My son plays trumpet. He plays it rather well, and I've been listening to him playing CHRISTMAS music for weeks. So tonight we went to his Winter concert at school thinking that we'd hear some of that wonderful music that features TRUMPET.
Now, don't get me wrong. I love our band director. She does an amazing job coaxing what passes for music from some very unmotivated 7th and 8th graders.
But tonight...I just wanted to cry.
First - no real Christmas music. Of course not. It's public school.
Second - can someone just please shoot the oboe players? Year after year. Just awful. And the poor band director acts as if it is NO BIG DEAL. But I look around the audience and see visible cringing and wonder, why on earth are we encouraging these young people?
Okay, if someday I rule the world, one of the first ten rules will be:
NO ONE CAN PLAY OBOE UNLESS THEY SUBJECT THEMSELVES TO A VIGOROUS PROGRAM OF PRIVATE LESSONS BEFORE PLAYING IN PUBLIC!
(I may be a *little* unbalanced on this subject. When I was in junior high there was a really obnoxious flute player (who was very bad at flute) that the band director encouraged to change to oboe. Week after week the rest of us listened to torture masquerading as a musical performance. Why, oh why, did Mr. BD (band director) encourage that child?)
Whew. Exhale. Back to present tense.
So...enjoy this version of Joy to the World...
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4 comments:
Oh, how I'm laughing reading this post! We just got back from YS' band concert. The concert consisted of the 5th grade band (who have only been playing since Aug.), then the middle school and high school bands. I cringe hearing the flutes that are out of tune. (We don't have any oboes.) I mean, really, how do they expect to be in tune if they don't hold their flutes up straight? And, they have their necks contorted so that it looks like it would be painful!
OUCH! Just read this blog because of the oboe comment. I havent'a clue what school you are writing of, but I can tell you that the band directors around here nearly insist (as much as is legally possible in any case!) that oboe players have instructors. You simply MUST have an oboe instructor if you play oboe. And a band director should know that.
Gee ... you are giving me a great idea for a blog; "Instructions for Band Directors"!
Cheers!
Oh my...doesn't sound like too good of a concert. That's too bad. I think the quality of teaching now days has fallen so much, but they don't make a good enough salary and I feel a lot of teachers just don't give a damn today. But first and foremost I think that the home life has changed so much that parents don't care as much as they use to. Crap you can't even punish your child any more when they do wrong for fear of being locked behind bars or your child taken away. It's got to start at home. Parents need to take total responsibility for their children and be a parent. I'm not saying all parents are like this but I think there are far to many in our society today that just don't give a crap. Loved the video my friend.
When I was in 7th grade our band director was so harsh and so disencouraging that the entire band quit the same day. We all walked out of class and to the office as a unit. That's likely why the band director puts up with it.
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