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9 Ways to Become Your Band Director’s Favorite Student
Happy Teacher Appreciation week! Band directors are some of the most overworked and under-appreciated teachers out there. The ultimate Jack of all trades, band directors must know a bit about every instrument, music theory, and music history (not to mention possessing the skills necessary to teach all of these). They must balance time management, lesson planning, fundraising, after-school rehearsals, and concert preparation. The hardest part? Turning a cacophony of sound into beautiful music. Here are 9 things you can do to make your band director’s job a bit easier: Bring a pencil – and use it! Nobody can remember everything, so write down missed notes, accidentals, and definitions so you…
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17 Pieces of Advice for Upcoming Music Majors
Congratulations, you’re going to be a music major! Being a music major is a simultaneously rewarding and stressful experience. Besides having to endure the puzzled looks from your friends and the well-intentioned questions from your family (“But what do you do with a music degree?”), you have to balance practicing, studying, and performing. Here’s my advice to music majors of all ages to get everything you can out of your program: Hang out with people in other disciplines. It’s really easy to find common ground and make friends in your studio, but be sure to branch out and meet other people. Defy boundaries and introduce yourself to other woodwind, brass,…
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How to Disinfect Your Clarinet After You’ve Been Sick
It’s never fun being sick. This is especially true for musicians, who often have to suffer through rehearsals, lectures, and performances. After all, the show must go on! Whatever your ailment, it’s important to take proper precautions to sterilize, disinfect, and germ-proof your instrument when you’ve been sick. With everything that comes into contact with our mouths (reeds, mouthpieces, water bottles), clarinetists must be extra careful to disinfect everything to keep the germs at bay. Obligatory disclaimer: I’m not a doctor (at least not a medical one, but I am a Doctor of Music!). You should always consult a medical professional with regards to your health. If you’ve been sick,…
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19 Lessons About Life and Art I Learned From Stephen King
My close friends will tell you that I’m a little strange. In addition to my fascination with visiting the graves of famous musicians, I’m always up for exploring macabre sites. Recent excursions include subterranean labyrinths in Paris, Dracula’s chamber under Buda Castle in Budapest, the shrine of St. Valentine in Dublin, and even a real life pet cemetery in Paris (which is where the dogs of Camille Saint-Saëns are buried). I can thank Stephen King for instilling this appreciation for the macabre. I first read Stephen King when I was in middle school (I think my first book was IT). Ever since, I’ve devoured everything he has written and eagerly await his…
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No More Chipped Reeds: A Beginner’s Guide to Reed Care
Congratulations! You’ve decided to play the most awesome instrument around – the clarinet (or maybe saxophone, which is nearly as cool as the clarinet)! Get ready, because you’re about to enter a lifelong love/hate relationship with reeds. Chipped, cracked, warped, and otherwise broken reeds are an inevitability for reed players, especially beginners. The cost of reeds can quickly add up, but thankfully, there are many ways to protect and prolong the life of your reed. Here are my reed tips (pun very much intended) for proper reed care. Please keep in mind that this is not a guide for reed adjustment or further exploration of reed science – we’ll save…
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Famous Female Clarinetists Throughout History
In honor of National Women’s History Month, I’d like to share some truly inspirational barrier-breaking female clarinetists past and present. To all my fellow female clarinetists out there, let’s keep breaking boundaries, supporting other women, and sharing our history through music! Margaret Knitel (1788-unknown). Knitel holds the distinction of being the first documented female clarinetist in history, as well as the earliest basset horn player in America (and perhaps in the world!). She moved from her native Switzerland to the United States, where she gave her debut concert in Philadelphia. Her critics were mostly kind in America, but she did face criticism for bending the gender norms in Europe. In 1816, the Allgemeine…
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How to Get Out of a Musical Rut
It’s normal for musicians to experience the occasional dip in inspiration, creativity, or motivation. Music is an extremely competitive field which requires years of hard work, diligent practice, countless hours alone in a practice room, endless repetitions of passages, late nights and early mornings, the impossible quest for perfection, and an infinite amount of music to learn. Cue the burnout. If you find yourself feeling unmotivated, uninspired, and apathetic, then you’re in the midst of a musical rut. Here are some suggestions to help you get out of it: Create a playlist of pieces and recordings that inspire you. Include all of your favorite pieces and artists along with any performances…
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How to Motivate Yourself to Practice When You’d Rather Not
I’m sure that somewhere in this world, there is somebody that wakes up every single day, eager to practice and absorb every iota of musical wisdom the world throws their way. Setbacks are never met with frustration, and their zen attitude is almost saint-like. The practice room is their temple, and they are one with their instrument. That person isn’t me. Don’t get me wrong – I generally enjoy practicing. I love setting specific goals, curating practice plans, and enjoying the sense of accomplishment when I feel like I’ve improved. But then there are those days where I’d rather do anything other than practice. Maybe you’ve been there too? Those…
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20 Unaccompanied Clarinet Works from the 20th Century
For an instrument with such an illustrious history, the clarinet is relatively new to the unaccompanied scene. Excluding the Stadler Caprices and Donizetti Studie, there are virtually no works for solo clarinet until the 20th century. Here are 20 standard works for solo clarinet from the 20th century, arranged alphabetically. I have chosen these pieces for their historical significance and importance within the clarinet repertoire. By no means is this intended to serve as a comprehensive list of unaccompanied clarinet repertoire from the 20th century. These are milestone works of clarinet literature, and there are countless other masterpieces written for solo clarinet. Malcolm Arnold – Fantasy for Clarinet, Op. 87 (1966)…
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Clarinet Pick-Up Lines
Happy Valentine’s Day! Here are some clari-nerdy pick up lines guaranteed to garner the love of that special someone! Are you the Kell 17 Staccato Studies? Because you’ve got me tongue-tied! Are you the first movement of the Copland concerto? Because you take my breath away! Are you the Nielsen concerto? Because you make my heart beat faster! Are you Benny Goodman? Because you make me want to sing, sing, sing! Are you a Stravinsky polyrhythm? Because you’re hard to follow! Are you a Brahms sonata? Because I can’t get enough of you! Are you the Mendelssohn Scherzo? Because I always make a fool of myself around you! Are you…