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The Musician’s Practice Quilt
If you’re a musician, you’ve undoubtedly heard the old adage “practice makes perfect” (or maybe even “perfect practice makes perfect” from your overzealous band director). Maybe you prefer the rhetorical “How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice!” We get it. There’s lots of practicing involved in this musician thing. But what does effective practice look and sound like? Proper practicing technique is an often neglected (or nonexistent) topic among private teachers and band directors. Most students are usually clear on what to practice, but it’s the how that gives them problems. If any of these sound familiar to you or your student, you are probably practicing ineffectively:…
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Your One-Week Guide to Sounding Like You Practiced All Summer (Even When You Haven’t)
I get it. School’s out, and you just need a short break after all the stress of juries, finals, recitals, exams, etc etc. Practice breaks are healthy, right? Then one week turns into two…which turns into a month…which brings us here today. You haven’t touched your instrument all summer (or at least in recent memory), and the impending start of school is causing a constant low-grade anxiety in the back of your mind. I’m not here to lecture or judge. We’ve all taken extended practice breaks, and unless you have the willpower of Beethoven, it’s easy fall off the practice bandwagon. Learn from your mistakes, move on, dust off your…
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My Second Year in Europe in 25 Photos
My oh my, how the time does fly! It’s hard to believe that I’ve been in Paris for two years already! I’m so lucky to call Paris my adopted home, and I’d like to share some of my favorite photo memories of last year in Paris and beyond. Action shot during my performance of the Mozart Quintet, K. 581. This was taken at the pre-overture of La Seine Musicale. Visiting the René Magritte exhibition at the Pompidou Centre. Magritte is my absolute favorite artist, and I spent the better part of a day exploring the museum and exhibition. Performing the Tomasi Clarinet Concerto at the Fondation des Etats-Unis. I’m so happy…
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Quick Fix Friday: Prepare Your Page Turns
There is nothing worse than getting to a rehearsal (or heaven forbid, a CONCERT!) and realizing that you forgot about page turns. (Well, ok, maybe there are a few worse things. Like breaking your favorite reed or having to play upbeats for the rest of eternity, but I digress.) It’s all fine and dandy when you’re working on micro-sections in the practice room, but it’s a completely different story when you’re doing full run-throughs and realize that you have exactly 2.75 beats to turn the page. (Here’s looking at you, Tomasi Clarinet Concerto!) The quick fix? Prepare your page turns! Go through the entire piece (or pieces) and determine which…
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Books Every Musician Should Have on Their Bookshelf
Introducing: your summer reading list, classical musician edition! As a lifelong bookworm, I have never quite outgrown the excitement of creating summer reading lists. I enjoy reading all subjects and genres, but I am especially partial to books about music. One of the great things about being a musician is being an eternal student – there is no definitive end goal for musicians. Like my idol Leonard Bernstein, my “contact with music is a total embrace.” I immerse myself in learning as much as possible about music theory, history, performances, repertoire, composers, and any other subject I can read about. Knowledge is power, and reading music literature will make you…
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Quick Fix Friday: Open the Case!
I see you over there, pretending like you’ve diligently practiced every day all summer, telling yourself you’ll practice…later…maybe… There will never be a shortage of reasons not to practice, especially in the summer. (It’s too hot! I’m so tired! One more episode! I’ll do it after lunch! I forgot to order new reeds! I haven’t practiced in so long! I’ll sound terrible! I’ll do it tomorrow!) We’ve all been guilty of this at some time or another during our musical careers. Like anything else that matters, you have to make time to practice. I get that you’re covetous of your free time in the summer, but even 30 minutes a…
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The Complete Guide to Clarinet Resonance Fingerings
In my experience, one of the most neglected aspects of clarinet fundamentals among students is resonance fingerings. I get it – resonance fingerings may not seem as important as articulation, scales, posture, altissimo register, or other more obvious clarinet skills – but mastering resonance fingerings will allow you to maintain a mellifluous and symmetrical sound throughout the entire range of the clarinet. Your clarinet sound is your musical voice, so it’s important to develop all fundamentals necessary to produce a beautiful sound. Let’s start from the beginning. What are resonance fingerings? Resonance fingerings (which I have also heard called covered fingerings, shading, right hand down/RHD, and other names given by…
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Quick Fix Friday: More Air, Less Fingers
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is no panacea to become a master clarinetist (or any other instrumentalist, for that matter). We all have to follow a healthy musical “diet” of scales, long tones, and repertoire to improve. We’ve all seen the gimmicky tabloid headlines promising instant results with zero time or effort (Lose 20 pounds overnight! Earn thousands from home! etc etc). These are certainly enticing, but true improvement (personal, mental, musical, physical, or otherwise) is the result of long-term dedication and commitment… Buuuttt……I’ve discovered a close-to-instant fix that I use and share with my students. This is for those times during practice sessions…
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Quick Fix Friday: Don’t “Rest” During Rests
Raise your hand if you’ve ever experienced that awkward moment when you spend so much time practicing and preparing the notes that you forget about the rests….and miss your entrance. I think it’s safe to say that most of us have experienced this at some point during our musical careers. There is a quick and easy two-part solution: Study the score. Don’t rest during your rests! It’s so easy to relax and lose concentration when we’re not playing (especially during super-long rests), but it’s important to continue your inner pulse. This is crucial, whether you are playing chamber music, band music, orchestral music, and even unaccompanied music (yes, rests are still important…
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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…