Re: Re: Teaching and reality


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Posted by Brian Petters on December 19, 2003 at 10:45:56:

In Reply to: Re: Teaching and reality posted by david on December 18, 2003 at 17:21:25:

First of all David, while I can't be Budapest next summer, we're all pulling for you. Get well soon.

I have to agree with your point about getting non-music majors to take lessons. When I went to college, I wanted to be a music major. However, I quickly learned I have neither the talent or the work effort required to make a run at it. Through my years in college I learned that some of the people with the best attitudes about music were those who were in the marching band but were not music majors. The music majors often, not always, looked down on marching band, even though we played to much larger audiences than they ever will. My tuba lessons turned out to be a disaster because I could never get on the same wave-length with my instructor. That being said, I was one of the more accomplished non-music major tuba players at the school and was principal in the Concert Band by the time I graduated. It's just that many of the music instructors had no interest in working with you unless you were at least as dedicated to the profession as they were.

Don't get me wrong, I don't regret any decisions I have made. But coming back after 14 years is a hard hill to climb when you were "pushed away" by parts of the music establishment. I walked away from my last football game thinking I would never play the horn again--an incredibly sad moment for someone who wanted to play tuba since he was 4 years old. Now, I have the itch, but finding a scratching post is hard. And without the fundamentals which I could have learned from lessons (had I seen them in the right context and had the expectations been more reasonable), the climb is that much tougher.

I have contacted a teacher in the local area an may start lessons early next year, but I wonder if it will be worthwhile. The city band Christmas concert I just played in had 14 people show up in the audience. I find more and more that the popular culture is leaving us behind and we have no idea how to respond.

Musicians need to seek out ways to bring music to the masses. Playing to people walking by in the mall is better than playing to an empty concert hall. Giving students of all majors an opportunity to sing the music inside of them would be a good start.

Brian "won't say what school here, but if you know me, you know were I went" Petters


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