Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Please help!! What is a Bb Babordon?????


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Posted by Josh Whitlow on August 16, 1999 at 22:37:31:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Please help!! What is a Bb Babordon????? posted by Jay Bertolet on August 15, 1999 at 18:09:06:

I absolutely agree that ideals such as a willingness to work hard and perservere should be taught to the children of this country. I also agree that looks, concerning instruments, matter very little when compared to overall sound quality, response, intonation, etc. Finally, I agree with Dale that teaching and developing musicianship is of the utmost importance. Nonetheless, a child's initial response to an old, slightly beat up tuba which plays very well may not be as positive as his/her response to a new, shiny one that does not play as well. Once it has been explained to the child how much better the former horn is than the latter, however, this attitude can be quickly changed. I assure all that this occurs because I see it in some form or another every year I start a new group of sixth graders.

Is this a result of the 90's mindset? Quite possibly. But I can spend my time as a music educator complaining about the unfortunate situation at hand or I can spend my time trying to correct it and help those children. One of my goals as a public school music educator is to provide the opportunity for any and all children to learn about and perform instrumental music. If I leave behind or forget about those who may have misguided or skewed thoughts concerning instruments, music, etc., have I done my job? Probably not. That being said, I would rather spend a little time trying to change the mind of a young child who does not know enough to make an informed, intelligent decision about an instrument. To me, this is a far better approach than leaving him/her in the dust simply because he/she did not already know "ideally" the correct answer to the instrument riddle. Even if it means I have to use up a few minutes of classroom time. In a school as small as mine, I would be doing a diservice to the children and the music program if I did otherwise. Somehow, I believe my comments were taken as disagreement and this was not my intention. I was merely trying to point out a scenario I have seen played out a few times. Admittedly, I am not the best writer in the world...just ask my wife! Best of luck to all!!



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