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Mental Health Tips for Artists
Mental health is not often discussed in the arts. Musicians, dancers, artists, photographers, and other creative fields have incredibly high-stress careers. Our livelihood is based on public approval, perception, and criticism. We spend countless hours practicing, perfecting, analyzing, improving, and examining our art. Our art is an extension of ourselves, and we expose our most vulnerable thoughts and emotions with family, friends, and complete strangers. By pursuing a career in the arts, you are unknowingly signing a contract which exposes you to a lifetime of criticism, rejection, and crippling self-doubt. Because creative fields are so competitive, you will receive ten rejections for every success (by my rough estimations). Also, balancing professional, personal,…
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Spring Cleaning: Clarinet Edition
It’s that time of year again, when you trade in your peppermint mochas for iced coffee, bid adieu to your winter jacket, shamelessly post pictures of blooming flowers on social media…..and reluctantly realize you should really start your spring cleaning. If the idea of spring cleaning is foreign to you, I’m here to help. I’m a lifelong professional neat-freak and organizer. I don’t let seasons dictate my cleaning habits, although there’s something satisfying about marking the end of winter with a clean space. I am a firm believer in the power of an organized room. If you are surrounded by visual clutter, it is transferred into mental clutter (aka stress!). If…
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13 Things That Annoy Every Clarinetist
Playing the clarinet is usually pretty awesome. We can play any genre of music – classical, jazz, Klezmer, pop. We blend well with most instruments. Heck, even Mozart loved us (his favorite instrument was the basset clarinet!). Clarinetists are known for being down-to-earth, but there are some things that will always irritate us: 1. When your ligature slides while changing clarinets 2. Getting spit in your keys 3. Warped reeds 4. Having to play a school-owned auxiliary instrument, which are usually plastic and in serious need of repair 5. Having to transpose C clarinet parts 6. When composers give you zero time to switch clarinets…. 7. ….Or zero time to turn…
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The Musician’s Urban Dictionary
You probably know all of your typical music lingo – adagio, cantabile, dolce, sostenuto. Here are all the musical terms you didn’t know you needed! Restimate: to not accurately count during a rest, thus having to guess your next entrance “I got lost in that 33-measure rest, so I had to restimate.” Stage frightmare: a unique nightmare specific to musicians; usually involves being late to recitals, last-minute repertoire changes, or other anxiety-inducing musical situations “I had a stage frightmare that I had to play the Nielsen concerto from memory tonight!” Subzoned: when you are vying for a permanent position with a group but cannot escape the sub list “I’ve performed all…
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9 Secrets Classical Musicians Won’t Tell You
You probably have some preconceived notions about classical musicians. Maybe you’re thinking of that one annoying flute player that sat behind you in high school. Maybe you’re thinking of that one episode of Bugs Bunny (or if you’re a millennial, that episode of Hey Arnold! where they go to the opera). Whatever stereotypes you have about classical musicians, they’re probably untrue. Here are some secrets you may not know about classical musicians: 1) Classical music is not a 9-5 job. Most orchestras don’t have rehearsals or concerts every day. Non-musicians look at our schedules and think, “They only have 8 hours of rehearsals this week? That’s nothing – I work 50 hours every…
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The Musician’s Practice Pyramid
Have you ever walked (or dejectedly shuffled) into the practice room, begrudgingly opened your case, assembled your instrument….and wondered what the heck you have to practice? Maybe you’re overwhelmed with excerpts. Maybe you have to learn your scales for All State auditions. Or maybe you don’t even know what you should practice. Not to fear, my trusty Practice Pyramid is here! You’re probably familiar with the food pyramid from health classes past. It’s undergone a few makeovers recently, but the basic idea is essentially the same. A daily diet with the right proportions of certain foods will increase your overall health. Like the food pyramid, your practice routine should also…
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10 Mildly Irritating Moments in Clarinet Repertoire
You know those times when you’re playing through your clarinet music (the classics, if you will) and it’s all smooth sailing? You’re getting all the accidentals, tricky rhythms, and life is good…until you reach one of these infamously annoying sections. Nothing impossible, but gosh darn it, why did the composer have to do that? Kudos to you if you can name each piece! What other mildly irritating moments in clarinet repertoire can you think of?
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Why Distractions Make You a Better Performer
The crisp snap of the opening Coke can was followed by the rude guzzling of the ice-cold refreshment. The fizz of carbonation gradually lessened after its owner noisily placed the soda on the folding table in the makeshift band room. The entrance of a second soda-wielding woman was announced by a slamming door, causing the snare drums to sizzle. As the two soda-slurping women discussed their lunch options, I focused on the manipulated sound of the electric keyboard playing the accompaniment to the lyrical movement of Carl Maria von Weber’s Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 73. This wasn’t a casual practice session – this was the final…
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How to Start Your Own Classical Music “Book” Club
Although most of my blog posts are tailored towards musicians, I am passionate about spreading the joys of classical music to everyone – musicians and non-musicians alike. Whether you played an instrument as a child, know a musician, or just enjoy classical music, I believe everyone should have a basic understanding and appreciation for classical music. That’s why I’m here – to help you create your own classical music appreciation club. Classical music often gets a bad reputation. My (non-musician) friends still don’t understand how I can sit through such long pieces when they are used to catchy, synthesized tunes in under five minutes. The general population associates classical music…
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How to Become a Master Sight Reader
Sight reading – the thought itself invokes terror among students and professionals alike. This is a crucial skill for musicians to master, yet many are unsure how to approach it. How do you prepare for the unknown? It can be anything – altissimo, complicated rhythms, ornaments, complex fingerings, or all of these combined! The secret to practicing sight-reading is three simple words: Are you ready for the secret? Just do it! (Thanks, Nike!) I am always shocked at how many of my students do not even attempt to practice sight-reading. Like everything else in life, the hardest part is facing your fear. I like to remind my students that sight…