 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: clarinetfreak
Date: 1999-03-19 06:17
The generation before us had famous clarinet teachers like Robert Marcellus, Stanly Hasty, and Leon Russianoff (sorry about the misspelling of the names) that pratically everyone studied with. Are teachers like that today? Also, where is the best college for a clarinet student today? Please respond with an open mind.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-03-19 11:51
clarinetfreak wrote:
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The generation before us had famous clarinet teachers like Robert Marcellus, Stanly Hasty, and Leon Russianoff (sorry about the misspelling of the names) that pratically everyone studied with. Are teachers like that today?
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Yes.
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Also, where is the best college for a clarinet student today? Please respond with an open mind.
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Do a quick search here looking for "college" or something like that and you'll find an existing thread on these very questions.
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Author: Kevin Bowman
Date: 1999-03-19 15:35
clarinetfreak wrote:
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The generation before us had famous clarinet teachers like Robert Marcellus, Stanly Hasty, and Leon Russianoff (sorry about the misspelling of the names) that pratically everyone studied with. Are teachers like that today? Also, where is the best college for a clarinet student today? Please respond with an open mind.
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If you look at the list of really great teachers historically, you will see that as generations pass, there are more and more great teachers every generation. This, IMO, is due to the fact that each teacher passes on knowledge to great students who then become great teachers themselves -- kind of a "and they tell two friends" thing. So, yes, there are MANY very good clarinet teachers today.
In fact there are so many "world class" clarinetists (and teachers) today that I would be hard pressed to compare, say, the top 50. Once you get to a certain point in your musical and instrumental development, you need to decide what it is, exactly, that you want to do (solo, orchestral, opera, etc.) and find an instructor with lots of experience in that particular area. Such an instructor will be able to lead you through the appropriate repertoire.
Living in the Detroit area my whole life (a fairly clarinet-rich area of the country), I've had the good fortune to study under no less than three past or present Detroit Symphony members. And, although my clarinet playing is now just a hobby, I feel there can be no substitute for studying with a real working professional. Because there are so many today, the names may not be immediately recognized, but I think that is a product of the proliferation of great clarinetists in this generation and not because they are inferior in any way. So ... if you seek a truely great education in the art of clarinet, find a great *teacher*, not necessarily a great *name*.
Kevin Bowman
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Author: David Shea
Date: 1999-03-23 17:40
I was expecting to see responses to this question focusing on everybody naming their teacher as the greatest and was pleasantly surprised by the very impressive previous two responses. Having recently made the transition from graduate student to college professor I know the job market is brutal. The result is almost any school who has recently hired a new clarinet professor is generally going to get an outstanding person.
I think what is becoming increasingly important is to look at other factors and assume that the teacher will be good, such as what type of school are you interested: music ed, orchestral playing, band programs, chamber music, solo emphasis, playing opportunities in the geographic area, connections that the teacher may have, and a host of other things. Of course, do your homework on the teacher as well. Anyway, just another idea in addition to the previous excellent posts.
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Author: paul
Date: 1999-03-23 22:36
...and keep in mind that many retired pros really did and still do know their "business", both on technical terms and in ways you probably never dreamed of. For instance, my retired pro tutor spent many years with a major city's symphony orchestra. He played and practiced with some of the country's and world's best players of his time. He survived in the brutal world of professional live music and kept a steady paycheck coming for at least 25 years in that environment. He is also a Marine veteran of Guadalcanal during WWII. Somehow, I have to believe that he learned some absolutely awesome survival skills in battle and applied them to his chosen profession.
In a nutshell, I have learned to genuinely listen to my tutor, both for his technical skill on the clarinet, and as a person with an amazing and exciting life. Perhaps music students should learn how to "catch the fire" from their tutors so they can bring a genuine life to their music. I have to believe that this eventually makes a big difference in the performance of the music.
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