Band teacher wants my son to play Tenor Sax? (Updated, p 2.)

[Magpie]

My 8th grade son came home today (early, because he wasn't feeling well), saying that his teacher wants him to play Tenor Sax, instead of Alto Sax.

He's not very happy about it, for some reason. When I asked him why, he said "nobody" wants him to play Tenor Sax. Apparently there are presently 4 Altos and 2 Tenors in the Jazz Band.

His teacher told him that she thinks he has "potential" and should move over to make the band more balanced. She says she's going to check into whether the school has a Tenor Sax he can borrow.

My son says "potential" is code for "you could be good, but you're not". I told him he may be jumping to conclusions, and she was being nice. "No, she doesn't like me!" he says.

Apparently my son then tried to advocate for a particular girl to move over instead of him. He says she's not as good a player, but he thinks the other Tenor Sax players would prefer her. The teacher said that wouldn't work, and that there were reasons she wouldn't explain to him. So he then cornered the girl at lunch and asked her. (My boy wins no prizes for tact here!) She told him the same thing, "There are reasons and no, you don't get to know them!"

So, we've got general confusion and drama going on right now, and I'm a bit lost as I really don't know anything about music.

In general, would a move from Alto Sax to Tenor Sax be a good thing? Or is it just more of the same? Any idea what's going on here?

 

[MEK]

I don't play the sax, but I play the flute. Generally the harder parts are given to the better musician. Along that same line in a flute orchestra the piccolo, alto, and bass flutes would be played by the more experienced musicians.

So in my line of music being asked to play an alternate instrument is actually a good thing. I think the band director is trying to even out the band and is looking for someone reliable with reasonable skill to do that.

Like I said. I don't play sax, but I'm sure somebody here does.

 

[princessmom29]

yes, a move to tenor is GOOD thing. There are less tenor players so less competition for symphonic band/allstate band ect. In my experience it has been the good players who are right on the edge of being really good who are asked to move. I was 1st chair flute player in our second band for 2 years when I was asked to move up to 1st band on Oboe. I probably wouldn't have made it into first band on flute because the competition was stiff, and if I did would have been stuck on a 3rd part. Our band program was really heavy on flutes, and they balanced the first band musically, so there were a lot of "leftover" flutes in 2nd band. I got to be the only oboe in the entire band so I always played the most challenging part. It made me a much better musician.

 

[MushyMushy]

Another flute player here, but I did also play tenor and bari sax in jazz band for a while. Honestly, I think tenor is the easier instrument and sounds so much nicer and smoother. The music is usually a little easier for tenor than for alto too.

Personally, I think I would just stick to your guns and let your son play what he wants to play. I really hate it when band directors put heavy pressure on kids to switch when they don't want to. Your son has his reasons just like this girl has hers and that should be that.

I will add, though, that you should tell him to knock it off and leave the girl alone.

 

[Golf4food]

Alto saxes are a dime a dozen. Anyone that can play the tenor well will have a much greater chance of playing, getting scholarships, making honor bands, etc.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I don't think either of you should assume the teacher doesn't like him or that he isn't good at the alto sax.

My daughter ran into the same problem last year with marching band. She plays mellophone but the band director practically begged her to play trumpet last year, since there were only two trumpets in the band that year. As far as I was concerned, he did this because he felt she could learn the new instrument quickly and be proficient enough to help the trumpet section.

She still hated doing it, but did it anyway. And was back with the mellophones this year.

 

[brerrabbit]

DD went from Alto to Tenor, to Bari sax. She was in a smaller group each step of the way. I personally prefer the Tenor but she liked Bari. She was in marching band and her only complaint was that all tenor and bari ever got was the bass line. But in a Jazz band they would probably get some better parts. My son dropped band and went with sports in hs but was first chair all region in the eighth grade on Tenor Sax. For their performance they played the Pink Panther and he got the intro part solo and did a great job. We still have the video of it.

 

[pat fan]

My DS played Alto all through middle school and then was asked to switch to Tenor. He says Tenor is WAY more fun. You get to do a lot more with Blues etc...and he thinks it's a great switch.

Tenor is also a larger piece of equipment, so maybe the girl couldn't handle a bigger instrument? Regardless, my DS thinks Tenor is better, so tell your DS not to worry

BTW, my DS was not a poor player, so I really don't think ability has anything to do with it, at least in general.

 

[Ceila]

Like others, what I saw in HS and college band is that students who had the best abilities were usually the ones asked to switch if needed. Asking players to change is common when a director is trying to balance the band and not a sign that the director "doesn't like" someone. Even thinking that seems kind of juvenile to me.

And honestly, your son has no business pushing the girl about her reasons.

 

[Magpie]

Thank you, everyone, for your input! I read a bunch of your posts to my son, and told him he should at least consider that there might be some advantage to this experience.

Apparently he'll still get to play Alto Sax in the regular Concert Band, so it should be a win-win. Assuming we don't get stuck paying for another instrument right before Christmas, that is.

Another flute player here, but I did also play tenor and bari sax in jazz band for a while. Honestly, I think tenor is the easier instrument and sounds so much nicer and smoother. The music is usually a little easier for tenor than for alto too.

Personally, I think I would just stick to your guns and let your son play what he wants to play. I really hate it when band directors put heavy pressure on kids to switch when they don't want to. Your son has his reasons just like this girl has hers and that should be that.

I will add, though, that you should tell him to knock it off and leave the girl alone.

I just want to make sure his reasons for not switching are good ones. Sometimes we fear change, when we really shouldn't. I want to know both sides of switching instruments in Jazz Band, before I decide what stance to take on it.

For example, he wasn't keen on learning violin this year, but that's turning out really, really well.

I did tell him to leave the girl alone.

I don't think either of you should assume the teacher doesn't like him or that he isn't good at the alto sax.

My daughter ran into the same problem last year with marching band. She plays mellophone but the band director practically begged her to play trumpet last year, since there were only two trumpets in the band that year. As far as I was concerned, he did this because he felt she could learn the new instrument quickly and be proficient enough to help the trumpet section.

She still hated doing it, but did it anyway. And was back with the mellophones this year.

I'm not assuming this at all. I think my boy sometimes jumps to conclusions - he can be a bit of a catastrophizer.

Thank you for your story!

My DS played Alto all through middle school and then was asked to switch to Tenor. He says Tenor is WAY more fun. You get to do a lot more with Blues etc...and he thinks it's a great switch.

Tenor is also a larger piece of equipment, so maybe the girl couldn't handle a bigger instrument? Regardless, my DS thinks Tenor is better, so tell your DS not to worry

BTW, my DS was not a poor player, so I really don't think ability has anything to do with it, at least in general.

I was wondering about the size issue, myself. Please thank your son for his input - I read your post to my son, and I think it reassured him a little to hear what your son had to say. At the very least, it gave him something to think about.

I think tomorrow - though my son's definitely not keen on this idea! - I'm going to take myself down to the school and stick my head in on the morning Concert Band practice. I can talk to the teacher myself, and get a better feel for what's going on.

 

[Magpie]

Like others, what I saw in HS and college band is that students who had the best abilities were usually the ones asked to switch if needed. Asking players to change is common when a director is trying to balance the band and not a sign that the director "doesn't like" someone. Even thinking that seems kind of juvenile to me.

And honestly, your son has no business pushing the girl about her reasons.

Well, the kid IS twelve years old. Juvenile is to be expected. (Me, I read it as more "paranoid", but YMMV.)

 

[Ceila]

Well, the kid IS twelve years old. Juvenile is to be expected. (Me, I read it as more "paranoid", but YMMV.)

I'll go with paranoid, then

Just kidding! I thought he was older. I missed the first line and thought he was in high school. I'm so sorry!

Hopefully he'll see that being asked may very well mean that the director thinks highly of him. Having a kid switch can be difficult, and they usually look for someone who has enough skill that they can handle the challenge.

ETA: Remember, too, that a smaller section means that players are more "exposed" - their mistakes would be more noticeable. Directors won't ask for someone to move to a small section if they aren't confident that the player can do well. A poorer player can "hide" in a bigger section. So you can let your son know that that's another reason that the director may be complimenting him on his abilities!

 

[golfgal]

Tenor is the desirable instrument in a jazz band, they get all the good music and solos

 

[Ciciwoowoo]

If it makes you feel any better, my son's teacher had him switch from the trumpet to the tuba!!! So now, I can barely fit the big giant tuba into my Jeep, and have to drive him to and from school whenever he wants to bring it home!

 

[erincon23]

I'll second, third and fourth what PPs have said about the move to tenor -- tenor is definitely cooler than alto! At least for jazz -- more great solo lines have been written for tenor than for alto. The hallmark of a good musician is being able to play multiple instruments -- a teacher wouldn't likely ask a lesser player to try a different instrument. My DS plays tenor, and has moved up in bands faster because he plays something that not everyone plays. He never played alto, but selected tenor right away in 6th. But he's played just about everything, and is routinely asked to try needed instruments because he's proven he can be versatile and pick new things up. Your DS should look at as a badge of honor -- the director is telling him that he has faith that he's a good enough musician that he can learn a new instrument fast enough to be helpful in more than one position. Of course, if your DS is dead set against it, it would probably not be a good idea to push him too hard, but if he understands that only the better players get to be "switch hitters," maybe he'll come around!

 

[Tinijocaro]

If it makes you feel any better, my son's teacher had him switch from the trumpet to the tuba!!! So now, I can barely fit the big giant tuba into my Jeep, and have to drive him to and from school whenever he wants to bring it home!

Can't the school provide a tuba to be kept at home and one to use in school? That way he just has to carry the mouthpiece back and forth-that's how schools in our area do it. Could be your school doesn't have enough tubas for that.

 

[minkydog]

My DS played Alto all through middle school and then was asked to switch to Tenor. He says Tenor is WAY more fun. You get to do a lot more with Blues etc...and he thinks it's a great switch.

Tenor is also a larger piece of equipment, so maybe the girl couldn't handle a bigger instrument? Regardless, my DS thinks Tenor is better, so tell your DS not to worry
.

I agree with your son--tenor sax is way cooler. I played oboe in the symphonic band in winter, percussion in the fall(except when I was a twirler.) When I went up to college band, I played 2nd oboe in symphonic band and alto sax in marching band. When winter came, the tenor sax player had to drop out of school, so the director bumped me over to tenor sax. I loved it! I love the timbre of a tenor sax. Tell your son that sax players are better kissers, too. Or so I've been told

 

[padams]

I think tomorrow - though my son's definitely not keen on this idea! - I'm going to take myself down to the school and stick my head in on the morning Concert Band practice. I can talk to the teacher myself, and get a better feel for what's going on.

No, no, no. Do not drop in on band practice. You will embarass your ds by showing up. The other kids will laugh at him for having mommy/daddy show up at practice. Call or email the band director tomorrow instead.

 

[gm]

My DS also chose Tenor Sax after playing Alto. He did great in competitions because less competetors and he did a lot of solo performances in band. He just might like it.

 

[TheBigBadWolf]

I played alto, tenor and baritone sax for five years in elementary and middle school. The reason I switched from alto was because my younger sister got a new tenor sax in 4th grade and she was too small to carry it. So I took her new tenor sax and she got my used alto since it was smaller. The girl at your son's school might also be too small to easily carry a tenor sax?

I wound up loving the tenor sax by far the best of the three I played. I think your son will really enjoy playing tenor sax if he'll make the switch. They sound sooo good.