• The Complete Guide to Making All State

    All State band is the big leagues for young musicians. It’s an incredible opportunity to meet talented musicians from around the state, work with guest conductors, and perform challenging music. Since musical talent cannot be measured through statistics (as in sports), All State allows young musicians to strive for and achieve tangible goals in an otherwise subjective field. But you probably already know all of this. When I ask my students what their musical goals are each year, the number one goal is always to make All State band. I was first chair clarinet in the Alabama All State band all four years in high school, so I understand the rigorous…

  • Quick Fix Friday: Don’t Swell on Long Notes

    The title pretty much sums it up today’s quick fix, but let me elaborate. For whatever reason, musicians tend to get lazy with longer or sustained notes. Maybe you’re just glad to be done with the technical passage that came before. Maybe you’re dreaming of splurging on guacamole at Chipotle tonight (no judgement here). Whatever the reason, make sure that the dynamic of longer notes correlates to what comes before and after.  If you have a crescendo leading up to a whole note, maintain the volume – but don’t swell. By all means continue the intensity, but make a conscious and educated decision to swell on long notes. Just because…

  • A List of Lists Every Musician Should Have

    I have a confession to make: I am an obsessive list-maker. I have lists on my phone, lists on my desk, lists on my laptop… I realize that not everyone shares my type A tendencies. Nonetheless, keeping a few lists can be beneficial for musicians. Having a few targeted lists can streamline applications, promote creativity, and keep musicians motivated. Here are a few lists I believe every musician should have: Repertoire list. Many schools, festivals, or job applications require a complete list of repertoire that you’ve performed (solo, chamber music, orchestral/band, etc). Once you create your repertoire list, be sure to update it a few times every year so that it stays current.…

  • Quick Fix Friday: Recovering from Mistakes

    My practice sessions are divided into two main parts: practicing to fix and avoid mistakes (woodshedding) and practicing to recover from mistakes (performance practice). I’ve already discussed the minutiae of woodshedding, from improving your rhythm to becoming a better sight-reader. Woodshedding is a crucial part of practice, but today I want to talk about performance practice. One of the simplest yet most under-utilized practice techniques is to incorporate full run-throughs of pieces or larger section to fortify your mental and physical ability to recover from mistakes (because let’s face it – no matter how much you practice, there will always be live performance errors). Many musicians do not include performance…

  • Quick Fix Friday: Ligature Before Reed

    If you’re a clarinet player, I’m sure you know the agonizing pain of breaking a reed (especially a good one!). RIP to the hundreds of reeds I’ve unintentionally killed. May you all join the ranks of loyal and noble reeds from yesteryear who have met an untimely demise. One easy way to prevent premature reed deaths? When you’re assembling your clarinet, always put your ligature on before the reed. This avoids the risk of chipping or breaking your reed with the edge of your ligature. Simply loosen the ligature so that you can maneuver the reed to the position you want, then tighten the ligature and voilà – no chipped reed!

  • My Favorite Parisian Cafés

    Before I moved to Paris, I created a bucket list of places to see, things to do, and yes, coffee to drink. Granted, good coffee is not hard to find in Paris. I’ve spent many an afternoon channeling my inner flâneuse as I savor a café at a typical French brasserie, enjoying the sights and sounds of Paris. Don’t get me wrong – there is nothing wrong with enjoying a café crème at a traditional brasserie. But I harbor an inner hipster who enjoys cafés with kitschy mismatched dishes, eclectic music, and quirky decorations. I love spending time in these cafés reading, writing, or just daydreaming (although this is considerably more difficult to do…

  • Quick Fix Friday: Think Horizontally

    What would you say if I told you that you can make your music sound more flowing, lyrical, and expressive with a quick mental adjustment? Think horizontally instead of vertically. Let me explain: A lot of times when musicians practice, we get bogged down by technical passages, individual notes, and the minutiae surrounding individual measures or even single beats. This is thinking vertically. We become so focused on perfecting each beat or measure that we may sometimes forget the larger musical picture. Even when we are “woodshedding” (working on the technical mechanics of a passage), we should always remember the larger music context. A classic example for clarinetists is the hated…