[Dixielandjazz] Wrong impressions

[David Richoux]

One way to do it is what I mentioned a few days ago - Bill Armstrong 
(Turk's banjo player for a while) decided to form a high school Trad 
jazz band in the 70's so he just went ahead and did it! The Churchill 
St. Jazz Band of Palo Alto, CA was the result of his efforts and many 
dozens of OKOM musicians have since passed though that organization. 
The mix of older, experienced musicians and young students really 
worked ( I was in the band for about 4 years full time and then 
off-and-on for many years after that and I really learned a lot. )

Some of the "Youth Bands" that I see around Northern California these 
days have the problem of all being about the same age (and experience) 
so they have very little guidance or true criticism. Sure, they have a 
coach or two (dedicated OKOM fans or musicians) but it is a totally 
different thing to be playing week after week with  experienced 
musicians who have had 20 or 30 years experience with the style.  We 
were playing for pretty good money - it was not a hobby thing and most 
of the band members have continued to play since those days.

As background, I played in a High School "Stage Jazz Band" in the late 
1960s - not OKOM but still a lot of interesting things were taught. But 
the most important group I was in back then was the Pep Band - the 
students ran it, chose the music, set the rehearsal schedule, uniforms 
- everything! We had a great time and really played our a**es off!  We 
made sure that the band teacher had the absolute minimum input (and I 
think he was happier for it ;-)

My step-daughter is going through the high school music thing right now 
( chorus, not instrumental) and I try to refrain from commenting too 
much. The kids do get a whole lot of great training and performance 
experience and the really work hard. It does  seem like the most 
creative members of the choir have to strike out on their own to do 
anything approaching true jazz, but they are somehow rewarded for their 
extra effort.

Dave Richoux

On Jun 14, 2005, at 8:45 PM, TCASHWIGG at aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 6/14/05 8:23:13 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
> Vaxtrpts at aol.com
> writes:
>
>> Tom:
>> I hate to disagree with you, but as one who is in schools all over 
>> this
>> country almost every week of the school year, I must set the record
>> straight.
>> NONE of the teachers I deal with are "dreaming of going on the 
>> road......"
>> Many of them hardly play an instrument any more.
>
> Hi Mike,
>  and thanks for putting what I meant into better terms,  I don't think 
> we are
> in disagreement at all about the jist of the comments, just in the 
> root cause
> of the problems and you of course hit it dead on the head.
>
> Your  factual experience and explanation however makes me cringe even 
> more
> because I know you are out in it even more than I am and see a lot of 
> it first
> hand.
>
> So back to my original lamentations, What are "WE" going to do to 
> change
> this, it is up to us entirely, not the school systems or athletic 
> departments, we
> have got to get involved more with the educational system and take it 
> back any
> way that we can.
>
> Like I have said before, kids today have to go to College for four 
> years to
> get a High School education, therefore we have to get back into the 
> elementary
> schools and plant the seeds there if we are to ever hope to grow any 
> future
> musical giants of any substance.
>
>
> Keep on Keeping on Mike, we have only just begun to fight.  :))
> Cheers,
>
> Tom Wiggins
> Now where are those checks for our "JAZZ FOR KIDS PROGRAM?"
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