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100 Life Lessons I Learned From Music
In honor of my 100th blog post, I thought it would be nice to share with you 100 life lessons that I have learned from music. My decision to begin playing the clarinet at age 10 was innocuous enough – band sounded much more fun than gym, and most of my friends were joining band. I had no idea that music would become my chosen profession. Music has taken me around the world, and along the way, I’ve had the amazing opportunity to meet new people and experience other cultures. My clarinet has allowed me to live in Paris – the city of my dreams – for the past two…
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50 More Pieces Every Clarinetist Should Know
In creating my 50 Pieces Every Clarinetist Should Know, I had the tough task of cultivating a list of just 50 landmark works for clarinet. I had to leave many worthy and deserving pieces off the list, which is why I decided to create a Part 2 with 50 more pieces every clarinetist should know. Clarinetists are lucky to have a repertoire so diverse, and it is impossible to list every milestone work for the instrument. Here are my suggestions of important clarinet pieces, which I have chosen based upon their historical significance and prominence. By no means is this list intended to be comprehensive or universal, so as always,…
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50 Pieces Every Clarinetist Should Know
One of the best parts about playing the clarinet is the wonderful repertoire written for the instrument. From classical to jazz (and every genre in between), there will never be a shortage of great clarinet music. The plethora of clarinet repertoire can be overwhelming, so I’ve compiled a list of 50 pieces that every serious clarinetist should know. Hopefully, you will have the opportunity to perform many of these pieces during your clarinet careers. In the meantime, it’s important to recognize these pieces and to know about their history and significance within the clarinet repertoire. Most of these scores can be accessed via the IMSLP (International Music Score Library Project)…
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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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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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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.…
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What To Do When You Have A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Practice Session
True story: When I was 10, I was reduced to tears during a practice session spent trying to master “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” I am an impatient person and get easily frustrated when things don’t come quickly to me, so I had a complete meltdown when I couldn’t play this song immediately. I’m happy to share that I can now play a mean “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, but this practice meltdown still sticks out clearly in my head. We’ve all been there before. No matter how many times you repeat that one passage, no matter how many different ways you try to phrase that one section, or no…
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Worst Page Turns in Clarinet Music
Raise your hand if you have ever been personally victimized by terrible page turns. Me too. Here’s my (ever-growing) list of page turns so poorly planned they are known to cause heart palpitations among clarinetists worldwide: Grand duo Concertant by Carl Maria von Weber, 3rd movement (TBH I’m equally interested in seeing how performers execute the final page turn as I am at hearing their interpretation of the piece) Time Pieces by Robert Muczynski, 4th movement (Fun fact: 99% of technical errors in this movement are caused by looming page-turning anxiety) Concerto for Clarinet by Henri Tomasi, 3rd movement (*inserts G.P. as I fumble to turn the page*) Premiere Rhapsodie by Claude…
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Applying and Auditioning for Music Degrees – Timeline and Checklist
Applying to university or conservatory music programs is stressful and overwhelming, whether you’re in high school and applying to schools for the first time, or you’re a college senior and planning on auditioning for graduate schools in music. I’ve gone through the process of applying and auditioning for music programs myself, and I’ve also helped many of my students do the same, which is why I’ve created this timeline and checklist. There are hundreds of checklists and timelines for non-music students, but these don’t include the auditions and other components which are unique to prospective music students. My checklist and timeline centers around junior and senior year (of high school or undergraduate degrees),…