Advice from parents with regards to music teachers

Parent Cafe
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<p>This year, I was <em>involuntarily volunteered</em> into changing from my original instrument, the Trumpet, to the Euphonium. My teacher seems enthusiastic about my playing, as I’m one of the 2 persons who play the instrument at the school. However, I really don’t enjoy it at all. I’ve been teaching myself the piano for about 8 months now, and both my parents suggested that I enter piano lessons to refine my playing, something I completely support/agree with. </p>

<p>How do you think I should go about telling both my teacher - and the director of music at my school - that I no longer wish to play the instrument? I’m not sure how to word, as I know it’ll probably upset him to an extent.</p>

<p>Thanks for your help.</p>

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<p>Why not play both? D1 played both piano and bassoon, and D2 played both piano and French horn. A band instrument and the piano each open up different doors for you. In fact D1 later added a third instrument - percussion. </p>

<p>During marching band season she was “involuntarily volunteered” to play percussion instead of bassoon because the double reeds didn’t march. She resented it at first, but she eventually came to embrace the percussion and it became the most fun for her. She continued with all three all the way through high school and college.</p>

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<p>I’m not really enjoying the Eupho to be honest. I don’t mind playing it, but I’d much rather be on my Trumpet, an instrument I can barely play anymore due to the varying mouth pieces completely screwing my embouchure.</p>

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<p>I don’t disagree entirely with coureur, but on the same token the techniques and requirements of two different brass instruments can indeed screw up a player’s embouchure.</p>

<p>There was a remarkably similar thread here within the last six months or so, and I’ve tried every conceivable search parameter to find it. I just can’t.</p>

<p>This is entirely your call. If you value your trumpet skills, you may want to stop the euph. You may not. There are many reasons why teachers will switch instruments for students, and as the parent of a conservatory trained professional musician, I can’t necessarily agree with the wisdom, logic, and benefit in any number of cases. There are cases where it can and does make sense for ALL concerned, not just to fill a spot or a program need.</p>

<p>So much is dependent on YOUR desires and interest. PERIOD. Wanting to help the “team” or being coerced into doing something that is not beneficial to you personally or musically is really a personal decision. </p>

<p>Having said that, define your desire. If you are intent on developing proficiency or an intermediate or advanced skill level on the trumpet, explain this to the teacher that assigned you the change. If you are taking private instruction on the trumpet outside of this assigned experience, then discuss the ramifications and path with your private instructor.</p>

<p>Instruction cross discipline between different instrument groups is typically not detrimental for any musician. Forced doubling within specific instrument groups can effect technique, muscle/breathing development, and be counterproductive especially at the beginner and intermediate (and beyond) stages.</p>

<p>The choice is yours. Be truthful and tactful.</p>

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<p>^ That’s a really helpful post, violadad. Thanks for sharing your expertise.</p>

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<p>I agree. D2 wanted to play in the school jazz band, but French horn isn’t a jazz band instrument, And switching to trumpet would mess up her embouchure. What to do? She joined the jazz band as keyboardist. Playing two instruments helped her again. </p>

<p>When I say play both, I mean play both piano and one brass instrument, not two brass instruments.</p>

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<p>Talk to the teacher. If you love trumpet, and especially if you own your own trumpet, discuss this with your high school teacher. Simply say…I want to play the trumpet, and I own one and I prefer to play it in the band. At our school, students are “asked” to switch instruments but no one is FORCED to switch…and if the change doesn’t work out, they are allowed to switch back. The reason the teacher probably asked you to change is because he needed euphonium players and had a surplus of trumpet players (which is VERY common in bands).</p>

<p>Hopefully, the teacher will understand your preference and allow you to continue in band on the trumpet (by the way…this is one time I would also have the parent speak up…sometimes these band directors are much more accommodating to the parents than they might be to the student alone).</p>

<p>And keep playing piano…it’s a great instrument for all music students regardless of their “other” instrument.</p>

<p>Hope it works out for you.</p>

<p>Having said that…some band directors are NOT particularly accommodating. A friend played the oboe in her school band. BUT during marching band, the students were REQUIRED to march. There is no marching band music for double reeds (oboe, bassoon) so the band director INSISTED this student play the trumpet from Sept to November (marching band season). The embochure for these two instruments couldn’t be more different. The kid LOVED the oboe and owned one and took private lessons. She hated the trumpet and was borrowing a less than good instrument from her school. She spoke to the director and asked if she could play bells or cymbals or anything that wouldn’t screw up her oboe playing. He said NO. Her parents appealed to the director and to the school administration. They stuck to their guns and would not allow her to switch for marching season to another instrument. She quit the band. Too bad…she was very talented and motivate, and is a music ed major in college (she ended up doing vocals). Oh…did I mention that her oboe teacher also called the school? That didn’t help either.</p>

<p>I hope your situation works out well.</p>

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<p>^^^Thumper, clearly that band director was an idiot. He refused to let the student play the desired instrument, so he wound up not getting the student to play at all!!. Gives new meaning to the phrase, “My way or the highway.” Good for the student for sticking to her guns.</p>

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<p>coureur, that was what I thought you were implying, but wanted to stress the embochure issues. </p>

<p>You’ll get no argument from me regards the benefits of piano instruction for any musician.</p>

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<p>OP, when did the school year start? I am under the impression that you have played the euphonium for approximately 1 month… and now you can barely play the trumpet? That seems odd to me. I think there might be more to this… why did the director choose YOU and not one of the other kids? Was that discussed?</p>

<p>I will also say that some people started playing the “wrong” instrument. I mean, anyone can learn any instrument, but some people’s faces are more suited to certain instruments.</p>

<p>thumper - your story is terrible. That band director should be fired.</p>

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<p>soccerguy–If the OP prefers tpt., let him play tpt. </p>

<p>And yes, playing another instrument for a month can mess up your embouchure. And there is a world of difference between sounding good and just getting notes out.</p>

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<p>I think you need to think about why you are in band, and what you want out of it, and what you would lose. Answering those questions will help you decide which direction to go.</p>

<p>If you are in band to fill up a spot or because your friends are there, have consistently played last chair, never practice, and are taking it because your only other option was metal shop and this sounded better - then go ahead and drop band and take piano, and figure out something else to do with your class period.</p>

<p>Nonvoluntarily could mean different things. Varely rarely do you not have any sort of choice. As in Thumper’s example, the student still had a choice: switch or quit. (Sad, but still a choice.) But maybe you perceived it as not having a choice, simply because you respected the teacher’s authority, or had a desire to please. Maybe the band director had a good reason - as soccerguy mentions, some people are physically better suited for different types of instruments. If the band director needed a euphonium, and you showed little aptitude or interest on the trumpet, didn’t practice, and were actually harming the band with your attempts, then it might have seemed like a good solution to the band director - a way to help you out while also helping the band. </p>

<p>On the other hand, if you were doing well on trumpet, enjoyed it, practiced and were making progress, and none of those things are happening on the euponium, then you have a very strong argument for switching back.</p>

<p>My S is a french hornist who was under strong pressure to play mellophone in marching band. His horn teacher discouraged him due to embouchure issues, and he was caught in the middle for awhile. He didn’t want to play it, but he hates to displease anyone. He did it for a year, then called it quits. Because he was a valuable band member on his instrument, and had solid reasons for his decision, the band directors had to give in. (FYI - same S is now a professional-level musician.)</p>

<p>Piano can be a separate decision. You can take lessons if you want, regardless of which brass instrument you take. Consider whether or not you have the time to practice two instruments. If you decide to pursue piano, make a decision up front to continue for a year and commit to practicing. I don’t know what year of HS you are (or even how Australian HS works, for that matter) but you don’t really need your college aps to show you starting and quitting lots of things. (Full disclosure: I am a piano teacher.)</p>

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<p>Do not do what you do not enjoy just to please others. Tell them the way it is, that you decided to try something new for yourself and to be supportive of obvious need at school. But it is not working for you although you have tried your best. Tell them exactly what you want.</p>

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<p>The Australian school year starts in Feb, so I’ve been playing since then. Also we don’t really have those long winded college applications with the essays and all that. Our system pretty much involves taking exams at the end of year 12 in your chosen subjects, attaining a rank based on your performance, and then using that number for entry to certain courses.</p>

<p>The band I’m in practices after school - it isn’t a class. Likewise, most people get forced into it, or the otherwise optimistic attitude usually changes within a few months. The conductor is terrible and she makes it the most boring experience. I originally took up the Euphonium when the director of music/band conductor approached me and said they needed someone to replace the old player. I was on 2nd chair at the time, so I wasn’t the lowest, and I would’ve suggested that they move a 3rd chair player although that probably would’ve come across as disrespectful. Apparently their reasoning was that, being a 2nd, I wasn’t as <em>valuable</em> as a 1st (they put it a lot nicer though), but I wasn’t as new to my instrument/the band as a 3rd and so I could cope with the change. I wanted to say no, but I really didn’t have much of a choice - they were really pushing it.</p>

<p>There’s probably a chance that I am suited to a different, possibly lower brass instrument. I picked up the Eupho far quicker than I did the Trumpet (although that might just be the fact that the larger mouth piece is easier to blow into + the keys are the same) but I don’t really enjoy it. Having played the Trumpet for 3 years, I naturally was far better at it and it was really the one thing that made going to band enjoyable, aside from the fact that friends were there. I now completely dread going to band altogether. Likewise, the Eupho music is ridiculous compared to the Trumpet. All I play is crotchet after crotchet with a few minims or quavers thrown in there ocasionally, compared to the exciting melodies I had as a Trumpet player.</p>

<p>I think I’m just going to tell my Euph teacher how it is when school finishes in a few weeks. I’m certainly grateful for what he’s done - he’s an excellent teacher and person - but I know that he’ll take it hard if I tell him I’m not returning.</p>

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<p>I was shocked to find out from my D that there are a number of people in her marching band who march but do not play their instrument while marching. I mean they hold their instrument up as if they were playing, but no sound is coming out. This may especially be true with freshmen–it’s thought to be better to get the marching right rather than play and march with mistakes.</p>

<p>Maybe the evil band director should just allow those oboes to march and fake it with the playing.</p>