Jude

seem to have such fantastic learning tools for music - everybody has tuners and metronomes and recorders and beginners have these interactive programs for everyday practicing at home. Even drills can be done with accompaniment, pro players provide models, not just of trumpet etc. tone but of how the specific piece should sound, how everything fits together in ensemble playing. Tempos can be slowed down until a tricky part is perfected and then speeded up as a challenge...Personally, I find some of these programs addictive.

But the only person I know who has taught from back in the old days (1950s) up until today doesn't agree that performance has improved. He says students are worse than they used to be when he taught out of Rubank's - they practice even less than they used to, they don't want to play anything they don't recognize, they don't memorize anything, including scales.

So: what do you teachers see today? Enthusiastic, well-prepared students who perform far better on average than kids used to, or the slackers I described above?

Bourbon City

Kids today have been pampered. They are lazy. They expect everthing to be done for them. They have everything given to them. They don't have to work for anything. Why practice. Scales?

The only saving grace is my Grandfather said the same thing about my Father's generation. I'm glad my baby-boomers generation was perfect. That stuff was never said about us.

Yea. Sure.

miles71

I am afraid I must agree with the lazyiness of the kids. I have taught HS Band for 11 years and have seen a steady decline in the amount of effort out into music and the mastering of instruments. I could write for days on the reasons and my thoughts on the cause, however I get to depressed seeing what I love being neglected.

Keep our standards high, expect excellence, and hope someone notices.

TD

rowuk

I see no difference. The gifted kids always ran and the lesser gifted were torn between sports and music.
Technology does not address the problems that our kids have in the 21st century: full schedules and 24x7 noise being pumped directly into their ears.
Even if the trumpets played themselves, it wouldn't get better.

Parents: protect your kids from OVERLOAD!

Jimi Michiel

I agree that some of the learning materials given to students today are dumbed down, but I have some very hard working students. I also have some slackers. To me, the teaching materials have very little to do with it. That being said, I much prefer Rubank to the new bells-and-whistles.

-Jimi

PS. My students HATE Dr.Beat. I think many of them play closer attention to rhythm because they know I will break out my DB88 if the make avoidable rhythmic errors.

gglassmeyer

For brand new studnets, I like the computer CDs that come with books. I think it's important for them to be able to match what they hear. Otherwise how do they know a "C" from a "G". The tuner program on the computer also allows them to see how their pitch fluctuates and trying to keep the note in the middle helps them fine tune their muscle control. One other advance is the software that graphically shows the duration of a note across the measure. When the kid plays it superimposes where they began and ended the each note. This way they can see what they did wrong.

Part of the problem with motivation is that music kids listen to today isn't filled with killer horn sections. Many of us grew up admiring big band leaders and musicians the way kids admire rock stars of today. Entertainment choices were a lot more limited 35+ years ago, when in the US you had only 3 major TV networks. Often you'll find young kids who can read music, but don't have style because they haven't listend to many different kinds of music.

I do have a kid who plays very well, but if you asked him to play a F-major scale he'd have no clue. If you threw it in front of him he'd play the heck out of it. I just started with this kid and his band director has them playing some awesome tunes. His stage band folder was loaded with stuff like "Take the A Train" and Birdland. He always leaves my house with a CD to take home so he can hear what some pro players can do with the songs he's learning. I've only been teaching him for a few months so I have to crack the whip on learning the scales. This kids plays all kinds of sports along with his trumpet playing so it will be interesting to see what happens when he hits high school. He really loves playing and obviously practices a lot, I'd bet he applies the same work ethic to his sports and school work too.
Other kids are more lazy and it's hard to get them playing to a point where they feel good about their progress and start playing music. The faster you can get them playing something that resembles music the better off they are. You still have to force them to learn their scales and do lip slurs and work on tone, dyanamics and other boring stuff thats required to make music.

Sterling

I have been teaching public school for 29 years and have seen many talented and gifted students. Today, kids(my own, included) have too much structured play time after school, ie. soccer, boy scouts, chess club, space camp, game club, etc. rather than basic playtime in their neighborhood. Also, my students (grades 5,6,7) are having to do much more studying for the mandatory state tests in math, english, and science. I use new technology sparingly and still use the old etude and lesson books. They are packed with much more music and less glitz.

meloday

yeah. kids these days seem to think that they have a right to everything. that they don't have to work for what they own. it's a blanket statement, i know. but, unfortunately, in my experience, kids are waaay over privledged!

BradHarrison

It's certainly a different world now. But it's been a different world every 5 or 10 years for the last 100 years. The technology of my grandparent's generation literally went from horse & buggy to putting a man on the moon. My parents' generation has gone from computers being unfathomable behemoths the size of a house that you read about in the newspaper to unbelievelably powerful handheld devices that live in almost everyone's pocket. Even when I think about household entertainment when I was a kid....I went from less than 50 channels and VHS to downloadable anything and ubiquitous wifi with access to infitite time-killers of the internet.

But, some things haven't changed in the last 100 years. To be an athlete you have to eat well, work out, and practice. To be smart you have to read, study, and go to class(or watch your online lectures but it's the same idea). And, to be a good musician you still have to listen to great musicans, play with great musicians, and practice an awful lot.

It all comes down to dedication and desire. All those toys mentioned in the first post might make it more enjoyable to practice but if the student isn't that interested in being a musician then it really doesn't matter how good the gimmicks are.

Another way to think about it: We've steadily learned more about diet and nutrition over the last 50 years yet obesity in North America has never been a greater problem than it is now. But we have so many gyms and diet products on the market right now? Shouldn't those products make people want to be thin and in shape?

Eeviac

I just want to say..... my Dad's generation built airplane models out of balsawood that they covered with tissue paper and painted in layers. From plans. My generation built plastic models with Testors cement and saw the "snap-tite" models come out, with a reduced parts count. And decals instead of paint. Now kids don't build models at all and you can't even get 'em to use a coloring book unless it comes with $29.95 pens that paint in colors that would make Timothy Leary sick.

It's the ADHD generation.