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Quick Fix Friday: Ligature Before Reed
If you’re a clarinet player, I’m sure you know the agonizing pain of breaking a reed (especially a good one!). RIP to the hundreds of reeds I’ve unintentionally killed. May you all join the ranks of loyal and noble reeds from yesteryear who have met an untimely demise. One easy way to prevent premature reed deaths? When you’re assembling your…
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My Favorite Parisian Cafés
Before I moved to Paris, I created a bucket list of places to see, things to do, and yes, coffee to drink. Granted, good coffee is not hard to find in Paris. I’ve spent many an afternoon channeling my inner flâneuse as I savor a café at a typical French brasserie, enjoying the sights and sounds of Paris. Don’t get me wrong…
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Quick Fix Friday: Think Horizontally
What would you say if I told you that you can make your music sound more flowing, lyrical, and expressive with a quick mental adjustment? Think horizontally instead of vertically. Let me explain: A lot of times when musicians practice, we get bogged down by technical passages, individual notes, and the minutiae surrounding individual measures or even single beats. This…
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Q&A with Sean Perrin of Clarineat
If you haven’t heard of Clarineat by now, you’ve probably been locked in a practice room for way too long. For anyone who is unfamiliar with Clarineat, it’s “the podcast and blog for clarinetists. Features interviews with today’s leading artists and manufacturers, videos, news, giveaways, articles, and a store.” Essentially, it’s a mecca for clari-nerds. I first met Sean Perrin,…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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The 5 Senses: Paris Edition
Even though I’ve lived in Paris for over a year, my schedule is so busy that sometimes I forget that I’m in Paris (which is easy to do when most of your time is spent in a practice room). In an effort to be more aware of my surroundings, I’ve collected some of my favorite Paris sensations: Sights: the sparkling…
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12 Days of Clarinet Christmas, Part II
Back by popular demand – the 12 Days of Clarinet Christmas, repertoire edition! My original 12 Days of Clarinet Christmas (which you can read here) is a countdown of scale, etude, and other exercises to improve clarinet fundamentals. This second installment is a collection of (mostly) standard repertoire for clarinet. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and I hope my suggestions give you…
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The Clarinet Curse: Composers Who Died After Writing for the Clarinet
Updated September 7, 2021 If you’re thinking about composing a piece for clarinet, you might want to consider choosing another instrument. Here are some famous composers whose final pieces or last substantial works were written for clarinet. Don’t say I didn’t warn you… Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Perhaps the most famous piece in our repertoire, Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A…