Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ideas for an old man!


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Posted by js on December 26, 2003 at 18:13:44:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ideas for an old man! posted by Andy Smith on December 26, 2003 at 17:10:15:

Here's the deal:

When I was in school band in the early - mid '70's, our instruments had very dark lacquer, but almost no dents and no resoldered solder joints. A 1950's King tuba in our school had leaky valves, but we were glad to have it - and it didn't occur to us to complain or to gripe at the school system. When we got three brand new instruments (over a period of five years) - a Conn fiber sousa, a 3/4 3-V Mirafone, and a 3-V 3/4 Reynolds, we were pretty excited. Of course, these instruments were totally inadequate for us to receive a proper music education. Only three of us in three years went on to play the tuba for a living...one right right into the D.C. Army Band out of high school, and one went into an Army Band in Germany right out of high school. Yeah, it was MUCH easier to get into Army Bands back then... NO one was the least bit interested in being in these bands. Everyone REALLY wanted to be DRAFTED into the INFANTRY and SERVE IN VIETNAM... ;^/

The athletic departments are always going to get their funding, but I've frankly seen some schools in well-to-do neighborhoods with quite a few almost brand-new instruments going to waste unplayed - and all beat up anyway!!...and that's here in Armpit, Tennessee...

We no longer live in a civilized society. My parents generation (the WWII - Korean War generation) were told by the media et al to let their teenagers "find themselves" and to "loosen up". Well indeed those teenagers found themselves, but without the proper upbringing they "found themselves" to be little more than primates...and this "legacy" has been passed on to generations since.


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