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Why You Should Cultivate a Fulfilling Life Outside of the Practice Room
I used to think that everything I did should serve the clarinet and my musical growth. In addition to practicing unhealthy amounts each day, I would devour books on musicianship and artistry. I agonized about my slow progress from mere clarinetist to musical artist with compelling yet unique interpretations. I would wake up every morning at 5am to practice before class, and I would stay up late to do some score study and learn new repertoire. Even my exercise routine was tailored with lots of cardio to maximize my lung capacity when I played clarinet. I tried to live a lifestyle where everything was related to the clarinet. If I…
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Why You Should Treat Long Tones Like Musical Meditation
Over the past year, I’ve started exploring musical mindfulness and intentionality. I’ve been practicing yoga and meditation and noticing the parallels they share with music, and these have greatly benefited me as a musician. Meditation and mindfulness can mean different things to different people. For me, they are a chance to focus on the present moment without worrying about the past or future. They are also a chance to focus on breathing and connecting with your body. During this journey, I came across this profound realization: Long tones are meditation in a musical form. I am a firm believer in the power of long tones, but too often they are…
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30-Day Self Care Challenge for Musicians
Backpacks are filled, pencils are sharpened, and coffee is copiously consumed – that can only mean one thing… It’s time for another school year to begin! I hope everyone is settling nicely into their back to school routines. With so many new classes to take, people to meet, and subjects to learn, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of another academic year. It’s also just as easy to succumb to the stress and anxiety of exams, juries, recitals, auditions, jobs, and other real-world stresses. Mental health is always an important subject, but especially at the beginning of school when emotions run high. I’ve shared some mental health…
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Jettel Boot Camp
By now, dedicated readers of Jenny Clarinet should know about my love for scales. I could practice them all day, every day without ever getting bored, and my scale book of choice was Baermann…until I discovered the Jettel scale exercises! Don’t get me wrong – there will always be a special place in my heart for Baermann, but the Jettel scales offer a wider variety of patterns (including both melodic and harmonic minors) and are devilishly difficult. I’ve worked on a few isolated scale patterns and exercises, but it’s much more fun when we all suffer work through the Jettel together! I’ve created the Jettel Boot Camp for September 2019,…
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How and Why You Should Do an Annual Clarinet Checkup
Life is busy. I get it. One day you start playing clarinet, and before you know it, ten, twenty, thirty, plus years have passed. Once you find your groove, it’s easy to coast along on autopilot without always making conscious decisions (or efforts) like you used to. It’s important to take some time every year to stop, re-evaluate, and make sure that you and your clarinet are both performing at optimal levels. I like to call this a clarinet checkup. Here’s a checklist so you can schedule your own clarinet checkup: Is all my equipment still performing at the highest level? I’m not a big gear-head or equipment junkie –…
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100 Famous Female Clarinetists Throughout History
Any time is a great time to celebrate all the amazing women in the music industry. However, it seems extra appropriate to acknowledge some of them during the year of the woman, commemorating 100 years of women’s voting rights in the United States. As always, this list is not intended to be comprehensive. I’m always interested in hearing your suggestions for those you’d add to your own list, so please leave comments below with your ideas! If you’re interested, I also wrote a more detailed description of some famous female clarinetists throughout history. Mariam Adam Michelle Anderson Laura Ardan Lori Ardovino Diane Barger Ivy Benson Jessica Bessac Deborah Bish Romy…
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How to create a great recital program (and how it’s similar to planning a dinner party)
Potentially unpopular opinion: I love creating recital programs. I have lists with ideas for future recital themes and programs, and it continues to grow with each new piece I discover. There is an art to choosing a great recital program – it should be well-balanced but also interesting for both audience and performer. Once you choose the program, you have to decide on a guest list of friends, family, and colleagues to invite. Then choose the date, find a venue, plan your outfit, etc, etc. If you think about it, planning a recital is oddly similar to hosting a dinner party. Selecting repertoire for a program is a lot like…
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Sneaky Air Saboteurs
When something goes wrong, clarinetists have a lot we can point the finger at – reeds, mouthpieces, ligatures, slippery hands…the list is endless! But the majority of the time clarinetists encounter problems, it’s usually the same culprit – air! Air is the driving force behind everything we do, and there are many sneaky air saboteurs which can impede your progress. Here are a few to be aware of while you practice: Improper chin position. Your chin should be parallel to the floor when you play. If you dip your head too low or raise it too high, you are obstructing air flow. Taking teacup breaths. Imagine you’re at a fancy…
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Common Clarinet Emergencies and How to Fix Them
(Updated April 17, 2024) Picture this: you’re having a productive practice session. Things are going smoothly, you’re feeling great, you’re even having a good reed day, and then… Emergency strikes! Clarinet players are bound to cross certain inevitable problems. Don’t panic! Here are a few common clarinet emergencies and how you can fix them: My swab got stuck inside my clarinet! This is usually caused by the material wadding up inside the tube. Twist the pull several times to decrease the size of the material and carefully try to pull out. If it won’t budge, don’t go all Hulk on it – take it to a certified clarinet technician. Avoid…
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30 Famous French Clarinetists
Happy Bastille Day – vive la France! I will always consider France my adopted country, so to celebrate this French national holiday I’ve listed 30 famous French clarinetists. As always, this list is not intended to be comprehensive. I have tried to include notable clarinetists who spent their formative years in France, but many of these clarinetists later moved to perform in other countries. Michel Arrignon Nicholas Baldeyrou Frédéric Berr Philippe Berrod Daniel Bonade Jacques Jules Boufil Louis Cahuzac Lucien Cailliet Florent Charpentier Philippe Cuper Alain Damiens Guy Dangain Ulysse Delécluse Guy Deplus Pierre Gennison Georges Grisez Gaston Hamelin Florent Héau Paul Jeanjean Hyacinthe Klosé Jacques Lancelot Jean-Xavier Lefèvre Paul…