Posted by Tuba Ply/BandDir on May 20, 2003 at 16:30:37:
This is from a forum for High School band director...two diretors with opposing opinions, what do you think?
Band Director #1
How many other regions out there require scales at their All-Region try-outs? I am a band director in Region 3, and have no idea why we waste our time with this. Not only do we require the Texas 7 (the major scales that everyone does), but their relative melodic minor, too, and chromatic. To top it off, we decided to only ask two scales at the ausition. This means my students have to spend their time working on fifteen scales worth a total of 40 points out of 190 for their audition. What a waste of time. Not to mention, while students in our region are working on the etudes and the scales, students in other regions in our area are spending that same time working only on etudes.
Don't get me wrong. I think scales are EXTREMELY important. But, this seems to be a waste of time for students to perfect these scales (especially the melodic minor). I really haven't even brought upo the fact that the etudes selected are rarely even in the keys of the common scales asked at the audition.
I just want to know if we are the onloy region doing this.
Band Director #2
Sir people like you are the reason I never wanted to become a band director, your comments are why many of my peers always ask me "why are you teaching band and not playing" I went to college and got a BM and MM in performance and played for 23 years before I decided that I wanted to teach kids how to play, so few of us band director are true musicians and too many of us think we are (.ask a band director you count a triplet rhythm.). As a teacher I want to be respected as a teacher and a musician, how do you expect to teach a fine ensemble if you have never played in one, and yes there is a difference in playing in one and buying a 16 dollar UNT Cd off the internet. I try to be tactful, however saying that scales are a waste of time, for any reason, is outrageous. This year at TMEA I was with my students who happen to be with a friend from another school who was also in one of the all-state bands, I over heard the other student talking about a director who had given him some musical advise that he disagreed with and the student said to my kid "I just said okay, yeah...it's not like he could have ever played the part." about 15 years ago a music magazine published by a group of musician (I mean pro. players in major symphony orchestras.) did an article and ask some of the worlds most respected musician. "If you were locked in a cave and could only practice one thing, what would it be?" every one of them said scales. This post is not addressed to everyone, but if you think you can get at least a little something out of it. Please do so. Maybe someone somewhere will get smart and stop thinking about time and allow more bands to start facilitating good musicianship. How many music education majors played in their top college ensembles at major universities? I know this is going to stir things up, board-host if you think this post is inappropriate, please remove it.
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