[Dixielandjazz] Now: Youth Band/Orchestra Fantasies

[tcashwigg at aol.com]

Hi Ginny:

In light of the publicity and proven scandals within the Catholic 
Churches in recent years, one can hardly blame the parents for being 
suspicious,  what would be more suspicious looking than a Man in a ROBE 
?   IN THEIR MINDS, MAYBE A GUY WITH A BANJO OR UKE, WOULD YOU HAVE 
TRUSTED YOUR KIDS ALONE WITH TINY TIM ?   :))

CHEERS,

  Old doubting Thomas again. :))   who could have been a Priest if I had 
not discovered the power of Mardi Gras Beads and what it could lead to 
in the way of sin and debauchery :))

crash, boom bang, splat!

Sorry Fr. Mike:))


-----Original Message-----
From: Gluetje1 at aol.com
To: larrys.bands at charter.net; dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
Sent: Tue, 23 Jan 2007 3:12 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Now: Youth Band/Orchestra Fantasies


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




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