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The Final Resting Places of Famous Clarinetists
Happy Friday the 13th! To get into the Halloween spirit, I’ve been visiting cemeteries and researching the gravesites of famous clarinetists. This morbid fascination has led me to visit many of these graves during my travels. Visiting these musicians’ graves allows me to pay my respects to the people who have influenced so much of the clarinet’s history. History books…
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13 Recordings Every Clarinetist Should Hear
There are thousands of amazing recordings by talented clarinetists from around the world, and I’ve chosen some of my favorites for the following list. I’ve chosen these recordings based on their historical significance and prominence among the clarinet community. This list just contains classical recordings, and I know that there are countless jazz recordings just waiting to get their own…
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Baermann Boot Camp
I love practicing scales, but I have a confession… I’ve never made it through the entire Baermann scale book (Division 3, Op. 63). I’ll pick bits and pieces to practice occasionally, but I have never developed a regimen to complete the entire book in a structured routine. Don’t get me wrong: I practice scales every day, but I like variety.…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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The Clarinet Compositions of Armando Ghidoni
Over the past two years, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to get to know Armando Ghidoni and his music. Ghidoni is vivacious and exudes a genuine joie de vivre, and his music perfectly captures his warm personality – I hear Ghidoni’s laughter and cheer in every single note. I am honored to have written my thesis on the music of…
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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…
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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…
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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…