The 2014 TTU All-Star Clarinet Symposium Participants!
I spent all day today with approximately 50 high school clarinet students from all over Tennessee who came to participate in our Annual All-Start Instrumental Symposium. This year's group was particularly outstanding, and I thoroughly enjoyed working with them. I led a clinic on the fundamentals of clarinet playing, warm-up technique (long-tone, scales, arpeggios, thirds, and articulation exercise), and a master class on excerpts from the Mid-State and All-East Tennessee audition music in the morning. The students also worked me to prepare for an afternoon concert as part of the large clarinet choir, which they performed to great satisfaction.
I went over the importance of daily warm-up and demonstrated systematic (and easy-to-do) warm-up routine that students should try to do on a daily basis.
After lunch, I led the TTU Clarinet Choir to play for woodwind participants. Several of my students came to help a great deal (I am truly fortunately to have such an outstanding studio, and I wouldn't be able to do these activities without them!). A group of Tech clarinet majors also came to demonstrate a reed-making session in front of the high school students. It was an inspiration for me to see so many students interested in studying music or at least continue being involved with music program at college. If you ask me, the future of what we do certainly looks promising!
TTU Clarinet Choir getting ready to play for the high school audience.
