Klarinet Archive - Posting 000153.txt from 1998/09

From: Lee Hickling <hickling@-----.Net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Teaching Lessons
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1998 14:56:03 -0400

Stacy Stone wrote:

>Tuesday I am scheduled to begin teaching clarinet lessons. This is my
>first time to teach privately. Any suggestions on what I should do for
>their first lesson? Thanks for your thoughts!

The longer I teach, the more I realize that the most important think is to
make certain a student's embouchure and posture are correct from the very
start--lower lip rolled well over the teeth, cheeks stretched flat, and the
clarinet balanced on the ball of the thumb at about a 40-degree angle to
the body. Letting these basics wait for a few weeks always leads to bad
habits being formed, and they are merry hell to break later on.

Also, I've started teaching diaphragm breathing no later than the second
lesson, and I keep students in the lower register until their embouchure is
well-formed and their technique fairly well developed. Reginald Kell
advocated that, and after I tried it I decided it's by far the best way to
develop a good sound right from the start.

I usually start students in Rubank Book I, but I've been thinking of
switching to Langenus, at least for the more mature beginners.

Lee Hickling <hickling@-----.net>
Cobb Island, MD 20625
301-259-4483

-------------------------------------------------------------------------