Klarinet Archive - Posting 000527.txt from 2002/06

From: "Jeremy Yager" <bomber@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] A proper introduction
Date: Mon, 17 Jun 2002 00:49:50 -0400

Hello,
I've posted a couple times to the list but I have never formally
introduced myself.

My name is Jeremy Yager and I am currently a postbaccalaureate at
University of NC at Charlotte in electrical engineering. I graduated
from NC State University in materials engineering in 2001. I am
currently considering graduate school at UNCC or NC State in electrical
engineering.

I played clarinet and bass clarinet when I was in HS and in early part
of college. A series of events in marching band (and the rest of my
life) led to me giving up clarinet and bass in favor of heavier
artillery in the form of baritone horn and tuba. I played baritone for
3-1/2 years and tuba for 2, culminating in a European tour as a tuba
player in NC State's wind ensemble.

After leaving NC State with a degree and seemingly scant opportunity for
a job, I enrolled at UNCC, a school local to where I live. I auditioned
for the UNCC concert band--and thoroughly crashed and burned. I was
five months out of shape, and was auditioning against music majors--NCSU
has no music major. However, the band director (Dr. Larry Marks, also a
clarinetist) found out (unbeknownst to me) that I once played bass
clarinet, and he kindly asked me to audition bass, for which he said he
had a need. Anyway, he liked my sound, and was confident that my
out-of-shape technique was salvageable. A rebuild of clarinet chops and
technique followed a bit after, and now I have regained what I lost from
my layoff and am a stronger player from a tuba player's air power and
stronger hands.

One of the neat things that I learned as a euph and tuba player is that
true musicianship has little to do with the ability to play quickly, or
to blaze away in notes above the staff, or other things that high
schoolers find impressive in college and pro musicians. I realized that
as a clarinetist, I had become more a technician than a musician--as a
low brasser, I didn't have the luxury of technique or range to hide what
shortcomings I had as a musician. I had to become a musician to
effectively contribute as a low brass player (sounds kinda ironic,
right?). Returning to the clarinet family, I'm trying to apply those
lessons to my playing. I will never be a symphony clarinetist by any
stretch of the imagination, but it is nice to be able to offer a little
more to whatever group I happen to be playing with.

Anyway, there is my introduction. Have a good one.

--Jeremy

Jeremy A. Yager -- bomber@-----.com
NC State University -- Class of 2001
Materials Science & Engineering
Computer Programming and Web Services

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