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Crypto-musicology books to read this Halloween
It’s no secret that I enjoy exploring the dark and spooky corners of clarinet and music history, such as the bizarre deaths of historical clarinetists, final resting places of famous clarinetists, or the curse of the yellow clarinet. If you’re looking to discover more strange tales from music history (which I’ve officially dubbed crypto-musicology), here are a few of my favorite books to get you started: Beethoven’s Skull by Tim Rayborn. This book explores the “Dark, Strange, and Fascinating Tales from the World of Classical Music and Beyond.” These are the tales you probably never learned in music history! Beethoven’s Hair: An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Scientific Mystery Solved…
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The musical medium who holds a clue to the missing Mozart clarinet concerto manuscript
One of clarinet history’s greatest mysteries is the whereabouts of the manuscript to Mozart’s beloved Concerto for Clarinet in A Major, K. 622, written in 1791 for Anton Stadler. We know that Mozart gave his fellow freemason friend Anton Stadler the manuscript of his new concerto on October 10, 1791 (only two days after he finished orchestrating the piece), along with 200 florins for “travel money” before Stadler embarked on what would become a five-year tour of Eastern Europe. (By the way, 200 florins might not sound like much, but it was the equivalent to a quarter of Mozart’s salary as a Viennese court composer.) Stadler began his tour with…
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Books written by Artie Shaw
If you’re a clarinetist, you’re probably familiar with the great Artie Shaw. (Even if you’re not a clarinetist, you’re probably familiar with the artistic talents of this incredible musician!) While you probably know about his hits like “Begin the Beguine” and “Frenesi,” you might not know that he was also an accomplished author. Besides clarinet, Shaw was interested in writing, math, and other intellectual hobbies (he was also apparently an expert marksman and fly fisher – who knew?). Here are the published books Artie Shaw wrote during his life: The Trouble with Cinderella: An Outline of Identity (1952) – an autobiographical account of his life, music, and other endeavors I…
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Clarinet method and étude books written by women
This article was inspired by Dr. Victor Chavez, clarinet professor at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, who is having a Women Composers Festival for his studio this semester. Here is a list of clarinet method and étude books written by women (listed alphabetically by last name). I hope this will be a valuable resource for anyone who is trying to curate a more diverse repertoire collection. This is not meant to be comprehensive, so please let me know of any books I have omitted and I will add this to the list. Note: The following list is just clarinet method and étude books. If you’re looking for solo repertoire, check out my…
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Common Clarinet Tuning Mistakes
How do you tune a clarinet? No, this isn’t the start of a band joke (although I’d love to hear your punchlines if it were). Learning how to properly tune any instrument takes time – time to train your ears, time to learn how equipment responds to adjustments, time to listen and adjust to others, and many other variables. If you’re new to clarinet tuning, you should start by reading my complete guide on clarinet tuning to learn more about how the instrument works and factors which can affect tuning. Once you’ve got the basics, make sure you aren’t making any of these common clarinet tuning mistakes: Tuning before you…
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9 Educational and Engaging Ideas for Zoom Studio Classes
Although teaching online will never replace in-person lessons, digital platforms like Zoom can present many opportunities to explore new methods to teach and share information. Here are a few ideas to shake things up at your next Zoom studio class: Organize a listening quiz. Create a playlist and use screen share to see how many students can correctly identify each piece. (Make sure to allow sharing of computer audio so students can actually hear the music, and make sure to hide the names of each piece.) Compete in a trivia challenge. You can use Zoom’s poll features to quiz students on repertoire, history, theory, pedagogy, and other important fundamentals. Host…
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9 Benefits of Online Music Education
Let me go ahead and get this out of the way. There is no substitution for in-person music education. These past several months have had their share of trials and tribulations. However, I have also seen a large number of unexpected benefits and positive effects among music students due to online music education. For example: Students are learning more about audio and video technology. This is an important skill for students to develop in order for them to make recordings to use for auditions, festivals, and other events. Students are gaining virtual performance experience. Many students have organized livestreamed recitals, lectures, and events using social media and other platforms. This…
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Ways to maximize your online music education this semester
Music education certainly looks different this year as students and educators prepare for the start of a new semester. While each program has different rules and guidelines governing music education during this time, there are a few ways you can maximize your online experience as a music student or educator: Organize your work area. Before the semester starts, take a few hours to declutter and clean your work space. Tidy up loose papers at your desk, corral your cables and wires, find a comfortable chair, make sure you have good lighting, hang up photos or artwork, and gather all the supplies you’ll need so everything is in one place. Consider…
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Let’s talk about reed rotation
What is reed rotation and why is it important? Reed rotation is just what it sounds like – rotating the reeds you use when you practice or perform so that they all break in evenly. As a reed player, rotating your reeds is one of the simplest things you can do that will yield more consistent reeds and extend the lifespan of your reeds. Reed rotation is important because it provides you with more reed options in any given musical situation. If you rotate your reeds, you will have several good reeds in your case at a time, as opposed to one good reed which might vary from day to…
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Level up your long tones
In my opinion, the most important part of every practice routine is long tones. I realize that’s a pretty bold statement, so let me explain. Long tones are like a musical multivitamin. Depending on what you choose to focus on each day, you can fix a multitude of problems through effective long tone practice. If practiced effectively, long tones can help you improve tone (duh), tuning, lung capacity, posture, finger position, and basically anything else you can imagine. If you’re already practicing long tones, here are a few tips to help take them to the next level: Don’t go on autopilot. Have you ever finished practicing something but have zero…