Learning through the Clarinet...

Many of our students' earliest musical experiences begin with a shiny, new clarinet in hand. So exciting!... and so difficult! Students must grapple with a strange new language - reading music - while developing a new sense of total body awareness in the manipulation and control of a 'finicky' and uncooperative mechanism in their hands, the clarinet. Ah, yes... Beginning Band. Their years ahead will be filled with a continuing process of demystifying their instrument, and learning through the clarinet.

Some of my greatest pleasures derive from working with colleagues to create special workshops and clinics that convey ideas and reinforce concepts essential to fine playing. Every teacher loves to "see that light-bulb come on" when a student finally grasps a concept and makes it their own. Directors know full-well that a slightly different explanation or example presented in a workshop could help a student 'see the light.' What would you like your students to know?
Photo by Tim Clark

What simple concept did Robert Marcellus use to present articulation...
What did Larry Combs say about projecting a big sound...
What were Clark Brody's ideas about reeds...

I am thankful every day for my great fortune in studying with these and other legendary clarinetists. They opened my eyes and ears to new possibilities and helped me to see, and hear, 'the light.'

Whether you are a high school band director, a private studio teacher, or a college level instructor, I can help you design a special workshop for your students. From large recruiting festivals to smaller studio master-classes, my helpful clinics target the concerns of young clarinetists, as they also inform educators and ensemble directors of important clarinet insights and helpful hints for instruction.

LEARN THE LANGUAGE OF SOUND

"It's not about fingers" - a new approach to scales. Speak the language of music clearly, one sentence at a time.

STOP ASKING STUDENTS TO PRACTICE!

Why do you think we call it "playing"? Musical games are an important tool in helping students learn how to practice effectively. Ask your students, "Have you played today?"

WHEN 'KILLER CHOPS' AREN'T ENOUGH

Great performances require performing the basics consistently well. Students, all too often impatient and dazzled by impressive technique, may cajole their teachers for ever more difficult repertoire. Help them learn to be patient with their own plateaus and build solid foundations.

ELEMENTARY, MY DEAR WATSON!

Are you a musical detective? Are your students? Ways we can help our students become..."their own best teachers."

TUNING THE violin-section OF YOUR BAND - or - "How to get your clarinets sounding sweet."

This workshop, designed primarily for directors, provides valuable insights for middle school, high school and small-college directors who may not happen to be clarinetists themselves, and who may not have the luxury of expert clarinet tutors close at hand.