Tomorrow I have to present the clarinet at two schools where I do not know much about the schools at all.  I only was given the go ahead yesterday while I was about to go out and do more filming in South Mumbai (another 5 hours roundtrip in a car.)  Tired, I racked my brain last night to create a lesson.

I just have to assume the following and was given the following parameters:

1.  No electric sources: there goes my piece for electronic tape and clarinet (“Soundets” by Scott Wyatt)

2.  The clarinet pieces I prepared are too difficult for an accompanist to handle, especially at the last minute

3.  I do not have much time to practice and prepare other things.  I practice in my hotel room until I think my neighbors are about to complain.  All other offices and rooms are full in this hotel.

4.  At least 100 + students in each school, if not more

5.  Not sure about the students’ musical backgrounds of any sort

6.  Must be interactive with 100 + students with no knowledge of their musical background

7.  Not sure of the age ranges

8.  Must be 40 minutes: no more, no less

9.  I must moderate my English speaking skills and vocabulary

Well, I had to dust off my music lesson planning skills.  Bleh.

About an hour or two after searching online for ideas and finding nothing that fit all of this criteria and listening to Lorde’s “Royals,” Sia’s “Chandelier,” that frilly popular bass and treble song from the US, and an awful rendition of Les Miserables (I think the new one stinks, give me original Broadway anytime), I thought to myself, what does every kid want to try at least once?  AND, it has to tie in the clarinet and the orchestra.

Conducting!  Farkle McBride has a point.  It is a great job.  But how to get that many kids to do it?

Work on steady beat with everyone.  Then show them a steady 4/4 pattern.  Split the group in half (down the middle so there is a left and right side).  Have one half keep a steady beat at a moderately slow tempo and the other half conduct to it and vice versa.

Next, have the kids conduct me.  I chose the cat from “Peter and the Wolf,” simple, easy to change tempos at a whim, and pleasing to the ear.

You see, I know that this is not reality where someone is tapping a beat for the real conductor but when you have this many kids, it is the best you are going to get.

I will be watching the arm flappers as they listen to the beat people.  I will tell them that they can speak up and slow down and I will have to follow.  Then I will have the groups reverse roles.

This will be videotaped.  See my next post about the practice session at the Cathedral school.