Posted by Rick Denney on July 02, 2003 at 10:37:55:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: HS Level Recommended Solos posted by Werner on July 02, 2003 at 09:57:56:
I'm impressed by the list you presented, if your university entrants can really play them well.
But I think the point you are making is completely wrong. High-schoolers in the U.S. these days are far better than they were, in general terms, when I was in high school 30 years ago. I hear stuff played by non-university-music-bound high school tuba players that, technically at least, I still can't play well. The stuff I hear today from merely "pretty good" high school kids is on a par with the stuff I heard from all-staters in my day--and I sat next to three former Texas all-staters in my freshman year in college. Clearly, high school tuba players have gotten better in the U.S. over the years, at least in terms of technique.
And those who go to college and then graduate are technically right up there with the best tuba players in history. The general quality of college graduates has clearly improved over the years. Musicianship? That's another story, but the contents of your list doesn't guarantee musicianship any more than ours.
And grade labelling is clearly different here and there. The Vaughan Williams (including the third movement) is on the Texas Solo and Ensemble list for Category One solos. That list is considered to be Grade 5 or 6, and the RVW is listed that way in U.S. catalogs, but it's on your Grade 8 list.
Rick "who would rather hear a musical Air and Bourree than a Vaughan Williams note exercise" Denney