Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Teacher wont let me use my new CC horn!!


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Posted by Klaus on August 15, 2001 at 16:11:40:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Teacher wont let me use my new CC horn!! posted by Joe Baker on August 15, 2001 at 14:49:16:

A drawback of my barrage in this matter is, that I hardly can manage to give fair replies to all.

Normally I stay away from threads on the US education system, because it is different from ours.

In this case I smelled a rat so rotten, that I had to react.

I have thrown students out of bands and classes. Unchallenged by my superiors. If there was any common denominator between these very few students, then this one, that they were psychopaths with enough talent and energy to destroy any joy, energy, and, hence, development in their fellow students.

I was a tough and rough teacher. Challenging any student to his/hers limits. Generally with a greater heart towards dedication than pure gifted talent in students. Which mostly was accepted as a fair attitude. Except by the extremely few (one single person in fact), who took his argumentation from his social position and from nothing else).

And any student, in school or music school, knew of my, often fruitful, fights with administration, parents, dealers, and whoever to get the best equipment in instruments, books, and other learning tools.

And back in the pre-computing age, when I could still use my hand as a wpencil holder, they could see on their music stands, that any ensemble part had been made exactly within the scope of each ensemble member.
Or had been very carefully chosen and/or modified from stock editions.

In fact I once had a father complain, that I directed my students towards a conservatory education. I positively knew, that I had never done that. Digging the surface revealed, that the conservatory was the dream of his son. So much, that he nearly blew his chance to advance to the "gymnasium", which is our equivalent to the upper HS and lower college grades (our system is very differnt from that in the US, and the gymnasium is a school one has to qualify for). My part of the scheme only had been to lay out a daily agenda, which allowed this boy to stay in good terms with his school, and still be able to practise 2 to 4 hours a day. This guy actually earns his living as an employed pro euph/bass bone player. Not the tuba, which I taught him, but still OK.

Of course this is pure swashbuckling, but maybe still giving a hint towards the attitude, that I find that any teacher/band director/mentor or whatever should take towards any student.

By that one will earn an authority, which can not be handed out by superiors.

By shovelling off a student wanting to bring a relatively high quality instrument, and by not giving any well foundated explanation to this obviously dedicated student for his standing this band director may not have asked to be fired. But he clearly has indicated, that he at best is to be moved to the lawn mover section of the school system. Unless he takes a very deep bow towards our young original poster.

I have not urged any teenager to treat teachers with contempt. I only have pointed out, that any respect wanted has to be earned by deeds.

One could compare to the military. No insufficient field officer necessarily gets fired. But he will soon see himself overseeing the maintenance of the dishwashers.

Klaus

PS: One bow towards honesty: From day one all students and parents had been told, that I was in full command of which instruments were to be used in ensembles. But that they were very welcome to buy better instruments, than those provided by the school systems. The sole adjudicator of the quality of any instrument was given from the outset: Me.

I have bought in the hundreds of instruments because my testing procedures and price bargaining had collegues asking me to do their procurements. I have blown one single aquisition of a privately owned student’s instrument. Back in 1972 or 1973 and I will never forget that.




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