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Public School Auditions

Teachers - Stop asking ridiculous audition material of bassists that they haven't been taught! Every year I get private students that come to me with scale and excerpt requirements that are not in their repertoire. Now, I'm not talking about youth orchestras, master classes, etc...Rather when public school orchestra teachers ask their own bassists to play a 2 or 3 octave scale that they never taught them. These students are not going to magically learn thumb position just because you ask it!

Meanwhile, sometimes these same students should be working on first position intonation, a solid bass tone, and proper technique.

Ask for better quality things that have been taught! Perfect the 1 octave Bb scale or have them practice with a tuner to improve intonation rather than force poor habits with outrageous requests. Stop asking for a 2 octave D scale!!! Just because it works for the violins or is in first position for violas and cellos, it is monstrous on the bass for young players!! Ask for a 2 octave E or F scale. ARGH.

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The Pendulum & Buzz words

Rubrics - 1996-2000
Standards 1996-present
Differentiated instruction 2004 -

A quality teacher should know to adjust their teaching methods to different styles.

The best education class I took in college was about changing attitudes rather than wasting time on theories. The professor taught us to TEACH. If the student isn't learning, then adjust. Do something different so they succeed and learn.

It is frustrating to see the oscillation of educational theories come down from theorists and administrators to teachers. Frustrating because we have seen the theories come and go. Well only 2 actually. You adjust to one then about 5 or 10 years later the original comes back. Yes, perhaps with a different outfit but the same concept.

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WHY ORCHESTRA? Why should and do we have orchestra (or anything for that matter?) in schools?

We've all heard and given many reasons - to have a musical experience, to cultivate the arts, to allow to kids to 'express' themselves (yeah, right), because it's good for them (it is, but WHY?), etc...

But these are all superficial reasons that only mask much deeper reasons and laws of nature and human nature.

Some say it's because it fosters self-discipline and habits & ethics of work. That's not bad. Perhaps it goes even deeper - down to self-sufficiency and trust. Learning an instrument is a true and tactile demonstration of natural law - you can't run before you can walk and you can't play the concerto without even learning how to open the case as a child. There is order and sequence. It is about learning about these natural sequences that are immutable and universal.

How about trust? What aspect of trust? The only way to gain trust is to be trustworthy and the only way to be trustworthy is to practice being trustworthy - first to yourself, then to others. How to you learn to be trustworthy to yourself; internally? By making by first making small commitments and keeping them - like saying your going to practice and doing it. Orchestra (and all music, and most other actvities) is a means to practice the muscle of trustworthiness. It is about keeping promises to yourself. You can't keep promises to others if you can't first keep them with yourself - YOUR self.

(Obviously, my reading of choice lately has been more Stephen R. Covey.)

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Talent. What an interesting word. What a false, hollow, insulting word. I hate it when people call me talented. I am not. I once gave a recital for the other teachers at the school I teach. Afterwards, many came up to me to offer they're congratulations and I often heard, "You are very talented."

Talented? TALENTED? NO, NO, NO! I was insulted, angry, and hurt. The implication was of a shallow ability I had - something I could just pull out of my pocket on a moment's notice. They did not see or even CONSIDER the hours I spent in a practice room. They didn't think of how many times I declined to go out with friends or hang out at parties so I could stay home and practice - to go over the Bach one more time to be sure it truly was memorized.

None of that music came easy. As a matter of fact, it never has. Each victory, public or private, has come with difficulty and sacrifice. Not that I mind - I don't. I love playing the bass. I love the way it sounds, I love the feel, I love the look. I enjoy talking shop and hanging out with other bass players. I get a rush from playing bass quartets. I get excited about ordering a new bass cd. But none of that changes the fact that my own skills have not been acquired with ease. When I decided to go to music school I had only been playing the bass for about a year. Not much time to get ready for an audition. Talent would have allowed me to watch tv and still receive that scholarship. No. I got home from school and practiced. I went to the band room during lunch and played the bass. I cranked the 3rd movement to Beethoven's 5th in my car. I sang along with the recits from the Ninth.

Why didn't they say, "You're a hard worker."? Only recently have I heard, "You must be very disciplined." Now that's pretty good and felt GREAT to hear. Disciplined. Yep, that works.

Talented? No.

Here are more thoughts on talent.

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I don't know where or when this idea originated. It seems to have always been there; when I was a student, when I student taught, and now as a teacher.

It's OK to give a half page, 1 example or 3 lines. Teach thoroughly. The teacher can set the pace. Do not be swayed by a student's lack of patience or self discipline. This does not mean to turn a blind eye to the student or to disregard their goals and direction but rather that the fickleness of youth does not need our feeding.

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The problem with most music teachers is that they are correcters rather than preventers. So many teachers don't teach to prevent problems. They just correct them. Which is very psychologically taxing because your are constantly dealing with negatives.

Teachers do this to themselves as well with shoddy teaching at the beginning level. Go slow and teach correctly. This also ties in the 1 page a week notion. What a terrible thought. Do one line or even one note and play it perfect with perfect technique, posture, etc.

Prevent problems by teaching correctly and knowing what you want in the future from your students. If you want your 8th graders to know a chromatic scales your elementary students should know what a half step is. And your beginners better know correct hand position to play the half steps in tune.

Unfortunately many music programs and curricula perpetuate this with busy concert schedules and performances.

6/28/05 **UPDATE** This concept has been explored in other areas! In "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" by Dr. Stephen R. Covey, this concept is call the P/PC balance. P is production and PC is production capability. Dr. Covey makes the analogy relating P/PC to the goose and the golden egg. The egg is production and the goose is the production capability.

Too often educators are concerned only with the golden egg - the immediate performance - rather
than a student's understanding and true mastery level - their production capability.

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First, thank you for supporting the arts, music, music education, me, bassists everywhere, musicians, and everyone in the arts. Without you the arts would not exist. Thank you!

I, as a bassist, would like to (no need to) say a few things about me playing the bass, and hopefully I speak for fellow bassists as well. I (we) enjoy playing this giant instrument. I don't wish I played the flute, piccolo, or clarinet. I don't mind carrying the instrument (just please if you see me coming with the bass - move). I don't drive a station wagon, van, or truck. And as a matter of fact I can fit a bass into almost any car. Some of the cars we drive here are: Stratus, Escort, Integra, Legacy.

When you see a bassist in the elevator with his bass think twice before you make some joke that all of us have heard dozens of time. You're not the first to say it no matter how smart you think you are.