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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
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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…