On 5 April 2011 04:12, Walter Lewis <[email protected]> wrote: > > I have told myself that when I no longer can play at a high level, I will > step down and will retire gracefully. I had a colleague that was a great > musician, he played professionally for years, was from a very musical family > (his brother was a trombonist in the Detroit Symphony and was adjunct > professor of Trombone at Wayne State University). One evening at the break, > he walked up to the director of the band and simply told him that this was > going to be his last rehearsal, that he could no longer play at the level > he wanted to, and he was retiring. It was one of the classiest things I've > ever seen as a musician, and when the time comes, I've told myself I'm not > hanging on just to hang on... >
My father, a clarinettist, was in this position some years ago. He was 2nd/bass clarinet in his local orchestra and had been librarian for 27 years. He decided that it was getting too difficult and that he needed to go while he was still welcome. So he arranged it gradually. First he handed over the librarianship, and made sure the new librarian knew what needed to be done. Then he did a season only playing bass clarinet for those concerts that needed one, and then he left. > > But on the other hand, how does one tactfully tell someone in a community > group where everyone is playing for fun that you now have to re-audition to > retain your chair. That can be embarrassing to the person involved and can > just be plain mean. It's a slippery slope. I've been a personnel manager, > and it's not fun to dismiss someone. > > It's a difficult situation. If the player is holding his own but not the best in the section, my inclination is to leave well alone. Part of the purpose of an amateur orchestra is that the players enjoy it, and section politics gets in the way of that enjoyment. But there comes a time when you do have to say something, because the solos don't happen or too many notes are cracked. Regards Jonathan _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
