Posted by Doug on February 07, 2002 at 20:25:49:
In Reply to: Re: tuba charity posted by Joe Baker on February 07, 2002 at 17:52:34:
I absolutely agree with you 100%, but I want to analyze a certain situation that definitely comes up.
A poor school in a poor community needs to get some tubas. Any tubas. The BD, not being able to research best offers, due to ignorance or "you must buy new, but chep" restraints, purchases soem of those previously mentioned Jupiter sousaphones for school use. Assuming these horns have the playing characteristics described, playing them results in a sonic disaster. Thus the students have no motivation, because they cannot imporve on such a horn, and they cannot afford the horn, nor can their parents (poor community) and thus they resign to the "i suck so why try" mentality and the music program wonders why no good tuba players are ever produced at the school. If one of theose students had a horn he/she could actually make improvement on in the first place, then there would be no telling what would change.
I dont advocate handouts-im a conservative republican--but if we're gonna tell people to get a job we've gotta make sure the opportunity exists for them to get that job. It's a morbid comparison, but imagine a gym teacher telling a kid with no legs "well, everyone else can run the mile, why cant you?"
Doug "currently with no jobs but at least i can find one available" G