[Dixielandjazz] Mayday for the Music Too?

[Vaxtrpts at aol.com]

I was going to post this one and then thought better of it, since Steve  
Barbone posts every article known to man on this list.
However Steve, your single quote from the article is only partly true, but  
mostly not!
So -- I will post my answer to the guys on the jazz forum list where John  
first posted this.
I have already had responses from that list agreeing with my  assessment.
Here it is:
 
 
I really enjoyed that article.  It says volumes about our music and  the way 
it is perceived and promoted. (Or not promoted as the case may  be......)  The 
one part I have to disagree with is the part about creating  a new listening 
audience in the schools.  As many of you know, I am in  schools almost every 
week of the school year around the country, doing clinics  and concerts.
Here is what I find:
1. More than half of the students in jazz bands today can't name 3 people  
who play their instrument.
2. More than half of the students in jazz bands today DON'T listen to  jazz.  
3. Well more than half of the students are only in Jazz Band because it is  
way to compete and beat other schools and win trophies.
4. A good portion of the teachers are concert band people who don't know  
much about jazz and some don't even like it.
5. A good portion of the teachers are also in it to win trophies -- NOT  
teach music, music theory, sight reading, or even a love of music.  They  view 
their job much the same as an athletic coach.  The band learns four  tunes and 
practices them all year long, in order to get good scores and win  competitions.
6. Most administrators (of whom many are ex athletic coaches), couldn't  tell 
a fine performance from a coke bottle.  They too, need trophies on the  wall 
to figure that the band director is doing a good job.
Now I am not saying that this is ALL teachers.  I know some very  dedicated 
teachers (including my wife, Peggy), who teach the fundamentals, make  sure the 
kids LISTEN to music, teach the history of the music, and instill a  desire 
in their students to want to know more about the music and to hear good  music, 
both live and recorded.
One of Peggy's technics that I love is having a big poster on the wall  where 
she puts the names of all the students who can play ALL their major scales  
in 60 seconds.  Remember - these are middle school kids - 6th, 7th, and 8th  
graders.  I am amazed at the number of kids who do this before the end of  the 
school year.
I'm still not sure how to really turn the current trend in schools around,  
but I'm out there, like many of you, going into the schools and hopefully at  
least turning on a portion of the kids to want to know more about music and  
especially jazz music.
Any thoughts on my "tirade???"
Mike Vax