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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Colleagues,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>I would like to pick up on elements that Ildar raised. He
correctly notes: “For a comparison, nobody outside the clarinet
community can teach clarinet at a college level. It is out of question.”
Yet most beginning clarinetists begin their study (in the US at least) taught
by someone who is likely not a proficient performer on clarinet—they are
taught by band directors, whose main instrument likely is a brass instrument or
percussion, or perhaps, if a woodwind instrument, it would be saxophone. Students
coming into our universities who audition in on clarinet likely already play
better on their instrument than the person who first taught them does! <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The oddity about university teaching of music theory and history is
that, for most students, we have to start with the most elementary elements . .
. and cannot assume any sort of specific preparation on the part of our
incoming students. Compared to the performance areas where students must
pass an audition to show at least some training and skill, students often come
into the university with NO prior training in either music theory or music
history—a problem lamented often among those teaching music theory at the
university level (indeed, there was a recent stream of conversation on smt-talk
about this issue). As far as what they know about music theory, many
students can’t read music notation, and have very little idea about
nomenclature for even basic elements of western music, such as meter and pitch--basic
skills normally taught in a music fundamentals or rudiments class. There
are quite a few members of SMT who have been working on improving the teaching
of music theory in high schools (and their feeder schools at the elementary and
middle school level) through the AP Music Theory programs, where high school
students are taught basic music theory; the quality of these courses depends on
the training of teachers, and some of us are working to improve that
also. This type of program is helpful for students who have access to it,
because they should have command of the basics and an introduction to content
in first year university theory curricula, and be ready to review this material
and move on to more advanced content, while others (who may be very talented
performers) will have little or no background in the basics and little or no
aural training. Those very basic elements potentially could be taught
well by anyone who knows how to read notation, even as beginning clarinet
techniques are taught by music educators who know the basics but are not expert
performers, and in many university settings, the basics of notation reading are
taught by music theory graduate students, or by faculty who are not trained as
music theorists. Teaching anything of substance beyond the basics is
another matter. . . <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> . . . and all the more reason for universities to hire persons
(no matter what their degree name) who have intensive training in and deep
understanding of music theory and who are active in music theory circles (which
means they have a way to continue learning) to teach music theory content
beyond the most basic. Our incoming undergraduates often have much
content to catch up on, to develop the foundational theory and analytical
skills they should have prior to graduation with a degree in music, and need
teachers who can help them make up for lost time on these content areas.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Jane Clendinning</span></font><font size=2 color=black face=Sylfaen><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Sylfaen;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Sylfaen><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Sylfaen;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><font size=2 color=black face=Sylfaen><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Sylfaen;color:black'>Jane Piper Clendinning<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><font size=2 color=black face=Sylfaen><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Sylfaen;color:black'>Professor of Music
Theory<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on"><font size=2
color=black face=Sylfaen><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Sylfaen;
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face=Sylfaen><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Sylfaen;color:black'> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">State</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType></span></font></st1:place><font
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color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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color=black face=Sylfaen><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Sylfaen;
color:black'>College</span></font></st1:PlaceType><font size=2 color=black
face=Sylfaen><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Sylfaen;color:black'>
of <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Music</st1:PlaceName></span></font></st1:place><font
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color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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color:black'>Tallahassee</span></font></st1:City><font size=2 color=black
face=Sylfaen><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Sylfaen;color:black'>, <st1:State
w:st="on">FL</st1:State> <st1:PostalCode w:st="on">32306-1180</st1:PostalCode></span></font></st1:place><font
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