Author: Daniel Frazelle
Date: 2007-06-05 23:06
USC is obviously a great choice, with Yehuda Gilad teaching there. Easily one of the strongest, if not the strongest, clarinet studios in the country. If you can get in and afford it, you can't go wrong.
I have to mention, however, the school I am leaving this year. The University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music has a clarinet program that I think is on fire right now. The primary teacher there now is Richie Hawley, principal clarinetist of the Cincinnati Symphony.
When I came to this school to start my Masters three years ago, it was in the beginning of the one year that Steve Cohen was there. The studio was a good one, but perhaps not particularly notable, particularly in relation to other studios within the school. Steve Cohen did so much in that first year to change the culture there and get people working harder and not neglecting fundamentals. The change, just within a year, was shocking and reflected in the competition to get into the school for the following fall. When Mr. Cohen left for Northwestern, the school decided to increase Richie Hawley's workload and make him the head of the studio.
As taken aback as I was by the way the studio evolved in that one year, I was that much more impressed by job Richie did in taking it even further. When I look at the studio today, it can compete with anyone's top to bottom, no matter who the primary teacher is. Right now, there are four adjunct instructors; Richie Hawley, Ixi Chen, Ron Aufmann, and Carmine Campione. Those four work tirelessly to find the right fit for each student. Of course, Richie is the most sought-after for people when they first enter, but I have seen incredible things happen in all of the other studios and it is a result of their efforts to find the best solution for each student. I have studied with every one of the teachers at some point and their knowledge and helpfulness is downright impressive.
I will comment, however, more specifically on Richie Hawley, as he has been my main teacher for two years. He is probably the most gifted and natural teacher I've ever had the pleasure of working with. In addition, I have never found someone more dedicated to finding the right solutions for his students. Those solutions can be to problems ranging from fundamental issues, to musicianship and expressiveness, to getting over that final hump in auditions in order to win. He has set the tone for the entire studio and has clearly reached everyone who may or may not study with another teacher primarily. I owe a great deal of my moderate success to him, as do his other students who are winning jobs and simply becoming fine musicians.
The school itself has excellent orchestras and a wind chamber music program that is very comprehensive. The level of musicianship in other studios is also notable, as a great deal of learning in graduate school can come from your peers around you. Plus, just about all graduate students at CCM currently receive 85% scholarship (more, potentially) as well as various assistantships throughout the school.
So, needless to say, I really feel you should consider CCM. It's a great school with an incredible and still rising clarinet program.
-Daniel
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The Clarinet BBoard
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