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trumpetmike · 10-24-2006, 05:20 PM

There are times when you are teaching that you find yourself close to slashing your wrists, despairing of your students inability to practise.
There are times when you are close to tears when they fail miserably at a scales test, when all you ask them is C major, for the 4th week running.
There are times when they cause you to tear your hair out.

Then there are those times when one of your students causes a lump to rise in your throat and it is a good thing.

I work with a number of youth groups during the working week and have students in each of them. In the "top" ensemble (the Surrey County Youth Wind Orchestra) we tend to do quite challenging works that require the players to work in various different styles. One piece we are currently working on is The TV Detectives, by Nigel Hess, which requires one of the section to don the mantle of Philip McCann. The staff deciuded that the only fair way to find out who would be playing this solo (which is a very different style to that which most of our students are taught) would be to audition the whole section. We listened to everyone, got it down to the final three (all of which happen to be TM registered) and then got them playing it on a cornet, to get closer to the sound we were looking for.
Due to the fact that I teach two and know all three of these students it wasn't just going to be my decision. It was honestly a very difficult decision, each of the three had something that we all loved.
I was blown away when I heard the three of them, especially the person who will be doing the solo.

Having been up to see Manny at the Proms, our cornet soloist is well aware of how big the Albert Hall is and is now (hopefully) practising so that she can keep up the TM standard of excellence that he laid down - Manny, so kind of you to set the bar so high.

So, if anyone wants to hear Hannahthegreat88 playing a lovely little cornet solo, be at the Albert Hall on November 21st.

Normally it would be a student posting how pleased they are to be playing somewhere like that, but heck, I am allowed to be a proud teacher every now and then

10-24-2006, 05:20 PM	#1 (permalink)
trumpetmike Forte User Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Farnham (a place too smal Posts: 1,202	Another TMer at the Albert Hall There are times when you are teaching that you find yourself close to slashing your wrists, despairing of your students inability to practise. There are times when you are close to tears when they fail miserably at a scales test, when all you ask them is C major, for the 4th week running. There are times when they cause you to tear your hair out. Then there are those times when one of your students causes a lump to rise in your throat and it is a good thing. I work with a number of youth groups during the working week and have students in each of them. In the "top" ensemble (the Surrey County Youth Wind Orchestra) we tend to do quite challenging works that require the players to work in various different styles. One piece we are currently working on is The TV Detectives, by Nigel Hess, which requires one of the section to don the mantle of Philip McCann. The staff deciuded that the only fair way to find out who would be playing this solo (which is a very different style to that which most of our students are taught) would be to audition the whole section. We listened to everyone, got it down to the final three (all of which happen to be TM registered) and then got them playing it on a cornet, to get closer to the sound we were looking for. Due to the fact that I teach two and know all three of these students it wasn't just going to be my decision. It was honestly a very difficult decision, each of the three had something that we all loved. I was blown away when I heard the three of them, especially the person who will be doing the solo. Having been up to see Manny at the Proms, our cornet soloist is well aware of how big the Albert Hall is and is now (hopefully) practising so that she can keep up the TM standard of excellence that he laid down - Manny, so kind of you to set the bar so high. So, if anyone wants to hear Hannahthegreat88 playing a lovely little cornet solo, be at the Albert Hall on November 21st. Normally it would be a student posting how pleased they are to be playing somewhere like that, but heck, I am allowed to be a proud teacher every now and then