In thinking the teacher is being ridiculous?

[maggii]

At my ds school they hold a music concert in April every year, students who take music lessons at the school will automatically get invited to perform and those who have lessons out of school will have to ask the music teacher if they can be invited too. My son who’s 12, has been playing bass guitar since he was 8, he really tries hard to improve his playing and puts a lot of effort and time in practicing, he’s self taught, and he’s actually very good for his age!

For the four years he’s been playing, he finally feels confident to perform at the concert, he asked the music teacher if he could be invited and he told my son to get me to email him, so I did. I’ve got an email back today saying he isn’t allowed to perform as they don’t approve of the instrument!? He said that the bass isn’t as interesting as the other instruments, and that they don’t want to encourage other students to play it and that it’s not a good instrument for a solo piece (ds planned to have a backing track with the drums playing, which students are allowed). Am I missing something? Is the bass guitar considered a negative instrument?

Ds is heartbroken, any student who asks to do the concert always gets a yes, so he’s feeling very down about it all. Very tempted to reply but I know I’m going to come across argumentative, as to be honest, I am feeling very argumentative about this situation. The music teacher flat out said no, and that was the final decision. Ds was so excited to finally play to people other than me, dh and his sister, so I’m frantically looking online at some local music concerts or events he can play at as he wants to take the next step.

So my real question is aibu in thinking the music teacher is being ridiculous over the bass guitar? Is the bass a bad instrument, will it have a negative influence on the other students?? Do I reply to his email?!?

Sorry for the long post, I’m just very upset for my son!

And no no no no no is it bad or negative. A good player in any rock/jazz/pop band is gold dust.

As a teacher (though not a music teacher) I think this is awful. If I were you I would insist on speaking to the head about it, especially the judgement of the teacher and how she is making your son feel he is doing something bad when actually it’s amazing that he’s dedicated to teaching himself something. A teachers job is not to make children feel bad about themselves and their interests.

I used to play a bass instrument and it was considered just as valid as any other instrument. How the teacher can be elitist about musical instruments is beyond me. They all have their place in a band or orchestra.

I'm not going to lie, my pieces weren't as sexy as those in the higher range but teamed together it sounded great.

That's bang out of order. I agree with PP to forward the email on to someone higher up and question the policy. It sounds like utter bollocks, to be honest. In what way isn't bass guitar interesting? And anyway, how come only students who play instruments this teacher seams 'interesting' allowed to play? That's crap.

I would take this further, the music teacher is an absolute disgrace saying that, his job should be to encourage music in any way, well done to your ds for teaching himself to play, that's amazing!

What words did he use exactly op? Did he actually say it wasn't as interesting?

I can maybe see his point on it's not ideal for a solo piece, or that they don't want to encourage other students if it's not something they offer, but I think saying it's not as interesting is odd.unless he was saying it's not as interesting to thr listener?

He said that the bass isn’t as interesting as the other instruments, and that they don’t want to encourage other students to play it

That's an appalling response. ANY interest in playing a musical instrument should be applauded, even if it's not the teacher's preferred instrument. Please complain to the department and take the matter further.

What a dick.

I’d love to know what instruments that teacher thinks are of value (anything bar the bass 🤔?). That classical YouTube clip is awesome, as are many many bass players. I’d love to hear any major orchestra without their bass instruments! And yes to Geddy Lee - a major influence in my teenage years 🎸

If the teacher is such a music snob, I would get your DS to email that he would like to give a performance of John Cage's 4'33" on the piano instead.

that's ridiculous and as a teacher myself I am horrified that another person in my profession would take that view. There was an amazing programme on BBC four the other week dedicated to the crucial role that the Bass has had in the development of music. It was presented by Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads) and I defy anyone to dismiss the importance of the base after watching that. I'm afraid your son's music teacher knows sweet FA about music!!!

My DD is at college doing a music course... she’s a bass player.

She got an unconditional offer the day after her audition even though there was a week of auditions to run.

So your DS’s music teacher has some weird ideas about it not being worth including.

Ma I always loved that bass was the forefront instrument in Rush. Lifeson is very much second fiddle at times (and that's before you even start talking about Peart).
Geddy's the reason I got interested in bass in the first place. Did you see the YouTube video throw week of him talking about how his parents survived the Holocaust?

Jaco Pastorius, Charles Mingus, Flea, Bootsy Collins ... they never achieved much with their uninteresting instrument did they? His music teacher should be enabling dreams not crushing them!
If your DS needs anymore inspiration then the movie ‘Jaco’ is phenomenal.

I'm thinking this can only be a private school where kids play the trumpet, harp and viola. At my ds1's secondary, half the school play electric guitar and bass! Last concert there was a fantastic group rendition of Arctic Monkeys 'I bet that you look good on the dancefloor'.

Definitely take this further with the school OP. Shocking elitist snobbery from the music teacher.

Our local music school runs teenage drop-in jam sessions fairly regularly - I hope you can find something similar.

Has this teacher ever heard of Paul McCartney or royal blood?!
Bass isn't an interesting instrument - absolute rubbish!
Forward this onto head of year or head teacher and ask for the schools policy regarding this and ask for a reasonable explanation rather than one of a music teachers opinion.

That's terrible, imagine all those classic tracks without a bass line! The teacher is being absolutely ridiculous & what a shame for your ds. My nephew chose to play bass from a similar age & performed with & without backing tracks at school concerts, it was always very well received. He's 25 now & playing in a pretty successful band but everyone has to start somewhere. Surely a music teacher should be more encouraging? Definitely take it further & all the best to your ds, keep playing!

That is genuinely the most shit thing I've heard on here. Just why?

Are there any other children at his school that he could form a band with?

I would do that then spend the next year jamming with them and the next time the concert is coming around i would invite the Head and the music teacher to listen to us and hit them with a cover of a classical piece, a jazz piece, a rock piece a contemporary piece.

Not that I have any musical skill whatsoever, I'd just love to put her in her place. And when she begs them to play in the show they can tell her sorry weve already got a gig booked for that night.

I am a music teacher, it is unusual to allow any pupils to play regardless. I insist on listening to anyone who wants to perform a solo to make sure it is going to be okay on the night inside or outside of school. (And has suitable lyrics etc.) Whilst I can see someone playing a repetitive bass line over and over isn’t going to be musically satisfying to listen to, the pieces with backing tracks etc. that are written for the bass are great and he deserves his chance. (I’ve never turned away someone who wants to perform, but worked round it, suggested other people to play with if necessary etc. Also being charitable, quite a few heads/senior managers try to poke their noses into concerts and sway the content or make barbed comments afterwards about what they liked/didn’t like so this may not just be the music teacher I’m afraid.

So, I would record your DS playing what he wants to play and email it to the music teacher ccing in SLT line manager if you know it/find it out and your DS’ head of year and form tutor. Explain that you appreicate that the bass is usually an ensemble instrument but your DS is playing x and it is more than just the same bassline throughout and serves a chance just like a drum solo. It has taken a lot of courage to ask to play and if this solo isn’t suitable please could the music teacher guide him in what to play so that he is able to take part. That leaves the ball in his court and he’ll look churlish and unreasonable if he says no. I’d rather hear a decent bass solo anyday over what can just be karoke!

Has he come across the band Primus? Very bass-led. My dh thinks a lot of the lyrics will be ok for 12 yr olds. Might be a few swear words, but they hear a lot worse nowadays. 'Jerry was a race car driver' is one of their tracks.

I'm a music teacher and if those were the teachers exact words they shouldn't be in the job!

All instruments and abilities should be nurtured and I can't believe one of the excuses was they don't want to encourage others?! How bizarre.

The only reason someone would get rejected to play at something like that would be if they were actually awful, or if there were too many already for the time constraints. Or maybe what they wanted to play contained swearing or something- thinking along the lines of extreme heavy metal bands with majorly aggressive lyrics? Not suitable for a school concert.

So either your son is in fact really bad and the teacher thought the excuse given was better than saying that or the teacher is an absolute nut job who will get in real trouble for saying something like that.

Report to the head and say you're happy for him not to play for a valid reason but surely the teachers response is out of line and you expect an apology (as does the bass guitar!!!)

YANBU.

The Music Teacher is a fucking snob. Or they're too technologically incompetent to be able to rig up a PA/connect a laptop to the hall PA so that a backing track can be played.

With that much experience, he'll be easily able to get regular gigs when he's old enough - which is more than can be said for the vast majority of violinists and clarinetists, who will abandon their instruments as soon as they stop studying music.

My primary instrument is the bass. I would suggest that it would help him to have some lessons to ensure he hasn't picked up any bad habits that will hurt him in the long run, and he should have some understanding of music theory/notation, rather than relying on either playing by ear or reading TAB - but there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with being a bassist, especially if he can play something more melodic than the usual requirements of Root, 5th & 4th with a couple of run ups.

It might be a good way of confronting the inherent snobbery if he were to look at something like the bass part of Goodbye Blue Sky by Pink Floyd (assuming he isn't at Jaco Pastorius standard). He's also in a good place to be able to learn the guitar in addition, as he's going to have a good sense of timing.

But in all, no - this is literally my Day Job and the teacher is being a fucking twat.

So, I would record your DS playing what he wants to play and email it to the music teacher ccing in SLT line manager if you know it/find it out and your DS’ head of year and form tutor. Explain that you appreicate that the bass is usually an ensemble instrument but your DS is playing x and it is more than just the same bassline throughout and serves a chance just like a drum solo. It has taken a lot of courage to ask to play and if this solo isn’t suitable please could the music teacher guide him in what to play so that he is able to take part. That leaves the ball in his court and he’ll look churlish and unreasonable if he says no.

^^This is the way to approach it OP.

What kind of shite music teacher is he? Wow. Please complain to the head. That would have me raging.