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THat's right folks, you heard it here first.
I got accepted to Ohio State's school of music as a music education major.
I auditioned February 20 and got my letter today. Interesting thing happened during the audition, though... my flute broke. Completely. One of the pads split. So I ended up using Professor Jones' $15000 solid gold flute. I never even thought I'd TOUCH a gold flute, let alone PLAY one. Oh my.
I actually just got my flute back yesterday, and we had district band contest tonight(straight ones for my band!). I had to send it to Pennsylvania for three weeks. The pads were replaces, the thing was disassembled and cleaned to within an inch of its life, the keys were adjusted, the cork was re-sealed, and the lip plate was soldered on(part of the welding had cracked). About $600 in all.
But I'm very pleased. and I'd like you, Hatrack, to know that.
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Congrats! Band was the best thing I got out of my middle/high school years. I hope you make the same experience possible for someone else. Posts: 4089 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I hope that you have students who actually care, unlike the people in our band program. Geez, I hate band.
Its a good program. I just don't like it anymore. All power to you though. There are still a lot of people that are enthusiastic about music.
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What a great opportunity you had to play the gold flute, too! Wow! My cousin hand-makes those high quality flutes for Powell Flute company. I have seen some awesome ones - but never played any of them.
I'm sure you will be a great band teacher! Band is the highlight of my memories of both high school and college.
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Hey hey hey! Another flute playing band director!!! Congrats Tinros! I just started teaching band this last fall, after finishing my 5 years of schooling. Best of luck to you.
Remember, do NOT give up your dream of teaching music. Ear training and music theory cause a lot of less devoted people to wash out, but with the right kind of determination, you'll pull through.
If you ever have any questions, feel free to ask me, and I'll do my best to try to help you out.
Posts: 1099 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Congrats! I'm a music education major myself (choral emphasis, at BYU), and I know what an awesome feeling it is to get that letter! Good luck as you enter the world of music majors...ie. living in a practice room, no social life outside of classmates, etc. Just kidding. It's not as bad as all that. I love it!
Posts: 1635 | Registered: Aug 2002
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Congrads! If you want a social life join marching band. It is lots of fun, even for flute players. If you are doing music education, you'll be learning lots of other instruments, so you could double on tuba. That is always fun.
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Actually, I can't be in marching band. No time, and I don't play a brass instrument. Doubling on a brass would ruin my embrouchure anyway. Oh well- I'll still get football tickets to see The Best Damn Band In The Land(TBDBITL) at Ohio State.
However, I was automatically accepted to the Honors program, so I should have quite a variety of majors in my dorm(Taylor Tower). My sister has, at least, and this is here second year at Taylor.
Posts: 1591 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Music education majors are the shiznit. I'm winding down my first year as a high school choir director. Exhausting, but the kids make it worth it.
Congrats on your acceptance, I know you'll have a great time.
(PS: Jennie, I recently read an article by your very own Dr. Broomhead in the MENC journal. It was something squisy-touchy-feely about LOVING music and having a PASSION for teaching. Sounds like him, doesn't it?)
Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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nah, I don't really like trombone. If I ever doubled on a brass instrument, it would be trumpet. My dad still has his old trumpet, and it's in REALLY good shape.
I'm thinking I won't have a hard time with Music Theory. When I decided to be a music major back in 9th grade, my piano teacher started working through theory with me, and I've actually gotten pretty good at it. I'm more of a math/science person than most people are, and there are tricks to music theory she taught me that have been immensly useful(I've taken piano lessons from her for 9 years now- actually, longer than I've played flute. I just happen to be better at flute than I am at piano).
When I had my audition, it actually turned into a mini-lesson with Professor Jones. She had to help me breathe better in order to play her flute- it takes a lot more air than I'm used to. But it gave me a good idea of what I'll be doing in college- and I'm really looking forward to it! She's sooo nice, and you can tell just from the way she holds herself and talks about the instrument that she REALLY knows what she's doing. I've had the opportunity, since September of last year, to study under the flute instructor at Sinclair Community college, and I feel like I've learned more in these past months than I did in seven years of lessons previously. Mrs. Harrison(my teacher now, and the professor at Sinclair) has a heck of a lot of little tricks for improving just about everything.
So, I'm really excited. I can't stop reading the letter- OSU is the only place I auditioned, and if I didn't make it, I was going to study physics or physical/mechanical engineering. I'm so glad life likes me right now. Posts: 1591 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Can't you play the piccolo in a marching band?
Although, as someone who's played both flute and piccolo, sometimes in the same song, I can say it's a real pain. I ended up going from a good flautist to being okay at both instruments. Perhaps that was just me, though.
Congratulations Tinros on your acceptance!
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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quote:So I ended up using Professor Jones' $15000 solid gold flute.
This reminds me of my first audition. I broke a drumstick and had to use, successively, a piece of a slide trombone, a $15,000 flute, a viola bow, the viola itself, and the really skinny kid who played the bassoon, just to get through my drum solo.
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Bob, stop, you know you started with the Skinny kid, and only used half of the Viola (it broke of course).
Posts: 5362 | Registered: Apr 2004
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Ohio State's marching band has NO woodwinds whatsoever. Only brass and percussion. And the only percussion I play is mallet percussion, but they have no pit. So I'm out of luck.
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You ever see Take the Money and Run, where Woody Allen plays the cello in the marching band? Now THAT'S comedy!
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Tinros: Ohio State's marching band has NO woodwinds whatsoever. Only brass and percussion.
That is the way all marching bandds should be. Woodwinds have two purposes on the marching field: to take up space in tha pattern and to to annoying trills. Other than that, they are useless.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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Thanks Tante, now I have to rent that. My high school orchestra marched in the 4th of July Parade one time in the 80s, our teacher still had pictures. The cellos were on skateboards.
Posts: 5362 | Registered: Apr 2004
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quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head: Woodwinds have two purposes on the marching field: to take up space in tha pattern and to to annoying trills. Other than that, they are useless.
I use to not believe that until my marching band director let me come listen up front. After that I lost a lot of motivation to learn my parts well. Well, at least in the staduim I could whistle louder than anyone else.
Trinos, if you are such a good flutist, are you sure you want to be a teacher. I'm not sure there is much opportunity to play as a teacher.
What sort of theory did you learn? (I was a music comp major)
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quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head: Woodwinds have two purposes on the marching field: to take up space in tha pattern and to to annoying trills. Other than that, they are useless.
I use to not believe that until my marching band director let me come listen up front. After that I lost a lot of motivation to learn my parts well. Well, at least in the staduim I could whistle louder than anyone else.
Trinos, if you are such a good flutist, are you sure you want to be a teacher. I'm not sure there is much opportunity to play as a teacher.
What sort of theory did you learn? (I was a music comp major)
The woodwinds anecdote all depends on how the music is scored. I've heard a number of marching bands where the woodwinds do qutie a bit to add color to the sound, particularly in more contemporary-style bands. Ohio State caters more to the old-fashioned, traditional marching band, so no, woodwinds have no place there. But if you want recordings of marching bands that use woodwinds (yes, you can hear the unamplified flutes, and yes, they add to the sound), just shoot me an email.
Tinros, I've got a double degree in flute performance and music education from the School of Music at the University of Oregon. I've also been playing trumpet in addition to the flute for the last 2 years. If both embouchures are formed correctly, then playing trumpet will not detract from your flute playing. As a matter of fact, playing horn (french horn, as it's often mis-labeled) can IMPROVE your flute embouchure, as it brings the corners inward and downward to that desirable slight frown.
Again, congrats! And best of luck!
Posts: 1099 | Registered: Apr 2005
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quote:Doubling on a brass would ruin my embrouchure anyway
Well - guess someone should have told me that back when I was in school! Because I played both flute (1st chair) AND baritone horn all the way through junior high and high school, and often had solos on both at contest on the same day. Sure, the embrouchure was very different, but I could switch.
(but I settled into doing only the baritone when I went to college).
quote:Doubling on a brass would ruin my embrouchure anyway
Seriously, you need to rethink this. If you were a performance major you may get away with it. But, if you are going to be a band teacher, you need to know how to teach all the instruments. My serious suggestion is to double on Baritone. The larger mouthpiece will not damage your flute embrouchure. The fingering is the same as a trumpet. You can use the baritone to model trumpet (Coronet) as you teach, (You have to keep up on trumpet chops to do any good. You can just step up to the baritone and sound OK for several minutes without a lot of warmup.) The mouthpiece is the same as trombone, But, the valving is the same as all the other brass. And, best of all; the music is printed in treble cleff for the flautist who can't read bass cleff. re: those tuba/flute comments. Those two instruments both take lots more air support than any other in the room. It actually is a sensable double. The flute requires so much physical effort, that I have often wondered why little girls are attracted. Sissies just can't make it work.
Posts: 1167 | Registered: Oct 2005
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quote: Seriously, you need to rethink this. If you were a performance major you may get away with it. But, if you are going to be a band teacher, you need to know how to teach all the instruments. My serious suggestion is to double on Baritone. The larger mouthpiece will not damage your flute embrouchure. The fingering is the same as a trumpet. You can use the baritone to model trumpet (Coronet) as you teach, (You have to keep up on trumpet chops to do any good. You can just step up to the baritone and sound OK for several minutes without a lot of warmup.) The mouthpiece is the same as trombone, But, the valving is the same as all the other brass. And, best of all; the music is printed in treble cleff for the flautist who can't read bass cleff. re: those tuba/flute comments. Those two instruments both take lots more air support than any other in the room. It actually is a sensable double. The flute requires so much physical effort, that I have often wondered why little girls are attracted. Sissies just can't make it work. [/qb]
I agree with the first argument. Truly effective band directors can model a good sound on every instrument that they teach.
Also, baritone is a good first instrument, but I would take the plunge right away into learning to read bass clef (but you're a piano player, so that's no problem). The concern here is that, yes, Concert Bb is fingered open (for instance), on the trumpet and baritone. But on trumpet or baritones playing treble clef, we call it a C. Trust me, the earlier you get yourself over the evil monster that is transposition, the less confused you'll be later.
I often use whatever instrument is in my hand to play along with my students. Sometimes this means I'm reading horn music (keyed in f) on my trumpet, which gives me a confused pause every once in a while as I try to remember exactly what the interval of transposition should be. But with time, it gets better.
Again, I can't stress it enough: as a music education major it is in your best interest AND your students for you to get as much playing experience on other instruments as possible. Try these ideas:
-Trade lessons with classmates. Teach a trumpet player how to play flute in exchange for them teaching you trumpet. -Play in small ensembles on secondary instruments. This will help you learn THROUGH EXPERIENCE how to overcome some very common tone production and fingering issues. -Get out and TEACH as much as you can. Offer to teach sectionals on different instruments at local schools. If you are confronted with an issue you don't know how to fix (e.g. why is that sax player so unbearably sharp!?), ASK someone.
But you're right: your flute playing is also very important. As a music education major, I was not required to continue private lessons past my junior year. Nevertheless, I pursued a performance degree in addition to my education degree because I feel strongly that a teacher must have the experience of being a performer. They must know what it's like to spend 5 hours a day in a practice room, 3 in the classroom, 2 doing homework, 2 in rehearsal with large ensembles, and finally, to relax, 2 in the concert hall listening to a performance.
Sound like a lot of work? You betcha! A music education Bachelors Degree is the rough equivalent (in terms of hours studying and quantity of material to be mastered) to most other fields Masters Degree. It's not an easy career path.
But boy, is it fun!
Posts: 1099 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Oh, I know I'll be learning all the instruments. I'd just like to spend most of my time on flute.
And yes, I'm a relatively good player. But I'm nowhere NEAR good enough to be a performance major. Trust me on this one.
Posts: 1591 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:The woodwinds anecdote all depends on how the music is scored. I've heard a number of marching bands where the woodwinds do qutie a bit to add color to the sound, particularly in more contemporary-style bands. Ohio State caters more to the old-fashioned, traditional marching band, so no, woodwinds have no place there. But if you want recordings of marching bands that use woodwinds (yes, you can hear the unamplified flutes, and yes, they add to the sound), just shoot me an email.
It's a problem of volume. No woodwind can produce enough volume. If the brass is playing loud, then the woodwinds are either playing trills or are unheard.
I was so much happier in marching band when I switched to percussion.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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Again, mph, it's a matter of scoring. You said it yourself: "if the brass is playing loud..."
Contemporary marching bands are often given more credit by adjudicators when the various sections are exposed, particularly woodwinds.
Also, woodwinds can double brass to support and soften the tone. If one can get the saxophone section in tune, it really helps the mellophones (marching french horns) to be heard, and clarinets the double trumpets can help to take some edginess off.
But again, I'm talking about competative marching bands, usually high-school level. At a crowded college football game, these nuances are not distinguishable nor desired by the vast majority of the audience.
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