 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Claire Annette
Date: 2008-08-07 12:50
The thread about the 13-year old prodigy and the question as to why there are no U.S. prodigies (I loved David's response!) prompted me to submit this for discussion: Here in the U.S., in general, are we seeing a decline in young clarinetists?
This summer, I became aware of a need for clarinetists to play for a symposium at a local university. The university's band director told me that there weren't enough student clarinetists to recruit--not because it was summer--from the university. He said he's personally seen a decline in clarinetists entering colleges and universites.
This man's mentor, a famous college band director and composer, told me that he noticed the same trend in his area of the country. He feels that the clarinet is losing "popularity" among beginning and high school students.
Are you seeing this happen? What do you think? If it truly is a trend, is it happening with other instruments as well?
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Author: Allegremente
Date: 2008-08-07 13:13
I blame it on America's poorly, poorly funded music programs. Out here in California, where I went to K-12, we have one teacher covering two high schools and a junior high. No jazz bands, no nothing, just one class per school. It's pretty bad.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2008-08-07 18:32
The unfortunate fact is that for anyone born after the big band era the clarinet sparks little relevance or holds little musical association.
In a half century of children being weaned on electric guitars, keyboards, drums and saxophones, the clarinet now runs a very distant 5th, or worse.
As I've written before -
The bulk of the clarinet repertoire is more than 100 years old and the general public can barely name more than 2 famous clarinetists.
Watch any "popular" music program - not a clarinet in sight.
Scan a trade paper for "musicians seeking other musicians", and it is almost unheard of to see someone looking to find a clarinetist.
Major orchestras rarely program a major clarinet work, and when they do it is either Mozart or Weber.
Even with hard core classical audiences, compare the number of tickets sold to a piano or violin recital to that of a clarinet recital and it is never even close to being equivalent.
Unfortunately, there is no easy fix to the dwindling interest in the clarinet.
Perhaps we finally have to admit that the clarinet is just not as versatile or adaptable to today's music scene as other instruments...GBK
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Author: clariknight
Date: 2008-08-07 18:35
Where I'm from, clarinet's are promoted pretty well, mainly because we have a spectacular clarinetist as our director. Though, unlike Allegremente, we've had a principal for a few years who is very into music, and funded us pretty well. It's really quite sad to hear that there are places in America that aren't making music the priority it should be.
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Author: Neal Raskin
Date: 2008-08-07 18:47
here's an idea for the second Federal Stimulus Package... lets make it a cultural stimulus! I wish many more students knew how cool the clarinet can be if you practice and get better.
Neal
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Author: NorbertTheParrot
Date: 2008-08-07 18:47
"Major orchestras rarely program a major clarinet work, and when they do it is either Mozart or Weber."
Martin Fröst is playing the Hillborg at the BBC Proms next Wednesday. Try getting a ticket....
The fact that Gustavo Dudamel is conducting may have something to do with it.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2008-08-07 20:47
The popularity of any instrument comes and goes with the times just as clothes fashions do. Pete Fountain was probably the last clarinet player with wide popularity......and that was because of the popularity of Dixieland music at the time. The clarinet was never big in country music or Rock and Roll. It is still holding its own, though, in some ethnic venues.
Bob Draznik
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Author: J. J.
Date: 2008-08-07 21:25
In a word: no. There are way too many fine students entering university to study clarinet today.
Furthermore, when have we ever had a number of U.S. prodigies? The term doesn't even have any meaning anymore.
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Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2008-08-09 08:04
Another reason might be inferred from this anecdote:
As a teacher in an independent school some years ago, I often performed for student/parent functions.
After one such performance, a parent came up to me, complimented my playing, and said, "It's really great to have these kids see that there are instruments that don't have to be plugged in to a wall outlet."
When the highest aspiration of many kids these days is to become rock stars and "guitar heroes," and supposedly learn what's necessary to attain this nirvana by playing along with a computer program for two weeks, is it any wonder that "unexciting" instruments that require some dedication and long-term effort such as the clarinet aren't considered by these kids?
B.
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Author: Nessie1
Date: 2008-08-11 13:02
I think I'm the first UK contributor to this thread so let me tell you what I see over the other side of the pond!
At serious student/professional level, I would say that the clarinet is still vastly over-subscribed but if you love the instrument you will keep at it and, of course, there is always room for the very best but I get the feeling that, when an orchestral vacancy comes up, there are probably always 10 or 15 applicants who could do the job more than acceptably and who gets the job just depends on who is the most "on form" on the day of the auditions or on the personal preferences of the audition panel. For conservatoire places, particularly at post-graduate level, I think the situation is probably similar. They may be working to a quota of students and, whilst there may be a number of very good applicants, those limited places will go to the very best, which can depend on confidence etc on the audition day.
At competent amateur level, it can still be pretty hard to get into a community orchestra, say, unless perhaps you can offer to double on E flat or bass clarinet or you're very lucky and apply when they just happen to have a vacancy.
In both these area (professional/intending professional or competent amateur) I would say that competition is only eclipsed by that for flute openings. This is something that did change just around the time I started playing (mid-1970s), largely down to the rise of James Galway. Prior to this, the clarinet had the edge.
In terms of children/teenagers wanting to take up the instrument, in common with some of the US posters, I think that there is a problem in the provision of easily accessible, good quality, cheap tuition. I started in a group teaching situation at school with a teacher who was mainly an oboist so it was not ideal but, although my family were not on the "breadline", I think that my mother would have had serious doubts about paying for lessons before we had had a chance to see how I took to the instrument free of charge, which the school service provided in those days. Now provision in schools is virtually always fee-paying in some form or another and very patchy from area to area so this can only limit the numbers of new clarinettists coming through.
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Author: allencole
Date: 2008-08-11 16:43
I strongly disagree with Allegramente. You can't blame school music funding for the relative popularity of an instrument. The guitar rose to popularity with absolutely no institutional support, and guitar classes have appeared in the schools from public demand--although they're probably one of the worst ways in which to learn the instrument.
[I could rant quite a bit about guitar and keyboard classes, but will leave it to your imagination for now <g>]
I would blame it on four primary things (most already mentioned)
1 - Lack of visibility for the instrument in pop culture (exacerbated by the tendency of many clarinetists not to recognize that there IS pop culture)
2 - Lack of music appreciation. Most audiences today just can't handle the complexities of good instrumental music. A colleague of mine likes to say that we're getting closer to primal scream with each passing generation.
3 - Lack of clarinet appreciation even in its home venues of classical and jazz. As mentioned elsewhere, Klezmer, Gypsy, and similar niche forms are providing most of the few new outlets. (personally, I pray each night for a call from Riders in the Sky)
4 - A smorgasbord of other pursuits in which skillbuilding is either easier, more social, or with much more instant gratification.
If there are any solutions in terms of education, I think they would have to involve music appreciation. Even top band students don't have much curiosity, and a ton of good jazz band kids aren't really curious about jazz. (compare this to equivalent situations in...say...bluegrass.)
We can do much by getting together and PLAYING. Form a group, visit schools and churches, and set up a program that's actually somewhat fun. As a group, we could also stand to be more aware of a wider range of musical styles, and to experiment more with writing. Reasons 5 and 6 for our lack of popularity may be creative stagnation, and a failure to consider the average listener.
Allen Cole
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Author: SolidRockMan
Date: 2008-08-12 13:16
GBK said:-
"Perhaps we finally have to admit that the clarinet is just not as versatile or adaptable to today's music scene as other instruments"
This is a fundamental point. It's just a simple fact that the clarinet can't compare to the likes of guitar or keyboard for versatility, accessability and instant (almost) gratification.
This leads to another other key point (as Allen Cole mentions in his excellent post). In the big band era the clarinet was playing the music popular with the average listener. Nowadays it isn't, classical and jazz are minority interests.
But judging by the reaction here to the likes of Acker Bilk, who has shifted truckloads of records over the years playing popular tunes on the clarinet, one has to wonder about the readiness of clarinettists themselves to try to popularise the instrument.
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2008-08-12 13:48
I worry more about support for music and arts, in general, more than clarinet.
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Author: Mike Johnson
Date: 2008-08-14 01:43
Here are my recommendations to remedy the situation:
1. Find a rock star clarinetist...surely there are some lurking amongst us. As a clarinet community, support their work...fanatically.
2. Bring in clarinetists from other cultures and styles to show the full versatility of the instrument. Don't just acknowledge them...make them key partners in our performances and organizations. Demonstrate the clarinet's capabilities in things like middle eastern, chorro, and salsa music.
3. Improve the technology. The clarinet is a high maintenance instrument. Lose the corks. Improve the synthetic reeds. Find better pad material. Create a single-piece instrument that does not require dismantling. Do all of this without sacrificing a single ounce of sound quality.
4. Go electronic. We need more experimentation with the intersection of clarinets and electronics. Built-in pick-ups, etc. Keep it simple while maximizing the possibilities.
5. Promote the idea that behind every successful endeavor, music-related or not, is a clarinet mastermind. Spread rumors that there is a secret clarinet organization hell-bent on world domination, with their latest success being the inclusion of Squidward's clarinet playing on the Sponge Bob cartoons.
OK...you might have to take some of those with a grain of salt. Seriously, if a few dedicated folks put together a plan, we could see something come to fruition in a couple of decades...
I'd love to hear other ideas...crazy or not...
Mike Johnson
Napa, California
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Author: allencole
Date: 2008-08-14 07:42
Actually, there have been some clarinet masterminds out there behind the scenes. Guys like Neely Plumb (father of actress Eve Plumb) and Phil Bodner were producers for all kinds of stuff. I wonder how many other clarinetists turned to producing, songwriting, or other behind-the-scenes stuff when the instrument's popularity waned?
Allen Cole
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