[Dixielandjazz] Now: Youth Band/Orchestra Fantasies

[Gluetje1 at aol.com]

Aw, Larry, you bring up sooo much reality into thinking of this.   First, 
thanks for the offer re bassooning on Wed. nights, but do not have Wed.  eves 
available. (Whew!)
 
And I suspect that's also a big problem in recruiting youth.   Their lives 
are already over scheduled and they are getting the money from the  family 
pot--unless one looks to the less privileged, comes up with reward  factors, 
whether money or other resources and "fame".  There is a  ukulele/banjo group of 
younger kids in this community that looked at it somewhat  that way.  Went into a 
Catholic city school with large immigrant (of maybe  not) Hispanic population 
as well as very limited music resources.  One  factor the couple of guys who 
are volunteering time to do this are running into  is suspiciousness from the 
parents; i.e., why are you doing this, what are you  really wanting from these 
kids, etc.--in other words, definitely mistrusting of  gift horses.
Ginny   
 
 
In a message dated 1/23/2007 2:17:35 P.M. Central Standard Time,  
larrys.bands at charter.net writes:

Alas,  Many women have those same fantasies.  I have done my best but with so 
 few of me and so many of them I will probably never finish my assigned task 
in  life.  

By the way the Scottish Rite Youth Wind Ensemble is a  Band.  You should go 
down and sit in with your Bassoon if you want a real  work out. (Wednesday 
nights)  Those kids are playing some really tough  stuff so don't think this will 
be a ho hum thing.  If you wanted to give  it a try let me know and I'll have 
a book made up for you.

I'm not sure  that such a group would float.  I have talked to young people 
several  times about getting gigs after school.  I have often thought that a 
group  of let's say six musicians could go out after school and book the nursing 
 homes for around $200.  That would pay them about $30 each for an  hour.  I 
personally think the old people would love them playing  TKOM.  I think that 
they would be in demand if they did it right.  I  have suggested this to 
several kids that I thought could do it but they get  that Deer in the headlights 
look and really don't seem to have much  interest.

I suggested this on the list some time ago to a young lady  that was 
lamenting that she couldn't get anything going with her HS  bandmates.  I never heard 
if she tried it.  Musicians will go to the  money and I told her if she did it 
the musicians would suddenly think she was  the greatest thing since white 
bread.  While $30 isn't a princely sum  it's better than they can get anywhere 
else for the same time.  They  could even book five of them for $100 and I know 
they could work just about as  much as they wanted.

It takes entrepreneurial spirit and I'm not so  sure that the HS kids have it 
today.  In the olden days (when I went to  HS) there were several bands in my 
HS that played fairly often.  While I  think that things have changed and 
opportunities aren't as numerous there is  still opportunity out there if a kid 
wanted to take it.  On the other  hand there are almost no HS bands that work 
gigs.  They are all stage  band types.  No longer can kids work bars or venues 
with liquor which  limits them some but there is no reason why they couldn't 
pick up weddings and  nursing homes.  I work at a Lutheran School and I would 
bet that there  are many wedding receptions that they could work.  I did a 
bunch of WR's  when I was in HS.  A lot of these things are in church basements 
after a  Sat. afternoon wedding.  Play for an hour or two and leave.  Then  
there are picnics and a lot of other stuff around they could do.   

I think the problem is that they just don't need the money when they  can hit 
the old man for bucks easier.

I'm not a lot interested in  having just another stage band.  There are lots 
of them  around.
Larry
St. Louis