Clarinet News Digital Single Page

FALL 2016

CLARINET NEWS

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S Eddie Daniels

On Eddie Daniels

CLARINET NEWS Issue No. 1, Fall 2016

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Editor KIM WERKER

Denise Gainey

Kalmen Opperman: A Legacy of Excellence

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A Book Excerpt Mary Alice Druhan

How to Make Your Event Successful

Richard Hawkins

From Fundamentals to a Dark Roast

Wes Foster

“F” is for Foster

Bil Jackson

Clarithenics

Designer WA R R E N N E I LY

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Benjamin Lulich

Eugene Mondie

Why I Switched

Ricardo Morales

The Concerto and The Clarinet

Jonathan Leshnoff

The Collaborator

Raphael Sanders & Julianne Kirk Doyle

In Their Own Words

London Silas Shavers

Taking Your Place

Forging Paths and Building Audiences

Copyeditor R E B E C C A B R I N B U RY

Proofreader MORGAN CHOJNACKI

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Coming Full Circle

David Shifrin

Publisher/Editor In Chief JOEL JAFFE

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Contributors MORRIE BACKUN, EDDIE DANIELS, MARY ALICE DRUHAN, KAREN HALEY FOSTER, D E N I S E G A I N E Y, R I C H A R D H AW K I N S , B I L JACKSON, JOEL JAFFE, JULIANNE KIRK D O Y L E , J O N AT H A N L E S H N O F F, B E N J A M I N LULICH, RACHEL LULICH, CHRISTOPHER MILLARD, RON ODRICH, RAPHAEL SANDERS, KIM WERKER, ROB WORKMAN

Photography CLIFF BRANE, VICTOR DEZSO, RICK ETKIN, K A R E N H A L E Y F O S T E R , D E N I S E G A I N E Y, N AT H A N G A R F I N K E L , PA U L G I T E L S O N , E R I C A H A M I LT O N , L A R E Y M C D A N I E L , A N G E L A P N AVA R E T T E , R O N O D R I C H , L O U I S E O P P E R M A N , J E A N I E O W, TA N YA R O S E N - J O N E S , Y U K I T E I , R O B E RT Y O U N G

T h a n k Yo u CORINA ACHESON, JEREMY BACKUN, MARY BACKUN, MORRIE BACKUN, SEAN CHRISTIE, N AT H A N G A R F I N K E L , C O R R A D O G I U F F R E D I , S O N I A G R E G O R Y, J E N J A F F E , E S T H E R KELLER, CHRISTINE KIM, MEGHAN MAJOR, E U N I C E PA R K , R I C H A R D S T O L Z M A N , G R E G WERKER

48 Printed on post-consumer recycled paper with environmentally friendly ink.

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clarinetnews.com ©2016 Backun Musical Ser vices. All rights reser ved.

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ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS This publication has been years in the making. Sixteen years, to be exact. When I came up with the tagline, “Reinventing the Clarinet. One Piece at a Time.” three years after Morrie Backun founded the company in 2000, I had no idea that we really would reinvent it. Yet, here we are, standing on the shoulders of giants. These giants are the people who play our clarinets, who have believed in our company and products, who took the leap of faith in playing Backun. Chances are you’re one of these giants, as are the many Backun Artists taking the stage at ClarinetFest 2016. John Wesley (Wes) Foster was the first of these giants. In this inaugural issue of Clarinet News, we pay homage to Wes and the incredible legacy he left to our company and to the entire clarinet community. Much like the first Backun Barrel handmade by Morrie sixteen years ago, which launched a business that now spans the globe, this magazine is a catalyst for change. It’s what we at Backun do best. We challenge the status quo. We fight for the underdog. Why? Because we were the underdog ourselves. On behalf of Morrie, our family, the staff at Backun Musical Services, and the artists who play our products, thank you. Thank you for believing in us and for sharing our passion for the clarinet. In gratitude,

Joel Jaffe Editor In Chief [email protected]

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A FIRST When Joel laid out his plan for this new magazine, I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to speak with so many varied and accomplished clarinetists. As I interviewed them and they told me about their lives and their music, several common themes rose to the surface: A focus on mastering fundamentals so they could let go and have fun. Their exposure to music in school when they were children, and the importance of their parents’ support. A passionate love of teaching. I am not a clarinetist. In fact, I’m not even a musician. I’m simply an editor who loves to learn about what drives people to create art. When Joel first invited me to join him on this adventure, I got that rare tingling feeling that told me his grand vision was going to result in something truly great. I hope you find this great. I hope it inspires you to explore music in deeper or different ways. I hope you’ll let us know what you enjoy, and what you’d like to see in future issues. Onward!

Kim Werker Editor [email protected]

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Eddie Daniels On Eddie Daniels

Text, Eddie Daniels | Photos, Paul Gitelson Back in January, I had a conversation with Eddie Daniels about doubling, the power of passion and practice, and music as voice. Here’s the transcript of what he told me, edited for length and clarity. — Ed.

I’m not a doubler, obviously.. The word “doubler” used to be a negative. It’s like “jack-of-all-trades, master of none.” I play a few instruments. I play the saxophone, I play the flute on occasion, but the clarinet has been my focus. Each one of those instruments had their period with me. I started with the saxophone and got pretty good on it in high school. Then when I started the clarinet, that became my major study . . . Boom! I studied with Daniel Bonade, Jimmy Abato, many, many of the fine teachers. That became my focus.

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When I played the saxophone, it was my only instrument. Then I moved to the clarinet, but was still doing gigs on saxophone. I kept that up, but I never really practiced the saxophone once the clarinet became my major instrument. I stopped practicing the saxophone because within the focus of studying the clarinet are so many things, like your dexterity, your sound. A lot of it kept my saxophone in a good place by the mere fact that I was playing a lot of clarinet. In the High School of Performing Arts, the clarinet was my major instrument. I worked very hard and thought of it as, “That’s my voice.” Then, when I got into college and I wanted to be able to work in the world and do Broadway shows — do whatever kind of gigs I could get — I was told by my teachers at the time that I would need the flute, also. To have the flute in my bag with the clarinet and the saxophone would make me more flexible so that I could be a viable person called for many different things. You still might say “master of none,” “plays

on everything, but doesn’t master anything,” but I was still thinking of mastering the clarinet. By the time the flute came along, I had studied the clarinet for about five, six years very strongly, through high school and then into college. I needed to start adding the flute as my double because to get a Broadway show, you had to be a good flute player to do recording sessions. About the time that I got into Juilliard, I was majoring in clarinet, I was dabbling with the flute so that I could get a gig in the Broadway scene. I started to take the flute more seriously and thought, “Maybe the clarinet — I got it. I got it. I really worked it.” Each one of these instruments, I really worked in a way that it was my voice, my major, at the time. I started studying the flute as though that were my voice, and I made that my all-day practicing thing. I got really into the flute, passionate with the flute, and started studying with all the best teachers of the flute. Then, after ten years of doing that, I had the flute in my bag alongside the clarinet and the saxophone. I would say that the sound of the flute, and loving the flute, and getting into the flute, infected my idea of what I wanted the clarinet to sound like. Once I’d studied the flute for ten years avidly, passionately, I still had the clarinet. I still practiced it a little bit, I still had it. I had already done my ten years on the clarinet passionately. The flute started becoming my voice and then, as I would start playing clarinet again, I wanted to have the clarinet sound more flute-y.

The most important thing is to have a focus that is so important to you that you surrender almost every part of you, your every waking hour and minute. All of this goes back to a book called Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell [and the ten thousand hours of practice he says you need to master a skill]. Ten years, you’ve got [more than] ten thousand

hours. I did my ten years on the clarinet, I did my ten thousand hours. I did my ten years on the flute, I did my ten thousand hours so that I was an outlier. Plus, having some talent — and talent I put mostly in the passion category because if you have passion, you will have talent; you will be good at it. (I don’t like labelling somebody as untalented or talented; it’s more their motivation and how passionate and, I’d like to say, crazy they are for that instrument.) I’m in the hundreds of thousands of hours now, hundreds of thousands of hours on the clarinet, which is still my main instrument. I did the many, many hours, more than ten thousand, on the flute, so I kind of have it, but I think that my main instrument is music. And I have the saxophone in my bag because I dragged it along. It had its ten thousand hours, maybe not as passionate and crazy as the clarinet because it’s more user-friendly than the clarinet is, and I really love a challenge. Also, it’s the voice. That becomes your identity. When you’re really doing it four or five hours a day for many years, years, years, years, you identify with the instrument. You’re a walking reed player. Boomie Richman used to say that when he’d buy a box of reeds at Charlie Ponte’s music store, they would be squeaking in his pocket on the way home. It shows that even the reeds in your pocket are part of your body, they’re squeaking, they’re talking to you. You’re paying attention to them. The most important thing is to have a focus that is so important to you that you surrender almost every part of you, your every waking hour and minute. You’re thinking about the instrument you play. You’re thinking about it, you’re working it, it’s a beautiful thing. I’m amazed because here I am in my seventies and it’s in me. Where is it? I can’t find it. I can’t really locate where all those notes went in those hundreds of thousands of hours, but somehow it’s in me. I’m lucky. That’s the gift from God, or the universe, that somehow human beings are able to be these amazing recording devices that record what you learn, and it becomes part of you, becomes part of your tissue, that the tissue remembers how to do it. You have to feed your body the ten thousand hours, and you have to be paying attention during that feeding process, because the body won’t learn it unless you’re guiding it in the practice session. You have to feed it those ten thousand hours so that

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eventually when you go out on stage to play, you can lean back into those ten thousand hours, or a hundred thousand in my case. You can’t go out in the hall while you’re playing a concerto. You have to be there; you have to be present. You have to really, really be present so you’re allowing your body to do what you taught it to do all those years. Then you get into that emotional place where you can express your feelings through the music, because your body’s working, everything’s kind of working the way you want it to. I say “kind of” because it’s never perfect. It’s the best your body can do. If you’ve trained your body to play in tune, to play evenly with the fingers, and you keep it up and you keep it going, you still have to keep training it, because you can’t stop for ten years and then come back and expect it all to be there – but some of it will be there. That’s my attitude about it. Letting the training kick in so that when you go to play, you can be free of the instrument to just express yourself. I’m an outlier on all three of my instruments — on the saxophone, on the clarinet, and I can pick up the flute and sound like a classical flute player in a short time because it’s so in me, that ten thousand hours is so in my flesh, in my body, that I can’t forget it. I can’t forget the more than ten thousand hours on the clarinet and the first grouping of ten thousand hours, if it was that much, on the saxophone. That’s why I’m not a doubler. I’m an outlier on each one. I married each one of these instruments.

Eddie and Me Ron Odrich

In the early seventies, my musician father phoned me and suggested I listen to this clarinetist, Eddie Daniels, in a new recording, saying that he sounded a lot like the way I was playing before I’d stopped fifteen years prior to his call. I did get the record and loved it. For years I had resisted when Buddy DeFranco, my teacher/ mentor/friend and indeed my life role model, tried to get me back to clarinetting. That record did it. I gave in, chose a bottle of fine Bordeaux, and knocked on Eddie’s door. And so it started. The result was that with Eddie’s encouragement, I was inspired to pick up the agony tube and start up again. We had a lot of fun and soon became close friends, engaged in the game of sharing mouthpieces, clarinets, and A/B-ing different setups for each other, even over the phone. He raised the bar as a clarinetist with his choices of equipment, performances, and authentic recordings at the highest level in both jazz and classical models. A true crossover artist, his virtuosity in both fields continues to inspire. It has been a great adventure, and I am delighted to call him my very close friend. Clarinetist, composer, novelist and teacher, Ron Odrich has studied, played, and recorded with many jazz greats. Ron Odrich is a Backun Artist and performs on Backun clarinets and accessories.

Eddie Daniels is that rarest of rare musicians who is not only equally at home in both jazz and classical music, but excels at both with breathtaking virtuosity. His overriding ambition is to reach as many people as possible with his music, enlarging the audience for both jazz and classical music, while tearing down the walls that separate them. Eddie Daniels is a Backun Artist and performs on MoBa clarinets and his line of Backun/Eddie Daniels Classical and Jazz Mouthpieces.

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Kalmen Opperman: A Legacy of Excellence A Book Excerpt

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Passing on the Flame: A Biography Denise Gainey LIFE LESSONS

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first met Kalmen Opperman because I wanted to research teaching methods to use with the students in my college studio (as part of a doctor of musical arts project). Through the years that I had studied and taught clarinet, I’d heard repeated testimonies about the unusual and highly successful methods Opperman used. However, when I began researching the literature on him in university libraries and on the Internet, I discovered that despite his legendary reputation among clarinetists, there was a dearth of information on him and his work. As a result, though I initially only planned to interview him about his pedagogical methodologies, after speaking with him several times (and at his own encouragement), I decided that I could never understand his unique approach to any depth without personally experiencing it. And so I began my private study with him during the spring of 2001 and continued that study until his death, at age 90, in 2010. The results were literally life changing. For our first meeting, Kal told me to meet him at his Manhattan apartment, and insisted that I take a cab rather than the subway, as he knew that it was my first time in New York City. He met me at the curb by his apartment, and I was immediately struck by his small stature, and more so by his incredible presence. Once in the apartment he introduced me to his wife, Louise, whom I would come to learn was always at his side, whether he was teaching, writing, or creating barrels and mouthpieces. Kal asked if I had eaten, and decided that we should all go to breakfast before beginning the

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lesson. Unbeknownst to me, this actually was the beginning of the session, as the Oppermans asked me many questions about my life and background, and they also shared things about themselves. A recurring theme was Kal’s adamant statement that only a very few people are meant to study clarinet at the level at which he taught, and that he would determine if I met his criteria. The formal lesson began as Kal watched me assemble my instrument and quickly showed displeasure at the way I placed the reed on the mouthpiece. “You can’t even put the reed on right!” was his adamant comment. He demonstrated what he wanted me to do, making it quite evident that everything done in relation to the clarinet be executed with the utmost care and respect from the time the case was opened and throughout the lesson, until the instrument was put away. Kal sat in a chair across from me in the dim apartment, a bright light directed at me, and carefully scrutinized every aspect of my playing. The mood was intense, and this intensity did not abate, even during the frequent resting periods. The first thing he asked me to play was a oneoctave chromatic scale. He was immediately frustrated by my lack of proper hand position and asked me to make several corrections. To Kal, proper hand position was the basis for building a sound technical foundation; without it, he assured me, I would not be able to improve technically on the instrument. He asked me to practice very slowly in front of a mirror until I could maintain the proper hand position at faster tempos. I had been made aware of these issues in the past; however, this was the first time that I fully understood the paramount importance of this to my success as a player.

Subsequent lessons began to have somewhat of a regular routine as he continued to identify my weaknesses and devise methods for me to overcome them. He did not want me to play before a lesson as teachers traditionally do, but wanted to see what I could do “cold.” He would begin by asking me to play three notes (throat tone G, A, and clarion B) slowly and perfectly connected. Once he was satisfied with that, we’d move on to chromatic staccato studies, études, and exercises that he would devise and call out to me. Although we were always working on technique, there was never a time when Kal did not stress tone and musicality. When I did something to please him, he would give a small smile or slight nod. When I was unable to demonstrate the skills that he requested, he exhibited great displeasure, almost as if he took my shortcomings personally. As virtuoso Richard Stoltzman had related to me in an earlier interview, this was how Kal would determine my aptitude and ability level for the clarinet, as well as my respect for the instrument and for him. This was a challenging and at times painful period for me, as he broke down every

aspect of my playing—and my preconceived ideas about the clarinet. At the end of my first week of study with him, Kal put his finger in my face and told me, “You don’t know a damn thing about the clarinet . . . not a damn thing. You need to start from scratch and work like hell.” These were difficult words for me to hear, as someone at the end of a doctoral program with several years of college teaching experience. However, it proved to be a first instance of many in which Kal cared enough about me to say the difficult things. The study of staccato was an essential aspect of Kal’s teachings; therefore we devoted a great deal of time to it, both in lessons and in practice sessions. In my lessons, staccato study was based on the chromatic scale, all the while focusing on maintaining proper hand position. Kal’s consummate understanding of the physical aspects of articulation (the tongue musculature, air speed, and embouchure) enabled him to quickly assess and improve the speed and clarity of my articulation. To my utter surprise, he demonstrated this to me in only

Kal working on mouthpieces for a student. All photos courtesy of Denise Gainey or Louise Opperman unless otherwise noted.

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Kal Opperman and Denise Gainey during a lesson.

twenty minutes. With Kal’s direction, I increased the speed of my staccato playing in a one-octave chromatic scale in sixteenth notes by over 60 percent. He did this by having me repeat the scale as he constantly moved the tempo up and down on the metronome, while reminding me about the necessity of a consistent column of air and the importance of remaining relaxed. Kal stressed that I should not attempt this technique on my own, but only with his guidance. As with every other aspect of playing, he stressed frequent rest periods in the study of staccato. Between my visits to New York, Kal consistently remained in contact with me, dedicated to monitoring my progress over the telephone. He would scold me for not calling him often enough with questions, and when I told him that I did not want to bother him, he emphatically stated, “You are not bothering me—my students are very important to me!” His deep concern for, and belief in, each of his students was evident—even

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for a new student such as myself. The intensity that he brought to each lesson was a result of his unshakeable belief that his way was the only true way to be a successful clarinetist. His approach would be very difficult to carry out in its purest form at the college level due to time constraints of both students and faculty, which is one of the reasons that he held very little regard for academia. He insisted on complete devotion to the instrument at all times, considering it to be a way of life, encompassing every aspect of the total person. He warned me that if I wanted to be successful, I would have to learn to make more sacrifices, and that my “previous life had no relation” to the level which he expected me to attain. My intense sessions with Kal lasted from four to six hours with periods of rest interspersed, and a lunch break. During the break, he would tell me about his experiences and his students, show me some of the equipment that he had made, and play recordings of his students. During my initial visits to study with Kal, he introduced me to as much material as possible, giving explicit instructions on

The student becomes the master. Dr. Denise Gainey today. Photo, Cliff Brane.

how to practice it, since I would not be able to see him as often as he would prefer. The amount of information we covered, as well as the intensity in which it was presented, was quite overwhelming. At one point during our third session, I began to cry out of frustration with myself. Immediately, Kal’s demeanour changed from harsh taskmaster to one of a compassionate parent. “You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself,” he said. “I am giving you five years’ worth of information in a very short amount of time—you are doing just fine! All you have to do is hours, that’s all. That is the only difference between you and the great players—hours.” Throughout the course of my lessons, Kal would periodically have me experiment with his barrels and mouthpieces. The difference between his equipment and mine was startling and undeniable. The barrels and mouthpieces enabled me to achieve a much more fluid tone throughout the registers of the instrument. Over the years that I studied with him, he made several barrels and mouthpieces for me that have been the best I have ever played. Kal also adjusted my instrument, and personally took me

to a repairman that he trusted to bend keys that he no longer had the hand strength to bend. Sometimes, the focus of my lesson would be observing Kal as he worked with another one of his students, many of whom came from around the world to study with him. I heard amazing things from those students who truly followed the Opperman method: they demonstrated effortless technique, beautiful tone, and a solid determination to please Kal. Just one small smile from him for a job well done always felt as if the sun had come out. I was able to bring several of my students on different occasions to observe my own lessons, and many of them returned from these trips deeply affected by what they had seen in the tiny apartment on West Sixty-Seventh Street: a level of focus and dedication rarely found in any arena. Kal always encouraged me to find a way to see him more frequently, urging me to take a leave of absence from my university teaching position to study with him for a semester or more so that I would really see the benefits of his teaching. He

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stated that he did not like to teach in a “foreign correspondence” style, but wanted to be able to oversee all aspects of his students’ development closely. Nevertheless, he was kind enough to continue to work with me, given the constraints of my teaching responsibilities. I would often get an envelope from New York containing a handwritten exercise just for me with the inscription, “To Denise, Have fun! Kal.” He was always thinking of his students and what he could do to help each one improve. What other teacher today is not only able to teach the student, but can write the exercises and music that they play, can design and create their mouthpieces and barrels, adjust their instruments, can literally write the book on reed making and adjustment, and has the professional performing background that many only dream of? My experiences with Kal and Louise Opperman were truly life changing in regards to the clarinet, my personal life, and my methodology. Kal did not just teach the clarinet—he taught the person, and cared deeply about each of his students, in and out of the lesson environment. There comes a time in the life of every serious student when she meets a teacher who truly challenges her, pushes her past what she thought was possible; Kalmen Opperman was that teacher for me.

Denise Gainey is on faculty at the University of Alabama at Birmingham as Associate Professor of clarinet and instrumental music education, and as coordinator of graduate studies in music. She appears frequently as a clinician and recitalist at major venues nationwide and per for ms regularly with the Alabama Symphony and other groups. Denise Gainey is a Backun Artist and performs on Backun clarinets and accessories.

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Backun B♭ Clarinet in cocobolo wood with silver keywork.

How to Make Your Event Successful Text, Mary Alice Druhan | Photos, Angela P. Navarette There are artist-educators and then there are forces of nature. Mary Alice Druhan is most certainly the latter. Her reputation for hosting effective, efficient, and all-encompassing clarinet events is universally acknowledged by those in the know. Given the rise of community- and university-specific events, we’re sure Mary’s advice will help anyone interested in hosting their own event. Here are her answers to questions I asked. — Chief Ed.

Etheridge, because I was so grateful to him for the events I had attended at the Oklahoma University Clarinet Symposium. That year we welcomed seventeen guests.

What made you want to organize and host a clarinet event like the Texas Clarinet Colloquium?

I’ve always been terrible at asking permission. My first boss at the university told me that he trusted me to know how to do my job—after all, that’s why he hired me. If I thought something needed to be done, he said I should just do it.

When I first moved to the northeast Texas area, I was the only full-time woodwind professor at my school, and I had only five clarinet students. Having just come from The US Army Band “Pershing’s Own” and after years of graduate school, I felt very isolated and lonely. I was so busy finishing my dissertation, creating a curriculum for the woodwinds, juggling parenting, and recruiting students that I really didn’t have time to leave campus to visit other clarinetists, so I just decided to invite people to visit. My first guest was Dr. David

Any advice on getting approval and support for your events?

I got very accustomed to this, and I really enjoy being my own boss. In reality, I have created some friction with other people along the way who like to be more involved and don’t understand my proactive approach to getting things done. Support generally comes easy, though. I find that if you love what you do, people will respect that and be more supportive.

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Venues: What do you look for in hosting an event? In an ideal situation, having everything in-house and on campus can solve most of the issues of an event; it’s just not always possible. Location is critical: proximity to transportation hubs, lodging, and food are paramount. Other considerations include the proximity of lectures to concerts, and keeping the vendors and exhibitors close enough and highly visible. The 2015 Clarinet Colloquium was the first event that required me to use outside venue contracts. My best advice: if your instinct tells you that the person in charge of a venue isn’t organized, it’s more important to be repetitive and relentless than it is to protect their ego. The flip side is destruction to the plan and a very stressful day. Trust your gut. Vendor support: What should your colleagues know about working with vendors and exhibitors? Vendors . . . the “big bad wolves!” In reality, they’re just fuzzy puppies with sharp teeth who want to play all day and who like to puppy-fight over square footage. Ultimately, vendors want their products in the hands of the attendees. They want to be visible and they want impartiality. I’ve tried to always provide this, listening to advice and requests (and believe me, representatives will request special treatment). Know your limits and back up all communications by email. This will come in handy during misunderstandings and disagreements over promises made and privileges assumed. Artists: What kind of artist do you normally engage for events? Each year, I search for a variety of artists and then contact industry companies to request support for an artist. I want to see some well loved, charismatic, energetic teachers like Larry Guy and college professors like Richard MacDowell who have a great reputation for excellence and good rapport with students. It’s always great to have a strong orchestral artist like Ricardo Morales and someone who is active as a soloist, such as Michael Lowenstern. Lastly, I always work hard to include private teachers from

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the local area, inviting them to teach as volunteers (gifting free admission for some of their students), and other university teachers who need to be active in Research Scholarship and Creative Activity (RSCA) for their evaluations. Scheduling: What is the most difficult challenge in scheduling, and how do you overcome it? Too busy or too light? There really is no balance. Exhibitors want tons of free time for people to browse. Attendees want variety and “bang for the buck.” It’s a real struggle, as the schedule has to juggle artist availability and travel, too. I have some tricks for this, but I adjust every time I host. Generally, I try to put more space between classes that are geared to certain ages. Middle school classes are short with long breaks for the students’ developing attention spans, which works well since they are generally new to exhibits and need that time. It’s more difficult with older crowds, because they are interested in more topics and want to keep a busier schedule. How do you manage all the moving parts, including colleagues and student volunteers? One of my favourite mentors (Frank Wickes) used to call this “with-it-ness.” Every person is different, and it’s important to know your strengths and weaknesses. Organization has always been a strength of mine, perhaps too much so. I will say that I have had to learn flexibility and reaction/correction techniques. This continues to be one of my greatest challenges. That same mentor, Frank, taught me that great leaders learn to delegate, but that the best leaders know whom to delegate to. The best of the best also learn how to inspire their delegates to work as efficiently as they would themselves. Dang, I try. My students and former students are absolutely critical to the success of my events, and they have helped me more than anyone knows. Jennifer Daffinee is not my right hand . . . she is all of my hands and a couple of my feet. I love her dearly for being such an amazing collaborator. What people don’t know is that there are also too many wonderful others to name.

Egos: How do you manage them leading into and in the middle of an event?

Lessons learned: If you had to start over again, what would you do differently?

I’ve only had a few problems in ten years of hosting nearly two hundred artists and many exhibitors. Ultimately I just have confidence in what I’m doing and I stay focused.

Got a new boss? Start over! Don’t just follow the developed pattern, but sit down and go through the steps with each new administrator. Too often, I take charge and go to work, forgetting there’s a dugout, a huddle, and a batting plate before I’m supposed to hit a home run. Also, try to always say “thank you.” It’s an honour to have people involved and to be involved.

It can be really frustrating, because I work so hard leading up to an event, and I’m usually exhausted by the time guests show up. I also have rejected any notion or suggestion of inviting back any artist to present if I recognize conduct that I feel is inappropriate or disrespectful toward my students or guests. What is the most gratifying part of organizing events and what keeps you coming back for more every year? I love the community. We are supportive of one another, we all want to be engaged, and we all want to enjoy music and each other. I have made wonderful friendships and learned so many valuable things. By allowing this kind of event to happen around my students, I provide for them an opportunity for growth and enthusiasm. What could be better, honestly?

Mary Alice Druhan is Professor of Clarinet at Texas A&M University–Commerce, and performs with the Dallas Wind Symphony, among other groups. Previously, she performed as the solo E♭ clarinetist with the US Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” as well as a B♭ section member of the Ceremonial Unit, and as a featured soloist with the concert band. A founder and director of the Texas Clarinet Colloquium, Mary Alice Druhan is a Backun Artist and performs on MoBa clarinets and accessories.

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From Fundamentals to a Dark Roast Richard Hawkins on the joy of teaching, and how coffee roasting and pottery are like the clarinet

Text, Kim Werker | Photos, Tanya Rosen-Jones

R

ichard Hawkins has converted his disused dining room into an espresso bar. “Roasting coffee is very much like the making of a clarinet,” he told me, “because it’s so reliant on where it comes from in the world. If you get a certain kind of coffee bean from South or Central America, Indonesia,

or Africa — where it’s grown has to be at a certain elevation and humidity, which is very much like the wood of the clarinet.” You get a plethora of results and flavours from coffee, and sounds from the clarinet. Hawkins is the Fenelon B. Rice Professor of Clarinet at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he has taught for the last fifteen years. Raised in Spring, Texas, outside of Houston, in a family of country and rock musicians — his father played steel guitar and his brothers were both drummers — Hawkins came to the clarinet through a bit of rebellion. “I decided that I couldn’t take country music anymore,

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and I went into the band program and discovered that classical music was something that really caught my interest.” And his interest was broad, which is what led him to focus on teaching as a profession. “To me, academia is a way to be able to do everything. I get to play with orchestras, make clarinet mouthpieces, perform new solo works, play with lots of amazing chamber musicians, and most importantly, I get to teach amazing students. I just love it, and I love seeing my students do well. For me, [teaching] was always the right choice.” This broad interest in all aspects of clarinet doesn’t indicate a struggle to focus. On the contrary, Hawkins, who makes espresso using state-of-theart equipment in his home, makes the immediate impression of someone who commits fully, and with laser focus, to study the entirety of the subject he commits himself to — from the minute details to the elaborate tapestry, and everything between. Perhaps his success as a teacher and performer is related to this ability to understand, and then convey, this breadth of knowledge to his students.

is “teach students how to be comfortable with themselves, be good people, and be good to others. There are so many things that are involved with that, that are outside of fingering the instrument or the mechanics. At the same time, the mechanics are hugely important because [clarinetists] can only get so far if they don’t have certain skills. Overall, I tend to prepare my students for the musical world rather than the clarinet world.” Hawkins wants his students to have fun, and he has a deep appreciation for how a solid grasp of mechanics enables them to achieve that. Along the way, his students build confidence and knowledge of what they want to express through music. He wants his students to remain in touch with why they became musicians in the first place, which was to enjoy themselves and, as he explains, “not think about all of the fundamentals and all of the little nitpicky things that one has to do. It’s really hard for students to do that. It’s hard for even adults to do that, and professionals. It really has become a goal of mine to be able to get my students to play casually but with incredible accuracy and intent.”

It’s a fine balance between teaching musical ideas and technical facility, and teaching life skills. Hawkins started his teaching career at the Interlochen Arts Academy, where he taught such iconic clarinetists as Anthony McGill, Michael Wayne, and Ben Lulich. After almost ten years at Interlochen, he joined the faculty at Oberlin in 2001 and has worked with many exceptional performance and double-degree students, including talents like Boris Allakhverdyan.

It’s that tension between the intense practice and persistence required to master the fundamentals and the ability to relax into those skills in order to enjoy the act of creating that seems to pervade every medium Hawkins creates in, whether it’s music or coffee or one of his more recent pursuits: pottery. Hawkins, it seems, is as comfortable as a student as he is as a teacher.

His approach to teaching involves helping his students to establish a strong foundation in clarinet fundamentals, with a focus on guiding them to eventually just let go and have fun when they play. “It’s a fine balance between teaching musical ideas and technical facility, and life skills.”

“A few summers ago, I took a friend up on an offer of taking a Raku pottery class. I had never done pottery in my life, and I thought it was kind of interesting. What I’m thinking of as I’m learning the trade, from the basics, is to really appreciate and relate it to music. It was incredible to me how much of it was related. Being able to really craft something in a careful way from the very beginning

He figures that about 90 percent of what he does

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and knowing all the steps to get the pottery in the fire, in the shapes that you want and the colours that you want and all of those types of things, are very much related to music. Again, it’s the fundamentals that you’re learning, like those of rhythm and articulation on the clarinet and styles of different types of composers. Knowing all of that in relationship to Raku was really astonishing to me, because it was so similar. Even though I’ve got my hands in clay, the process is very, very similar.” This perspective seems closer to a worldview than an approach specific to teaching or learning. The comparisons Hawkins makes between creating pottery and creating music — and coffee — could extend to the experience of anything even remotely creative. The similarities he points out exist not only in the acts of creation, but also in his relationship with what he creates. “In the end, what you really decide, when you get to the final product of a piece of pottery, is you have to let it be. You can’t start adjusting it again. That’s something that’s very much like music. You have to let it go and be able to be very okay with what it is. Then the next time you improve on the

next one; and the next time you improve on that one. It’s very similar. How that’s related to my students is that I try to get them to feel that way from the very beginning as well, trying to not be so critical of their work. They have to know that they’re going to make mistakes. They have to know that it’s okay to make mistakes. Each time you learn and you gain memorable experiences.”

Richard Hawkins is the Professor of Clarinet at the renowned Oberlin Conservatory of Music. His former students now hold prestigious positions in orchestras and teaching institutions worldwide. Mr. Hawkins proudly performs on MoBa Cocobolo clarinets by Backun, with a “G” Model Richard Hawkins mouthpiece and Légère Signature reeds.

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Espresso Tips from Hawkeye Richard Hawkins has been roasting his own beans for eight years. Here are his tips for how to make an outstanding espresso: 1. Make sure your water is between 195°F and 205°F for the best extractions. 2. Next to water temperature, the grind of your beans is the most important factor in achieving a great cup. There are so many grinders of the highest quality that it’s hard to recommend just one, but the one I use is the Mazzer Mini Flat burr espresso grinder. 3. When you turn on the machine to extract the espresso and crema, it should only take 20 to 26 seconds for a single shot. (I find myself singing the opening of Sibelius No. 1 to the first fermata, and I have a perfect shot.) 4. Heat your coffee mugs with hot water before adding your coffee, and keep your steam pitchers in the refrigerator to enhance the coldness of the milk, which should be very cold before steaming. Make sure to open the steam valve first to rid the steam wand of excess water before steaming the milk. This takes practice; one way of practicing your frothing is to use water and a drop of dish soap. 5. Coffee makes you play faster, so don’t drink it before an audition!

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RICHARD HAWKINS | 21

Photo, Victor Dezso

“F” is for Foster Joel Jaffe

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faint pulse runs through Backun Musical Services. It’s not the day-to-day bustle or the constant hum of the massive CNC (Computer Numeric Control) machines that manufacture Backun clarinets. It’s not the thrum of the Backun family, staff, or artists. This pulse harkens back to the earliest days of the company, long before the first Backun clarinet was ever conceived. 22 | CLARINETNEWS.COM

Morrie dutifully set out to craft a new barrel for Wes, and history was made.

A childhood friend of Morrie Backun’s, John Wesley (Wes) Foster shared a similar passion for the clarinet. The two grew up in Vancouver, Canada, studying under Dominic Lastoria, an archetypal clarinet teacher schooled in the Italian tradition of clarinet playing. Following years of lessons, school band, and youth orchestra, Wes and Morrie took different paths: Wes’s career took him to orchestras in Hamilton and Toronto, Canada, as well as Indianapolis, Indiana, and, finally, back home to Vancouver. Along the way, Wes was mentored by iconic player and teacher Robert Marcellus. In fact, it was Wes whom Marcellus tapped to be the heir apparent to his teaching studio, which resulted in Wes flying weekly from Indianapolis to Chicago to teach at Northwestern University after Marcellus had retired. Morrie went into the family music business, while continuing to perform as a clarinetist and conductor with local orchestras and ensembles. Later apprenticing as a flute maker, Morrie honed his skills in instrument repair and custom modification.

having been founded just a few months earlier, Wes’s need for a replacement barrel for his vintage C clarinet dramatically altered the course of the company. Morrie dutifully set out to craft a new barrel for him, and history was made. If we’d only known at the time!

Years later, back in Vancouver, Wes and his wife, Karen, settled into their respective chairs in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO). Both Wes and Karen contributed greatly to the musical scene in Vancouver, continuing to travel and teach — Wes was a frequent teacher at the Banff Centre’s illustrious music program. Also a faculty member at the University of British Columbia (UBC) School of Music for over two decades, Wes was appointed Principal Clarinet of the VSO in 1981. Back in 2000, Wes called on Morrie for some clarinet work. With Backun Musical Services

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Wes with the first Backun barrels ever made.

MEMORIES OF WES FOSTER Morrie Backun If not for Wes Foster, those of you performing on Backun products might never have had the chance. Allow me to explain . . . Wes and I both grew up in the greater Vancouver area. We both studied with a wonderful player and teacher who had emigrated from Italy and performed as second clarinet in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO); his name was Dominic Lastoria. The first clarinet during those years was Ronald de Kant. Wes and I also had the opportunity to work with de Kant, who had been a student of the great Daniel Bonade. After working with

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de Kant, Wes studied with Robert Marcellus, preparing for his career as Principal Clarinetist with several orchestras and eventually winning the Principal Clarinet chair in the VSO. Wes was meticulous about his equipment, spending countless hours on mouthpieces, reeds, and clarinets. I can still hear his sound in my head. One day, while I was doing some routine maintenance on his clarinets, Wes showed me an antique C clarinet that he had obtained. The problem was that it was missing its barrel. To

Wes’s collection of vintage clarinets.

complicate the matter, this clarinet was made from a brownish wood, rather than the typical black grenadilla. We both contacted everyone we knew, and every company, looking for a replacement, without success. In what would be a life-changing moment, I suggested to Wes that I make him the missing piece on my trusty Boxford lathe. Wes was very enthusiastic about the idea (he really had no choice), but wanted the colour to be brown, not black. Thus began the search for and experimentation with woods other than grenadilla. Cocobolo to the rescue!

Always the joker, Wes as Mozart.

introduced our products to his former student, Ricardo Morales, who has since become an integral part of our ongoing quest to reinvent the clarinet, one piece at a time. And now you know why we’re excited to name our newest clarinet the Model F, in honour of Wes. Wes left us too soon, but the legacy of his life is well preserved in his wonderful family, his extraordinary students, and the beauty of the music he shared. May it live long in every note played on each Model F.

During our early years, Wes play-tested virtually every barrel and bell we made and was a wonderful champion of our work. By another twist of fate, Wes introduced our work to Ron de Kant, who was then teaching at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He subsequently

WES FOSTER | 25

Karen and Wes Foster. All photos courtesy of Karen Haley Foster.

Wes, Ross, and Amalie Foster.

Ross today, with partner, Erin Walker.

Amalie today, with husband Robert Young and their children: Vivian, Moses, Emanuel, and Celeste.

My Husband Wes Karen Haley Foster I met Wes in 1977 when he joined the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO), but we didn’t start dating until he asked me out for my Halloween birthday a year later. I fell in love with that tall, handsome gentleman, and we were engaged by American Thanksgiving. We didn’t want to wait till summer to get married, so we planned our wedding — to be held at my parents’ suburban Chicago home — and honeymoon, to coincide with the ISO’s week-long vacation in February 1979. What we didn’t plan on was that two weeks prior to our wedding, Chicago would experience its second largest snowstorm in history, which dumped about twenty-one inches on the area. However, youth

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and determination prevailed, and we arrived there safely, along with Wes’s mother and several brave friends. Born and raised in Vancouver, Wes attended the University of British Columbia (UBC) before beginning his professional career. He was Principal Clarinet in the National Ballet Orchestra, the Hamilton Philharmonic, and the Indianapolis Symphony. In 1980, after failing to win the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) audition the first time, Wes figured we would stay in Indianapolis, and we bought a lovely house. No sooner had we started to feel like this was home

than Vancouver came calling again, and after flying up to audition once more, Wes finally won the job. He was delighted to be joining such a cohesive and genial woodwind section, and it was an adventure for me to be moving to a “foreign” country! As a violinist, I was impressed by the complexities of Wes’s clarinet world, which he eagerly shared with me. Almost from our first date, I was introduced to his two idols, Robert Marcellus and Harold Wright — “the sun and the moon” in Wes’s solar system. Then to the many parts of the clarinet: bells, barrels, mouthpieces, reeds, even clarinets in various keys! I learned, too, that Wes’s studio was his “man cave,” where he practiced, made reeds, or listened to recordings (with headphones). He was fairly inaccessible then, but never resented an interruption. We made Vancouver our home in 1981, and it was lovely to be near Wes’s parents. They doted on our children and became an integral part of our family. Our daughter Amalie was born in 1982, and Ross followed in 1987. Wes was a devoted father and managed to find a balance between career and family. He was always so encouraging and supportive to me in my musical pursuits, and we often played chamber music together. Integrity and commitment were two of Wes’s hallmarks, whether it was performing or teaching. His Tuesdays were usually spent at UBC teaching clarinet majors. Affable and known for his quick wit, Wes loved to laugh as much as he loved making others laugh. Often when I looked over at the woodwind section, they’d either be doubled over with laughter or stifling it, depending on whether it was a rehearsal or concert. He made life fun for our children as well, often doing his Donald Duck imitation in front of a delighted audience. Some of his passions were hockey, sushi, and ice cream—especially Dairy Queen and “Blizzards were on Wes!” Wes and I made it a priority to take family vacations, often incorporating them with musical activities. The Banff Centre for the Arts was a place dear to Wes’s heart where he had taught many summers. The kids and I accompanied him there and enjoyed being in that gorgeous setting for three summers. I am very blessed to have had thirty-four years with such a fine and wonderful man.

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The Long Path Together Christopher Millard

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o relationship is as important to an orchestral principal bassoonist as the one we share with the single-reed specialist who sits to our right. From Beethoven to Brahms, Schubert to Schoenberg, the search for that perfect blend of bassoon and clarinet is an endless quest. Wes Foster and I sat side by side for twenty years. Day after day, season after season, we paid close attention to each other, to every shared phrase, to every unison, the vagaries of cane, the changes of weather. He even asked me for input on ligatures. We cultivated a singleminded approach to intonation, colour, and a happy tonal balance. Building a good woodwind section is about patience, perseverance, and the refinement of craft. You need partners willing to bare their faults and expose their artistic fragility in the hope of achieving great music making. In this long path together, I could not have wished for a better partner than Wes. Robert Marcellus instilled in Wes a passion for the warmest, most homogeneous sound as well as a commitment to mastering the intonation challenges of the modern clarinet. Wes’s relentless perseverance in exploring improved bores, in both barrel design and eventually the whole instrument, was the seed that grew into Backun Musical’s remarkable growth. His musical DNA is embedded in these wonderful new instruments. When I play a passage in a Brahms Symphony with a Backun Artist, I can’t help but recall Wes’s impeccable tone, his determination and patience, and the thousands of hours we devoted to blending our individual musical voices. Christopher Millard is Principal Bassoonist of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and was Principal Bassoonist of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra from 1975 to 2004.

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The Model F B♭ Clarinet in cocobolo wood with silver keywork. Just as Wes would have wanted it.

Wes in his musical “man cave.”

Wes, always smiling.

Gone but Not Forgotten From the very first barrel to the very first bell, Wes was with us, testing almost every piece Morrie made by hand in the days before we brought in the CNC machines. Back then, with each barrel taking no less than three hours to craft, and each bell almost an entire day, Morrie spent a majority of his time taking on woodwind repairs, while I made many of the barrels and bells by hand in between and after classes at UBC. After all, one or two barrels a day do not exactly pay the bills! In the midst of all the hubbub and daily goings-on at the shop, we noticed that, at times, Wes was not himself. Sometimes it was a forgotten fingering or the name of a colleague that slipped his mind. Over the few years that I got to know and work closely with Wes, his symptoms and forgetfulness became worse. Then one day, a diagnosis: early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. The news was devastating, while at the same time, comforting to those who searched for meaning in Wes’s gradual decline.

After he retired early from the VSO in 2004, Backun Musical Services was often a refuge for Wes. A chance to remain in contact with the instrument and music that he loved. And he was welcomed. Even when the visits became less frequent, we were always grateful to see Wes and spend time with him, trying the latest barrels, bells, and mouthpieces, talking shop, or just listening to music. Wes passed away peacefully in 2013, and while his memory may have faded, our memory of him has not. Tens of thousands of barrels and bells, mouthpieces, and now clarinets, later, a faint pulse runs through Backun Musical Services — that of John Wesley Foster — and we wouldn’t have it any other way. In memory of Wes and the incredible legacy he left to the Backun Musical Services, we have named our newest professional clarinet in his honour: the Model F. — Joel

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CLARITHENICS The Art of Peak Performance Preparation Text, Bil Jackson | Photos, Nathan Garfinkel

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n efficient warm-up routine is one of the most overlooked components of regular practice. Professional athletes consider a thorough warm-up essential for peak performance, as do professional dancers, and clarinetists would be well advised to follow their examples. The muscles that we use to play the clarinet greatly benefit from a thoughtfully conceived and consistently practiced warm-up routine. Clarithenics provides an efficient and comprehensive warm-up that takes about fifty minutes to complete and focuses on three fundamental areas: 1. Long tones 2. Repetitive tonguing exercises 3. Full-range scales/broken-chord arpeggios/ scales in thirds (my definition of “full range” is low E through altissimo F♯ or G, depending on the key)

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I. LONG TONES FOR JOAN’S BONES Okay, the title’s a bit unconventional — it’s a tongue-in-cheek tip o’ the hat to two great musicians: Joan Sutherland and Chick Corea. Dame Sutherland incorporated a similar long-tone format into her disciplined warm-up and I couldn’t resist expanding the title by borrowing from one of my favourite jazz tunes, Chick Corea’s “Tones for Joan’s Bones.” Long tones are the most important part of the Clarithenics routine. In addition to strengthening the muscles of the embouchure and diaphragm, these exercises can be used as a kind of breathing meditation. Yoga and some martial art disciplines consider breathing to be the foundation stone of their didactics. The long-tone exercise and variations outlined below allow for detailed observation of several essential fundamentals. Furthermore, most great performing artists that I’ve talked with over my career emphasize the significant importance of slow practice. Fundamentals that can be focused on at a very slow tempo: •

Relaxed, full inflation of lung capacity

•

Efficient exhalation of air with a “supported” airstream

•

Oral cavity and embouchure configuration

•

Correct and relaxed hand and body positions

•

Intervallic pitch relationships

Practice in front of a mirror while standing (use a neck strap if you experience any pain in your hands or forearms). A mirror enables you to see what is really going on with your abdomen, embouchure, throat area, and hand position. I’ve stayed away from attempting to describe correct hand position on purpose; people’s hands are different shapes and sizes. You should structure your hand positions to allow the greatest efficiency of finger movement with the least amount of physical effort. Thumb position is critical for the right hand. The exercises in Jeanjean’s Vade-Mecum are wonderful tools to help you establish efficient, beautifully structured hand positions. The goal is to create the most challenging performance environment in your practice space. The long-tone exercise allows for focused analysis of tonal consistency and linearity between registers. Strive to produce “sound ligaments” that mellifluously connect all intervals and registers of the clarinet. Remember to use a tuner. Start by using the metronome to determine how slowly you can play a oneoctave scale, in whole notes, in one breath. Begin on low E as illustrated in the musical example below. After completing the E major scale up and down, continue ascending in half steps (as shown in examples below). The last longtone scale will begin on G immediately above the staff. This exercise at 92 to the quarter note takes about thirty-five minutes.

BIL JACKSON | 31

##4 & # #4

1lay the octave as slowly as possible in one breath

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While ascending, lightly legato tongue each change of whole note. At the end of the octave, rest for eight beats, and then descend in the same fashion. You can choose major, minor, or any linear eight-note creation you come up with. My advice is to make it simple to start. After you descend, wait again for eight counts, move up a half step, and ascend on a scale that starts on F.

&b w-

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Continue this pattern until you reach altissimo G.

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Find a tempo that makes it difficult to finish the octave comfortably. It’s beneficial to barely make it through the final whole note. Don’t allow the exercise to be easy. The idea is to improve the capacity of your inhalation and the efficiency of your exhalation: •

Observe correct breathing mechanics.

•

Observe correct hand position.

•

Observe correct formation of your embouchure (see “Seduction of the Ear” in a forthcoming issue for more on this).

•

“Hear” your sound. It’s imperative and essential that you have in your “mind’s ear” a concept of your ideal sound: an aural North Star that you can sonically navigate to at all times while playing.

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LONG-TONE VARIATIONS After five or six round-trip octave scales, it’s time to implement variations that allow you to refine additional fundamentals while preserving the positive attributes of slow practice. Don’t get complicated with dynamic variations until you are comfortable with the basic format. Use your tuner. The examples below are just a template. Apply variations to all long-tone scales. Example 1: Start subito forte on the first whole note, subito piano on the second, and so forth. Example 2: Start forte and gradually diminuendo to piano on the ascent and reverse on the descent. Example 3: Start piano and crescendo to forte on the ascension and reverse on the descent. (This and the previous variation are especially helpful in controlling the upper register.) An exercise to help you determine an efficient amount of tongue movement: Take the reed off of the mouthpiece and put it in your mouth as if it were still on the mouthpiece. Stand in front of a mirror and with correct embouchure configuration, articulate the reed as lightly as possible, while closely observing the movement of the reed. Strive for consistency and efficiency of tongue motion and reed movement. Observe the physical sensations of your tongue movements. Put the reed back on the mouthpiece and duplicate these movements. On the descent, use half-note values and follow the example below again using legato articulation.

Four variations are shown in the descending pattern. Pick one and stick with it for the entire octave.

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II. REPETETETETETIVE TONGUING The next exercise focuses specifically on the movement of the tongue. The intent is to enable you to isolate and observe tongue motion involved with articulation without the distractions of finger movement. Similar to the long-tone exercise, a majority of the range of the clarinet will be utilized. One note represents one exercise. Opposite of the long-tone exercise, this exercise requires you to select the fastest tempo that challenges you to complete 4¼ measures of sixteenth-note values in 4/4 time.

BIL JACKSON | 33

Play the measures at the fastest tempo possible. It’s okay if the articulations become fractured at the very end. Again, it’s important to push yourself; strive for efficiency and consistency of tongue motion. 3epetJtive tonguing example ‰ Blways strive to use a legato tongue articulatioO

4 &4

œ- -œ -œ -œ œ- -œ -œ -œ œ- -œ -œ -œ œ- -œ -œ -œ œ- -œ œ- œ- œ- -œ -œ -œ œ- -œ -œ -œ œ- -œ -œ -œ go to next note

&

r≈‰ Œ Ó -œ œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ- œ-

Rest briefly between each note (separated by the “railroad tracks”), evaluate your previous effort, and then set properly for the next note/exercise. Focus on using the least amount of tongue motion to attain a consistent, refined articulation while paying specific attention to the interface of your tongue and reed. Don’t forget to use a metronome. III. PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER Now pick a scale (for example, I’ll use C major), and keep in mind the rule for these full-range exercises. Using the tempo of your repetitive-tonguing exercise, start with C major, eighth note values, legato tongued as initially illustrated below. You can see that I’ve included two articulation options: all slurred and all legato. In addition, there are three rhythmic variations: eighth notes, triplets, and sixteenth notes. - - -œ - -œ -œ œ- œ- -œ œ œ œ œ -œ œ- œ- -œ œ- œ- - œ œ œ œ- œ œ -- œ 4 j‰ & 4 œ œ œ œ- œ- -œ œ œ œ - - œ- -œ œ- œ œ œ - - - œ- œ- œ œ œ -œ œ- œ- œ----- -œ - -œ œ- œ- -œ œ- œ œ œ -œ œ- œ- -œ -œ œ- - 3 3 3 3 3 œ 3 œ œ œ œ- œ œ -- œ ‰ & œ œ œ œ- œ- œ- œ œ œ œ- œ- œ œ œ œ - - - -œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ- 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 --3 - - - œ- - - 3

3

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The reason for emphasizing the legato articulation versus staccato is that the legato articulation requires more refinement from the motion of the tongue muscle. By nature, this requires the tongue to be closer to the reed at all times. So always think legato even when articulating rapidly. Start with C major one day and then the next day A minor. On the third day, go to six o’clock on the circle of fifths, G♭ major. Then the next day, E♭ minor.

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Make sure that you are bouncing around the circle of fifths: C, Am, G♭, E♭m, F, Dm, B, G♯m, etc. The idea is to do intensive work on one scale each day so that roughly every month, you will work through all twenty-four major and minor keys. A future edition of Clarinet News will feature my article, “Seduction of the Ear,” which focuses on the fundamentals of breath support and oral mechanics. If you have any questions or suggestions regarding this article or the exercises in it, don’t hesitate to contact me: [email protected].

Bil Jackson enjoys a varied musical career that includes solo, orchestral, and chamber music appearances. Before joining the faculty at the Blair School at Vanderbilt University, he served as Principal Clarinet with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, and Honolulu Symphony, and as Guest Principal Clarinet with the St. Louis and Cincinnati symphony orchestras. Jackson is currently on the summer Artist-Faculty of the Aspen Music Festival and Colorado College Music Festival. He is the only person to win the International Clarinet Competition twice and was a finalist in the Prague International Clarinet Competition. Bil Jackson is a Backun Artist and performs on MoBa clarinets and mouthpieces.

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BENJAMIN LULICH: COMING FULL CIRCLE Text, Rachel Lulich | Photos, Larey McDaniel “Want to go to a Seattle Symphony concert with me?” I was surprised – such outings were usually full family events. This time, it would just be my brother Ben and me. “They’re playing Tchaik Five,” he said. “Sure!” We were in middle school at the time, living in Edmonds, Washington. Ben and our older brother Steven spent their free time poring over full scores while listening to cassette tapes. Ben was studying clarinet with Seattle Symphony’s Laura DeLuca, and playing in the youth symphony. I had never been to a professional symphony

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concert. I remember sitting with Ben that evening, absolutely impressed with the sound. It’s been about two decades since that night. Ben left home at sixteen to attend Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, going on to study at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Yale University before landing his first job with the Kansas City Symphony. He moved to California after that, winning the Principal Clarinet position with the Pacific Symphony. He subbed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and did studio work on the side. But in 2013, his sixth season with Pacific, he was ready for a change. “You can get complacent,” he reflected, when I spoke with him about how he got where he is today. It had been a couple years since he’d taken an audition, so he started from square one and

developed a whole new strategy to prepare. I asked him what that looked like. “Lots of focus and drive,” he said. Unlike the last time he’d taken an audition, he was very systematic, starting with the basics: scales, arpeggios, and études. After a week or two of those exercises, he started practicing the actual audition music. Ben took a global approach to the selections. He studied what was going on in the rest of the orchestra during each excerpt, and practiced in a variety of tempos and keys. Looking at each piece from multiple angles rather than always approaching it from the same viewpoint made his interpretation well-rounded, and gave him more opportunities to be musical. “With music you’ve played a lot, it’s easy to go on autopilot while practicing. Changing tempos forces your fingers to work harder. Changing keys forces your brain to work harder. You can’t rely on muscle memory – you have to actually think. It also helps you not get bored while practicing them over and over again,” he added. As auditions approached, Ben ran through the excerpts in mock auditions. He wrote each one on a piece of paper and went through them all, drawing them randomly from a hat. Whatever he drew, he played, with one chance to get it right before moving to the next piece. “It helps to not know the order, like in an audition. And playing through all the excerpts can take an hour or two, which is more time than the actual audition will take, so that helps with your physical and mental endurance.” Utilizing this new strategy, Ben auditioned for the Principal Clarinet job with the Seattle Symphony. “There were four rounds of auditions,” he said. “The preliminary, the semifinal, and two finals, followed by trials with the orchestra.” Seattle Symphony auditions with a screen until the final round. Ben has always preferred playing to an audience, so I asked him if that made him feel less at ease with the process. “Not really. My preparation was better for playing

for the screen than it was in the past, when it felt like a barrier.” This time, he was comfortable with the concept. “They were typical auditions,” he went on, “except for the second final.” In addition to being told which pieces they would play shortly before their last final round, the candidates were surprised by a new component: chamber music. “We played excerpts of Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet with a string quartet from the symphony,” Ben explained. “Getting the chance to play chamber music with other people was probably the most enjoyable part of the audition.” Knowing how much Ben loves chamber music, I’m not surprised. The process did not end there. After the finals, Music Director Ludovic Morlot chose three clarinetists to hear in trials with the symphony. Ben played two programs over New Year’s and over a week in June. “At the New Year’s concert we played ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ and other jazzy tunes, including a Jelly Roll Morton suite with me, the trumpet, and the trombone playing solos at the front of the stage.” Ben had about ninety pages of music for that one concert, and the other New Year’s program was Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony – one of the most tiring pieces for a clarinetist. For the second trial, Ben played in the chamber orchestra for Dutilleux’s Second Symphony, sitting about five feet from the Music Director. “It was definitely a trial by fire.” He got the job offer on his thirty-second birthday. Ben spent a season with the Seattle Symphony and the Seattle Opera before heading to Cleveland for a year as Acting Principal. Come September, he’ll be back in Seattle. I asked what it’s like playing alongside his former teacher, Laura DeLuca. “It’s great! We have a similar concept of sound, since she was an early teacher in my formative years, which makes it easy to play together. It’s a lot of fun.”

BENJAMIN LULICH | 37

Ben studied with DeLuca for over two years and credits her with giving him a solid technical foundation and plenty of good advice. “We went to a lesson once,” he reminisced, “and Mom mentioned I’d been advised to start learning saxophone, too. ‘No,’ Laurie said. ‘Focus on the clarinet.’ She saved me from the saxophone,” he laughed. She may not know that he has one now – a vintage instrument he got during his Pacific Symphony days “just to mess around with.” Taking on a new teaching position himself, Ben will be an artist in residence at the University of Washington this fall, teaching clarinet performance. I asked what advice he has for students and young professionals starting out. “Always be ready to play your best. Always be trying to improve your playing and raise your standards.” He recalled a time when his Interlochen roommate emailed a teacher he’d set up an audition with to ask if he had any advice.

“He responded with a three-word email: ‘high playing standards.’ We actually printed it out in big letters on a piece of paper and stuck it on our wall for inspiration. No matter where you’re playing or who you’re playing with, you want your standards to be high. It’s your reputation.” Doing that day in and day out is actually one of the challenges of playing with the Seattle Symphony, he confessed. “We go through a lot of repertoire, so learning the music and playing it at a high level can be difficult at times.” But the rewards are great. I asked him his favourite part about being Principal with Seattle. “Just getting the opportunity to have a prominent voice in so many great pieces of music. And I really enjoy playing with the Opera, as well.” He’s had fun exploring the city and nearby hiking trails, and he loves playing in the symphony that inspired him as a young musician.

Benjamin Lulich is Principal Clarinet with the Seattle Symphony and Seattle Opera. An exceptionally gifted young artist, he has held positions in the Pacific Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, and Colorado Music Festival, and has performed frequently with The Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera, Pasadena Symphony, IRIS Orchestra, and many other ensembles. The recipient of many awards and prizes, he studied at Interlochen Arts Academy, Cleveland Institute of Music, Yale School of Music, Pacific Music Festival, and Music Academy of the West. His teachers include: David Shifrin, Franklin Cohen, Richard Hawkins, Fred Ormand, and Laura DeLuca. Benjamin Lulich is a Backun Artist and performs on MoBa clarinets.

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BENJAMIN LULICH

MY TOP FIVE HIKES 1. Angels Landing, Zion National Park, Utah The views from the top are amazing, but it’s not for the fainthearted. 2. Bubble Rock, Acadia National Park, Maine It’s a beautiful hike. Bubble Rock, on the top, looks like it could just roll down the mountain. 3. Burroughs Mountain Trail, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington If you make it to Third Burroughs, you get a spectacular view of Rainier, and you look down on some of the glaciers.

4. Queens Garden/Navajo Loop, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah There are lots of great rock formations that lead you down into the amphitheater of Bryce Canyon, then back up for a great overlook of Thor’s Hammer. 5. Green Lakes Trail, Three Sisters Wilderness, Oregon One of my favourite hikes when I was younger. There’s beautiful scenery — mountains, forests, and lava flows — the whole way. It brings back great memories.

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Why I Switched Eugene Mondie on Why He Plays Backun Clarinets Text, Kim Werker | Photos, Rick Etkin

Eugene Mondie started playing clarinet when he was about six years old, and at fourteen decided he wanted to play professionally in an orchestra. The way he tells it, it was happenstance that he was handed this particular instrument when he was a child, and his decision to pursue it seriously had as much to do with his aptitude for it as anything else. EUGENE MONDIE | 41

But probe just a little bit deeper, and you discover that Mondie is driven by profound inquisitiveness and a desire to explore the very nature of art and music. “I think the basic premise that I’ve come to over the last ten years or so,” he explains, “is trying to understand primarily how art functions and how music functions, and why great artists are great, and why music does work sometimes and not at [other times].” Mondie isn’t after perfection in his music. He knows that’s a senseless goal. Instead, he believes “that basically art functions by dissonance and consonance and getting those relationships to function properly.” He continues, “If you have an instrument that is out of tune or if you have an instrument that really pops a certain note or whatever, then you can’t get the relationships to work properly. The instrument is driving the relationships rather than the actual structure of the music that the composer has written, and trying to get those relationships to be clear is, in part, what our role is. If it’s arbitrary and has certain tendencies that are out of your control, I think that’s when it’s problematic. The gift is getting those relationships to be effective.” The instrument you play is the tool that enables your exploration of the music. To Mondie, treating a clarinet as a mere accessory diminishes the role it plays in your art. “It’s important that you have some sort of basis, a philosophical basis, for why you need your equipment to do certain things,” he says. “Otherwise you’re sort of driven by fashion or personality – whether it’s the company, or the branding, whatever it is. You want to be driven by what you perceive as servicing the music rather than anything else.” Recently, Mondie started playing MoBa Grenadilla clarinets by Backun. I asked him why he switched.

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“There’s the old [Donald] Rumsfeld quote about the unknown unknowns, and I think that’s what drives us. It’s trying to figure out what is it that you’re missing, what is it that you’re not seeing. I think I ran into limitations [with my old clarinet], feeling that I was dealing with certain problems and not being able to find a resolution to those problems. That’s in part why I made the switch, because I was looking for something that was going to allow me to do X, Y, and Z, and I was able to do them with these instruments.” Just as he sees the tension between consonance and dissonance as the driving force of music, he accepts that there is no such thing as a perfect clarinet. “I don’t think that anything is perfect. You’re giving up something to get something.” The relationship he’s forming with the Backun family is part of what he feels he’s gained from playing their clarinet. “At the company, they’ve been very willing to accommodate my specific requests about what I want the instrument to be able to do, or [what I] need for my particular circumstance, whether it’s in the orchestra or whatever it might be. That willingness to accommodate those really highly specific requests, that made them unique in my mind.”

Eugene Mondie is Acting Principal Clarinet with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC. He ser ves on the faculty of the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music at The Catholic University of America and at the Peabody Conservatory. Eugene Mondie is a Backun Artist and performs on MoBa clarinets and accessories.

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Ricardo Morales Text, Kim Werker | Photos, Yuki Tei

Unfettered joy. This is

what Ricardo Morales possesses. No, that’s not right. He doesn’t possess it, he emits it.

Like a glow.

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RICARDO MORALES | 45

To speak with Morales is to receive a gift of smiles, both his and the ones he draws out of you. It’s no surprise that the Principal Clarinetist of The Philadelphia Orchestra is a fluent and enthusiastic collaborator. Beyond the music he plays as part of an ensemble, he creates original works in partnership with people he respects, from concertos to the instruments he plays. THE CONCERTO Back in 2011, Morales attended a rehearsal of his colleague, principal flutist Jeffrey Khaner. The piece Khaner played was the concerto that composer Jonathan Leshnoff had written for him, and Morales’s immediate reaction was to want one for himself. Leshnoff, who is based in Baltimore, was there that day, and Morales introduced himself. He explained that he loved the flute concerto and would like to do a collaboration. “We just hit it off right away,” Morales told me on the phone from his home. (Spoiler alert: We spoke the day after he debuted his concerto.) Of course, enthusiasm alone doesn’t cut it when it comes to an artistic collaboration; more ingredients are needed. “It’s difficult to find a composer who you trust, for them to create something for you,” Morales explains. “Basically what I have to do is to recreate, to represent, the vision of the composer. You have to have some kind of camaraderie. And for me [with Leshnoff], the camaraderie was built just in my admiration of his music. So we got together and we started to think about the qualities that one would envision the concerto would have.” From there, the duo established their goals for the piece. They discussed the mood they wanted to express, and what Morales wanted to feel he would be accomplishing when he would eventually play it. “So I described to him what I really liked in his flute concerto,” Morales continues. “There’s something that people can take with them, a tune that they can hum, that they can recognize. It can make an impression in your mind and in your heart. I wanted people to sit down on a Sunday afternoon to enjoy it at home — not just an intellectual exercise. That was very important for me.” Morales also wanted the composition to highlight the subtle nuances the clarinet can express, and that its music has always been portrayed as having a female voice.

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Morales sent Leshnoff recordings of his performances so the composer could become familiar with how he plays in different genres and with his general style of performance. Though Leshnoff pressed Morales to provide details of his technical range – how fast he was comfortable playing, what registers he preferred to play in – Morales responded that his primary interest was to play beautiful music. “Write your piece,” he tells me he insisted, “and I will do my best to accomplish that. If there’s something that cannot be done at that moment by me, then we can talk about alternatives.” He didn’t want to impose too many constraints on the way that Leshnoff would compose. Morales wanted him to feel free to write “what is in his heart and mind.” When the first draft of the concerto was ready, Morales took the train from Philadelphia to Baltimore. He read through the draft, then started to play it. “When I finished with the first movement,” he told me, “I was so moved I started weeping. I couldn’t help myself, I was so happy. I got all teary, and I actually cried. I wept in happiness, because I felt like he understood exactly how I like the clarinet to sound, and how I envision the qualities of the clarinet to be used.” THE CLARINET Years before venturing into the world of commissioning new music, Morales teamed up with Morrie Backun to develop a new clarinet. This long-term collaboration has involved a very different process than his experience working with Leshnoff on the concerto, “but similar in the sense that one has to have a particular kind of openness, like when I said to Jonathan, ‘please just write it the way that you want, and if there is something I cannot play, then just leave it there and we can work on some alternative.’ So that way we can have the process be fluid.” Backun was making bells and barrels at the time Morales met him in 2003. Backun presented an assortment of parts made in a variety of woods, which Morales describes as “a rainbow of colour. It was just really, really beautiful.” The pair worked together to fit Morales’s existing clarinets with bells and barrels customized to tweak his sound to his desired quality, but eventually they had one of those moments that changes everything.

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They looked at each other and said, “You know what? Instead of modifying and adjusting other manufacturer’s clarinets, why don’t we just make our own from the very beginning?” Morales recalls their initial approach to developing a brand-new clarinet: “Envision playing on the best instrument that you could possibly imagine. And now you’re playing one of the most difficult or the most beautiful pieces that is close to you, and what you envision happening in terms of how it will feel, how it will sound, how you’ll get along with the instrument. That is basically how we started this instrument. It really helped us to get us away from the status quo, from the myth of tradition.” Backun and Morales were uninterested in maintaining the status quo. They weren’t after celebrating tradition. They didn’t want to start with some agreed-upon standard, then put their own twist on it. “If you want to make something that has a lasting impact and you want to improve the craft, you cannot start with that, because it is almost self-defeating,” Morales explains. Instead, the two decided to start from scratch. Their goal was to change the conversation entirely, moving the game to an entirely new field of play: to focus on the tension between what clarinetists think they want because it’s what they’ve always been given and what they actually need.

THE COLLABORATOR Text, Jonathan Leshnoff Photo, Erica Hamilton

W

orking with Ricardo Morales has been an unforgettable experience. One incident that sticks out in my mind occurred when I had just finished the concerto in January of 2015. I invited Ricardo to my studio in Baltimore to view his part for the first time and to listen to it as my computer played it back to him. I set up the MIDI playback from my keyboard and all was going well until I heard what sounded like a real clarinet playing the MIDI clarinet line – in tempo! I sat with my jaw open as

“In music and life in general,” Morales says, “sometimes what we want is different from what we need, right? You know, I want a hamburger with fries, but what I need is a nice salad.” The result of their collaboration is the MoBa clarinet and line of accessories. Thirteen years after they first met, Backun and Morales continue to work closely to refine the MoBa line of products. “The most enjoyable part is that we are not even close to being done,” Morales says with a smile I can hear across the phone line. “It feels like it’s a great first step to the future of what the clarinet can truly be. So as the instrument improves, then certain elements of the playing can change and you improve your playing, and you can actually have the opportunity to play music better. We try to have more fun when we play. It’s important to have the instrument as a tool that allows us to accomplish every musical and artistic wish, no matter how far-fetched it may seem.”

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Ricardo Morales is one of the most sought - after clarinetists today. He joined The Philadelphia Orchestra as Principal Clarinet in 2003, having held the same position with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra starting at the age of twenty-one, under the direction of James Levine. He has been asked to perform as Principal Clarinetist with the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and, at the invitation of Sir Simon Rattle, with the Berlin Philharmonic. He also performs as Principal Clarinetist with the Saito Kinen Festival Orchestra and the Mito Chamber Orchestra, at the invitation of Maestro Seiji Ozawa. He currently serves on the faculty of Temple University. Ricardo Morales is a Backun Artist and performs on MoBa clarinets and accessories, which he co-designs with Morrie Backun.

Ricardo effortlessly sight-read his part, only to apologize to me afterwards for missing a C♭. When I write a concerto, I have to become that instrument in order for its sound to come through my compositional voice. Ricardo was quite generous in accepting substantial passages as is, but I deeply appreciated his suggestions to make the part more endemic for clarinet. Through text messages, email, and random phone calls from his trips all over the world, we had wonderful discussions perfecting the nuances for clarinet. I recall several times that my phone would ring. I’d answer and be greeted with, “Hey man, which of these articulations work?” and then rapid-fire clarinet playing for minutes. They would all sound so good, I would say, “Uh, Ricardo, why don’t you just choose one?” I am also indebted to James Logan for helping to edit the clarinet part for publication. I’ll add that clarinet is an instrument very close to my heart. In many of my orchestral works, such as Rush or Starburst, there are extended cadenza passages for solo clarinet. I have always felt that it is an instrument of such possibilities, such incredible dynamic control, such expression, so easy to give life to the songs in my heart. I am grateful that my Clarinet Concerto has a bright future. After its premiere with The Philadelphia Orchestra, the other cocommissioner, the Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra and soloist Donald Foster, will perform it this coming February [2017]. There is also a wind-band arrangement being transcribed for major concert ensembles, including “The President’s Own” Marine Band, the United States Navy Band, the United States Air Force Band, Rowan University, Towson University, and the University of Miami (Florida). Very exciting is that at this year’s College Band Directors National Association Conference (spring 2017, Kansas City, Kansas) the University of Miami Frost School of Music Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Robert Carnochan, will be presenting

this work in its new concert band version. The piano/ clarinet version is available through the Theodore Presser Company. Jonathan Leshnoff was among the top ten composers most frequently performed by American orchestras in the 201516 season. His works, performed by over fifty orchestras, have been commissioned by Carnegie Hall, and the Philadelphia, Atlanta, Baltimore, Nashville, and Kansas City symphony orchestras; they have been performed by soloists Gil Shaham, Manuel Barrueco, and Jessica Rivera.

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CLARINET SUMMIT SEPTEMBER 16 –17, 2016 CRANE SCHOOL OF MUSIC AT SUNY POTSDAM, NY, USA

Raphael Sanders Artistic Director

Chad Burrow Guest Artist

Julianne Kirk Doyle Artistic Director

Daniel Gilbert Guest Artist

Eugene Mondie Guest Artist

Photo, Nathan Garfinkel

Photo, Blu-Note Photography

In Their Own Words Last November, Morrie Backun and I visited the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam to work with the clarinet studios of Raphael Sanders and Julianne Kirk Doyle. During the seven-hour drive upstate from New York City, we wondered what we would encounter at the school renowned for its strong music education program. What we found astonished us: a clarinet studio led by two exceptional artist-educators with a singular goal of teaching and inspiring young musicians. No egos. No drama. In their own words, Raphael and Julianne discuss their recipe for managing a studio founded on respect, dedication, and love for the clarinet. — Chief Ed.

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Jaffe: What was it that drew you to the Q Joel Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam?

students, and staff. She is a beautiful musician with unmatched flair and phrasing. Her teaching is world class, and she cares deeply about each one of our clarinet students.

Raphael Sanders: Awesome students, colleagues, administration, and a terrific environment for teaching, performing, and growing in music.

focus of Crane is predominantly educating Q The and inspiring music education majors. What is

What keeps you there, knowing your talents allow you to teach anywhere you want?

Julianne Kirk Doyle: I had just completed my doctorate at Eastman and was teaching at Ball State on a one-year visiting contract when I saw the posting for the position at Crane. I was thrilled by the prospect of returning to New York State, as I had enjoyed my four years in Rochester during my graduate work. I also knew that Raphael was teaching there and had known his playing from hearing him at the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium.

Q 

Julianne, what is it about Raphael that makes him such an exceptional colleague and educator? is the most supportive colleague JKD Raphael you will find. He is open to learning and

sharing knowledge. We support each other as a team, and our students take that same approach. Our students are very close with each other, as if we’re one large studio instead of two. Raphael and I often exchange students when they’re preparing for barriers, recitals, or auditions, to provide them with different perspectives.

what is it about Julianne that makes Q Raphael, her such an exceptional colleague and educator?

Julianne Kirk Doyle is first and foremost RS Dr. a terrific person. She translates that well in her teaching and collaborations with faculty,

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different about teaching these students, as opposed to performance majors? How do you tailor your studio lessons and ensemble work to their pursuits?

strive to bring a world-class standard of RS We teaching and clarinet playing to Crane. No

matter a student’s major, they’re asked to give 100 percent. Anything less is unacceptable. considers excellence in JKD Crane performance to be the foundation on

which teaching rests, so our education majors strive to achieve the same level of excellence as our performance majors. Many double-major in performance or pursue the performer’s certificate. We also have a fast-growing music business program. All of these students work to become the best they can be, and they encourage and inspire each other. Lessons are no different from major to major; we take the students from where they are when they enter as freshmen and take them to a level of playing that’s higher than they ever thought they were capable of. talk ensembles: Crane has a plethora Q Let’s of performing ensembles. How do you help

to prepare your students for performances? How do you interact and engage with the ensemble directors and performing groups to ensure your students get what they need out of the experience?

audition students for ensemble RS We placement every semester. We monitor

Alpha B♭ Clarinet with nickel keywork.

their progress in each ensemble they perform in. We ensure they are being placed in a manner that serves their needs and the needs of the ensemble. We also monitor the harmony clarinets and facilitate their excellence. We have a mentoring system that helps in each ensemble. We are also in constant communication with the conductors to be sure our students are productive members.

JKD 

Crane has an ensemble-based enrolment. We have to staff the orchestra, wind ensemble, symphonic band, and concert band. This requires us to maintain about fifty majors, and we also have students major as bass clarinetists. Once we assign students to ensembles, we work with the principals, helping them with sectional planning; have students bring difficult passages into lessons; assist the auxiliary players with those instruments; coach the orchestra clarinets when needed. We have excellent ensemble directors who plan a well-balanced variety of repertoire for all ensembles. We rotate the orchestra clarinets so our top upperclassmen receive experience both in the orchestra and as leaders in the wind ensemble. We check in with ensemble directors to make sure the clarinets are performing up to their expectations. Being married to our director of bands, I have an inside scoop to what is needed in ensembles. innovative programming for clarinet Q Your choirs is known around the world. What is it

about the Crane Clarinet Choir that keeps it ahead of all others?

RS 

We select works that present a diverse palate of musical styles and challenges. Many have

been specifically written for us. Seniors conduct during the concert and we also feature soloists. As I tell the group, “be aggressive musically, challenge yourself to be the best member of the choir you can be. Always prepare and be ready to succeed. But, most importantly, have fun.” passion for clarinet choir is a JKD Raphael’s driving force. The students have no idea

what a great ensemble we have, they just work hard and play their best. They enjoy playing the repertoire and in the group. It shows! The students learn to listen, play in tune, and blend as an ensemble. It is a great opportunity to train ensemble skills and it carries over into the bands. worked with you both, as well as with Q Having your students, I’ve seen that you’ve created

an amazing culture of open, shared learning and camaraderie between your two studios. How was this culture developed and how do you maintain it?

ourselves, are learners. We thrive off RS We, each other and enjoy our daily collaborations and discussions. The students see that, and it permeates their own learning and collaborations. We lead by example. It’s the best and healthiest way to facilitate our nurturing culture.

and I set this example ourselves, JKD Raphael and the students follow. We work together

and encourage our students to do the same.

advice do you have for young educators Q What taking on their first job in academia and possibly sharing a studio with a colleague?

as a team. Support each other. And RS Work most importantly, communicate constantly.

Seek to improve. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.

SANDERS & KIRK DOYLE | 53

open minded, try new things, don’t be JKD Be afraid to express your opinion or share

your ideas. Believe in yourself, in your colleagues, and in your students. Never give up on a student. You saw their potential when they auditioned. Help them realize that potential. Help them connect the dots. Take chances in your playing and your teaching. You will only continue to grow as you teach more. Raphael P. Sanders, Jr., is Professor of Clarinet at the Crane School of Music, State University of New York at Potsdam. Originally from Hawaii, he has performed with the USAF Band and with orchestras in San Francisco, Houston, New York, and Ottawa, and has taught at the college level in Texas and Nevada. In 1997, he established the I.C.A. Orchestral Audition Competition. He codirects the Crane Clarinet Choir and performs in the Potsdam Woodwind Quintet, the Orchestra of Northern New York, and the Northern Symphonic Winds. Raphael P. Sanders, Jr. is a Backun Artist and performs on MoBa clarinets and accessories. Julianne Kirk Doyle is Professor of Clarinet and Director of the Crane Youth Music Camp at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. She performs regularly with the Aria Reed Trio and Eastman Triana. Her primary teachers include Jon Manasse, David Etheridge, and Bradford Behn. Julianne Kirk Doyle is a Backun Artist and performs on MoBa clarinets and accessories.

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Model F B♭ Clarinet in cocobolo wood with gold keywork.

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TAKING YOUR PLACE Text, Joel Jaffe | Photos, Nathan Garfinkel

London Silas Shavers is on a mission, and following his lead are some of the most serious and dedicated woodwind students in the United States. A native Chicagoan, London made his way down to Tennessee fifteen years ago to pursue his doctorate, but ended up finding what he was truly looking for when he started a private woodwind studio with just seven students, growing to twenty by the end of his first year. Fast-forward more than a decade

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and his studio sets the standard for excellence in performance and academics. His students have included three National Merit Scholars (one of whom was accepted to every Ivy League university), two Eagle Scouts, and All-State First Chairs for every instrument he teaches privately.

What’s London’s recipe for success? Wouldn’t you like to know. Recently, on a rainy afternoon following the photo shoot for this publication, London and I sat down over a bowl of phở in Vancouver, Canada, to talk about the highs and lows of running a successful private studio. I asked him why most private studios fail. His answer was quick and direct: “Most teachers treat their students as cash cows instead of investments. I’m tough. I deal in brutal honesty.” For those who maintain private studios, those words can be taken as a stinging criticism. Take them as you will. Embracing one’s own journey is the first lesson taught in London’s studio. “I’m a guide, but they have to walk that path and go down the rabbit hole. They have to understand that I am there for them. Students respond better when there is trust. I never ask them to do something I haven’t done myself. I need to explain to them the why and how. And that I will be there to fight that battle with them. We work as a unit.” Every one of his students is on her or his own journey. Some study music with the goal of being professional musicians; others do it purely for the love of music. One student, Sarah, studied oboe with London for just one year, during which time she went from good to great, earning All-State First Chair. Following this prestigious appointment, she quit the oboe, her goal of achieving First Chair having been conquered. “I want to build something. Start them off right. Like a piece of clay. They start with nothing and when they are done, they have a scholarship waiting for them.” Interestingly, almost all of London’s students excel not only in academics, but also in earning entrance scholarships to the colleges they are accepted to. “As a student, you may not be successful [to begin with], but you need to have a fighting chance. You need to give the kids honesty. We’re all students. My students are my best teachers. They are like jigsaw puzzles, where I get the opportunity to learn. Sometimes the best lessons don’t even involve taking the horn out of the case.” But what is the fundamental key to London’s students’ achievements? “My studio is successful due to unbelievable parental support. The first lesson is an interview. I sit down with the parents. I tell them, ‘This is what I need. I need your support. If

you can’t give me the tools to help your child, I’m not the teacher for you.’” Tough words for a parent to hear if they aren’t fully committed to their child’s development. “I don’t treat the kids differently. The standards are still the same. Log your practice times, record yourself. Perform with your fellow classmates. Perform in clarinet choirs and quartets.” In the end, the recipe for success changes with each student, as each one is motivated differently, according to her or his own goals. “They don’t practice out of fear. They generally want to do better. One bad lesson and we move on. Two, so be it. Three and we’re having a chat. I rarely have to take a student to task for not practicing.” One thing is for sure: there is no room for egos in London’s studio. “I don’t approach any artist or student differently. They put their pants on the same way that I do.” On achieving All-State First Chairs for every one of his students: “It’s not a matter of who wins which one, someone’s going to take that chair.” Studio-mandatory mock auditions, peer-topeer feedback and constructive criticism, healthy competition between students, and you have more fun than you do at a Friday night football game. One thing is clear: London loves what he does and is committed to it with every fibre of his being. He truly lives it. If you ever have the opportunity to spend time with London or his students, you’ll hear one phrase over and over again: “Remember who you are and take your place.” It’s classic London Silas Shavers. Personally, I often repeat this to Backun Artists as they prepare for a big audition or take the stage for a big performance. Indeed, they are words to live by. London Silas Shavers is a Fine Arts Instructor  at Nor thwest Mississippi Community College– Desoto Center. In addition to his teaching, festival adjudication, and ensemble conducting, Shavers performs throughout the United States and abroad as a soloist and chamber musician, and is an active woodwind clinician, recitalist, and composer. Shavers holds degrees from Valparaiso University and Western Michigan University, and completed doctoral studies at the University of Memphis. London Silas Shavers is a Backun Artist and performs on MoBa clarinets and his line of Backun/London Silas Shavers Mouthpieces.

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MoBa B♭ and A Clarinets in grenadilla wood with silver keywork.

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David Shifrin: Forging Paths and Building Audiences Text, Kim Werker | Photos, Yuki Tei

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W

hen David Shifrin was a student, he told his teachers that he wanted to do many different kinds of work when he became a professional musician. They weren’t having it. “I enjoyed playing chamber music and doing solo work, and I enjoyed playing in the orchestra at school at Interlochen and Curtis. I wanted a career like that. I went to competitions and had some solo opportunities. I talked to my teachers about it, and pretty much everyone said that if you want to have a career playing the clarinet, the only path really is to practice for orchestra auditions. There’s a lot of truth in that, to be very honest. For most people, the way to make a living as a professional classical musician is to play in an orchestra or to get an advanced degree and teach at a university and be primarily a teacher.” Now, at age sixty-six, David Shifrin is a teacher, a soloist, a chamber musician, and a creative director,

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and he’s as concerned with creating audiences for his music as he is with playing it. In other words, though he tried very hard to take his early teachers’ advice, over his fifty-year career, he’s ended up pursuing all the varied aspects of professional music that excited him when he was just starting out. By the time he was in his early twenties, Shifrin had been a member of four different orchestras, moving up in position until he was Principal Clarinet in The Cleveland Orchestra. “It was all-consuming,” he told me on the phone from his office at Yale University. “I had mixed success and mixed satisfaction [during that time]. Cleveland is one of the great orchestras. I enjoyed it. For me, it was kind of overwhelming and consuming.”

After three years in Cleveland, he moved on to teach full time at the University of Michigan, which he describes as requiring quite an adjustment: “While teaching was very satisfying, I really missed the amount of playing I was doing, the actual music-making. I was making music by working with the students, but I wasn’t performing, except on an occasional basis. I was still in my twenties then and finding my way. So I practiced really hard. In addition to my teaching, I went to some

competitions and had some success, won some prizes, started accepting invitations to play in various places and chamber music festivals.” At this point in his career, Shifrin began commuting part-time to play with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra while still teaching in Michigan. “So many musicians do that these days: live in one place for one thing and commute to another place for something else. That’s part of the price that you

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pay to attempt to have it all. You have to cope with the geography.” Shifrin joined the faculty at Yale in 1987 and has been there ever since, though he still copes with the geography. In addition to serving as the Artistic Director of the Chamber Music Society of Yale and Yale’s annual concert series at Carnegie Hall, and having held the same position at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center for twelve years starting in the early nineties, he has also served as the Artistic Director of Chamber Music Northwest, far across the continent in Portland, Oregon, since 1981. THE BUSINESS It’s as if the business of music is Shifrin’s playground. Ill content to go up and down on the seesaw over and over again, he insists on spending time on the swings, the slide, and the jungle gym, too, all the while inviting others to join him. “When I first started [with Chamber Music Northwest] in Portland in the early eighties,” he explains, “people would say, ‘Look out at the audience. Everyone has grey hair. What are we going to do in thirty years when this audience is gone?’ Well, the audience is even bigger now and they still have grey hair, but there are a lot of reasons that people go to concerts later in life. At the same time, we are attracting more younger people, and it’s always the people who are exposed to and have some hands-on association with music early in their life: they play an instrument, have someone in their family that plays an instrument or teaches kids about music. It becomes a language that they learn. Sometimes people are exposed to music early in life but just don’t have the resources or the time to attend the concerts. Those are some of the grey hairs that we see in the concert hall.” And so this principal clarinetist, who enjoys playing with chamber ensembles as much as he does being part of an orchestra, is also involved with nurturing and teaching students and audiences of all ages. Thinking back to the advice he was given as a student – advice he grew to ignore in favour of creating his own very diversified career – I asked Shifrin if he counsels his students as he had been counselled, or if things have changed enough in the industry that he advises his students to follow the wider path he himself has walked. “Absolutely

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[the latter], and I’m not alone. Most of the major music schools in the country now have either a career development aspect to the program or a special course within the school in the business of music or in entrepreneurial skills and relating to audiences. More and more we’re requiring students to try to help build audiences and to create some of their own opportunities rather than simply locking themselves in a practice room and looking for the next opportunity to shine. Or for somebody to take over all of their concerns as a performer. “The days are almost gone where a manager will take a precocious protégé under their wing and take care of absolutely everything for them and just send them out on stage. There are a few incredible geniuses for whom they probably have no other concerns than to just keep being a genius. Most people have to have the concerns of the world. Even if you read the letters of Beethoven and Mozart and Bach, there was a business aspect. Bach had to deliver his scores to the Margrave of BrandenburgSchwedt. And Mozart was always applying to new royalties for the next position in teaching and church jobs. Beethoven was hankering for commissions and trying to figure out how to fix his situation where he’d be making friends with the patrons. We don’t live in a vacuum where all we need to do is play our music and everything else will fall into place. I think the sooner that music students, serious performance students, realize that there are many aspects to being a musician, the better.”

Winner of the 2000 Avery Fisher Prize, clarinetist David Shifrin has appeared with The Philadelphia and Minnesota Orchestras and the Dallas, Seattle, Houston, Milwaukee, Detroit, and Denver symphonies. He has performed recitals at Alice Tully Hall, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the 92nd Street Y in New York City, and at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. In addition, he has appeared in recital and as soloist with orchestras throughout Europe and Asia. David Shifrin is a Backun Artist and performs on MoBa clarinets and mouthpieces.

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Stay Thirsty for the Clarinet. Play Backun.

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