The problem here is not the kids. It's the director, ultimately. They're just kids. Those drummers are doing what the director ultimately is letting them do. That last statement...spoonfeed the kids...that is the approach that causes that lack of spark.
A director must see to it that you don't end up with a dozen saxes and 15 drummers. Everyone wants to play sax and drums. So what? Limit that. Everyone wants to be center in hockey, pitcher in baseball and quarterback in foot ball. But there can only be one of those on the field or ice at a time.
You're a substitute and have no control over that, so please do not take that as though I'm blaming you. I'm blaming the directors that let that happen.
Band programs that have those problems actually do more harm to music than good. |
i agree, but a lot of the problem is the people in the elementary schools, that want the numbers and don't care what the instrumentation winds up being at the senior high. i would like to see the junior and senior high directors take more of an interest in the feeder programs. the one district i sub in that all of jr and sr high teachers have to go to the elementaries (what happened was the school board got tired of them bitching about the quality of the incomming players) the instrumentation problems are less other then clarinets and double reeds. the district i did my student teaching in when the high school directors were not in class, they were at the displays with the elementary teachers.