 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: jan
Date: 2001-04-13 23:57
sorry, didnt know how to word the subject and i hope its ok that i ask , but i was just wondering how many people on this BB are teachers, taking lessons, teaching yourself, are professionals, amatuers, students...and how many years y'all bin playing etc...
i just started lessons again few weeks ago altho i returned to playing a few years ago.
i play in a small community band and a clarinet choir of 8. i also teach my 9 yr old neice which is much more rewarding than i anticipated.
i wish music was my profession. wish i didnt have to work in order to be able to afford what i love...clarineting.
jan
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Author: Mindy
Date: 2001-04-14 01:30
I am taking lessons I am 14 and I have been playing for 4 years. I am in a middle school band. auditioning for a youth orchestra ( I hope I get in!!!!!!)
Mindy
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Author: Jo
Date: 2001-04-14 01:40
I am a student and a teacher. I have been playing for about 16 years now, decided to major in Music Ed and now teach private lessons and hope to teach beginning band next year.
Jo
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Author: William
Date: 2001-04-14 03:53
I am a recently retired public school band and orchestra director with 34 wonderful yrs. to remember. Now accepting substitute teaching assignments once in a while for various local school districts, trying to keep ahead on the "honeydew" list my wife has started for me and playing clarinet, sax and flute in as many bands, orchestras, jazz ensembles and combos as time permits.
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Author: Pam
Date: 2001-04-14 03:58
I take clarinet and piano lessons. Just after Christmas of '99 I started playing again after about a 20 year break after high school. I play in a pretty good size church orchestra. We just did 3 (I played in two of them) Good Friday Tenebrae services at church tonight. I really enjoy worshipping with my clarinet. (Oh, I'm also in a handbell choir at church as well -- I'm glad I don't have to practice those at home too!)
Music is probably my first love. Ultimately, I think I'd like to go back to school to become a teacher. I've heard it's not too late. :o)
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Author: Jim
Date: 2001-04-14 04:21
I started 40 years ago this September. I played in band in HS and Orchestra in college, majored in clarinet for a time, but graduated with a degree in elem. ed. I stoped playing in 1973 after college, but picked it back up in 1991. Today I accompany church choir occasionally, play duets with my son or wife (pianist) and play with the Atlantic Pops Community Band. I also sing (baritone) with church choir and several community choruses. The singing was my only musical outlet for the years that I did not play. My son is 17 and a junior in HS. He has been playing for 8 years and also sings. He plans on studying clarinet at the college level after next year.
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Author: John
Date: 2001-04-14 04:23
I have played clarinet for 45 years. My route took me through music school and 8 years of band directing - I loved teaching beginning band. Now I'm a bank VP, but still play as a free lancer in pro and semi-pro orchestras in the area. I also have a internet based woodwind music publishing business (a sneezy sponsor, no less). You could say clarinet playing is pretty important to me.
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Author: bob gardner
Date: 2001-04-14 13:19
been at this a year and pretty much self taught. Now going to a jr. college for classes. looking for a playing partner, but non are available. main goal is self satifaction.
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Author: Fred
Date: 2001-04-14 13:44
I played through high school, undergrad, and graduate school as a chemistry major. Then I put it away for 25yrs and picked it up last year to join our church orchestra. I am teaching my 12yr old son clarinet, and we will learn tenor sax together. Besides the ministry aspect of playing at church, I also find that playing strengthens the old right-brain skills, which is so desparately needed in my artistically-challenged world of techies. Never had more fun playing in my life!!
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Author: Bob Arney
Date: 2001-04-14 17:47
Grade school, High School, some playing in the service (Navy), put aside for a few years, picked up again when working in Anchorage Alaska and played for a while in the Anchorage Symphony (before it became a State). Put it aside again for about 30 years and have restarted again at age 75. No "chops" left maybe?
Bob A
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Author: Danielle
Date: 2001-04-14 18:09
I'm a student, have played for 5 years...hopefully a professional, in another 10 years! ^_~
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Author: Shelly
Date: 2001-04-14 19:03
Wow! This thread is fascinating! Well let's see, I played clarinet for 6 years, grades 7 thru 12. I graduated high school in 1980. I became a deputy sheriff and the clarinet sort of took a back seat. I did play at home for my own entertainment but nothing serious. By 1990 I pretty much had stopped playing and I sold my clarinet. I didn't think I would be playing anymore. I was enjoying being a deputy and worked a lot of overtime (I was a Traffic Homicide Investigator). Well, I got married in 1991 and had baby #1 in 1992. Now I have 4 children of my own and one stepdaughter I retired from being a deputy when I had the first baby and became a full time stay at home mom. I have been VERY busy the last 9 years with these kids! (I homeschool all 5 kids as well)
My 2nd girl, Katie, showed a real interest in music at an early age. She is fascinated with classical music and listens to it all the time and she has researched all of the major composers lives (She is 7). Since I homeschool the kids, her love of music is easily worked into her regular schoolwork Anyway, she is taking piano lessons and she is excelling. I really wanted to be able to accompany her and I desperately wanted my old clarinet back.
I have recently purchased a clarinet and I should receive it this coming week. I can't want to get started! I inherited an Eb soprano flute and I am trying to do something with it. My oldest girl plays around with the recorder a bit but it is too much like work to suit her (She doesn't like anything that remotely resembles work!)
I am capable of playing the soprano recorder and I am thinking about trying some of the other recorders available for variety.
I am trying to get the other kids interested in music. We watch very little TV so I try and have background music playing in the house (classical, some jazz, bluegrass, I try and have a balance of different styles). All the kids are taught music theory and my three girls sing in the Children's Choir at church.
I guess my contribution is to instill the love of music (or at least foster it's natural development) in my children. Homeschooling has been a wonderful opprotunity to do that.
Shelly
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2001-04-14 20:50
Well, back in the dark ages [1930] I got my first clarinet, played in JRHs, SenHs, first alto sax 1935, 2 years in Mich State Band, didn't play much in Okla/Texas [some Western"Swing"], dance band [weekend-warrior] and helped start a local symphony, "learned" oboe {how hard it is} , retired1980, working still as Ch E patent consultant, playing in church orchs, community bands, symp and musicals. Do minor repairing of student horns, and help students with advice but not regular teaching. Its still challenging fun. Don
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Author: Mike Irish
Date: 2001-04-14 21:03
using my experiences......
I have learned the fingerings for several instruments.....
started clarinet in 5th grade in 1969..... played thru school....
let off for a couple years.... and got involved in a small jazz band, and then a polka band..... piddled around for quite a number of years ....and a few years back started back up with the clarinet on a more steady basis.....
have worked with my oldest son ( started with clarinet in the 5th grade, and now finishing up the 8th and is also doubling on the oboe )....
I have worked with other children with the clarinet, flute, oboe, and the alto sax.
I believe that a person that starts with music at a younger age ( learning the theory ) will have an easier time thru the rest of the subjects in school....
it teaches counting, fractions, reading, and rhythm. I also believe that it can improve listening skills, and I know that it also improves hand eye cordination ( fine motorskills) .......
Music can be a possitive release to anger, frustration, love, joy, and lots of other things......
Mike
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Author: Ginny
Date: 2001-04-14 23:08
I mostly play music with my family now. Twice a month we play Balkan music with friends, a few times a week 'family band' playing nintendo music, and classical duets with my clarinet playing son (who has surpassed my ability recently.) I just started playing at lunch with the JC wind ensemble with another mom from my son's school. They have their band and we have ours.
I used to be a classical guitarist/teacher (masters in music), and for a while I was a member of a popular local band. Music at that level meant that I would work while my kids were out of school, (private lessons are from 3-9 PM usually) and play evenings/weekends. So I went back to school an have one class remaining for a math degree.
I took up the clarinet about 3 years ago, because my husband (the second one, another story) plays Balkan music and I could do that with him. I had played clarinet (along with 10 or so other instruments) on and off before I graduated from college. I also play classical on the clarinet now. My younger son started about 2 years ago, having played the guitar since age 2 (a uke really) and piano since age 4. He's a great duet partner.
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Author: beejay
Date: 2001-04-14 23:24
I played clarinet in a New Orleans band as a teenager, got a proper job, got married and put the instrument aside. Took it up again four years ago after a lapse of more than 30 years, but this time I'm studying classical music. Still a long way to go, but my interest in the instrument, not to speak of following this bulletin board, led me recently to write a cultural history of the clarinet, which was just been published. I'm planning to get a basset horn and play Mozart to my heart's delight.
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Author: Willie
Date: 2001-04-15 04:27
After starting back up on the clarinet about six years ago, my wife (flute) and daughter (bass clarinet) have been playing in two different community bands plus an occasional gig at one of the local churches. Playing in the community band not only has been fun but it has put a bigger challenge on our daughter because the music is more advanced than what she is exposed to in school.
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Author: jerry
Date: 2001-04-15 12:11
JAN,
Looks like you started something with this post - hope Mark has enough room to hold this thread. I won't try to top Shelly's post, WOW - busy, busy, busy. I have three children her age and never new what a music note was before last Sep.
I regret not haveing been introduced to music as a child and not having the foresight to encourage it in my children. I am on my third teacher (I'm rough on them) and as soon as I get the "counting" thing down, I'll be auditioning with Pete and Eddie,
Through the years I've not had much interest in clasical music - mostly jazz - but since taking up the clarinet I have the local clasical station (WRR FM, Dallas) prgrammed into my car radio. I love Dvorak's (sp) New World Symohony.
Have fun all.
~ jerry
OH! BTW - I just have to share this with you. At yesterday's clarinet lesson, after my complaining about the bordem of the Rubank Elements book (with no real recognizable music to play), my instructor had this to say. "Just consider this as clarinet boot camp." You see, he and I are former US Marines (no such thing as an ex-marine). He played in the Marine Band. My tour in Military Police preceded his by some 15 years or more.
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Author: jan
Date: 2001-04-15 14:40
thank you everyone for sharing your experiences with me and this board. very interesting fun group to be with!
jan
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Author: Micaela
Date: 2001-04-15 15:40
I'm in high school and I've been playing since I was 8. I take lessons, mostly, but I also help my school band teacher give lessons to Lower School clarinetists. At first I thought I could never deal with little kids, but now I'm beginning to like them. A music education career may be in my future. I also play first clarinet in a college orchestra. I play violin in the school string quartet- I love chamber music. I'd like to be a music major in college- probably music history, maybe theory.
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Author: Blake
Date: 2001-04-16 13:46
I started playing in 1968 in 5th grade and played all through jr, high, sr. high and college band and marching band taking up the Eb in High School and college. I sutdied for 7 years with the first chair of the Army Band here in DC but fell in love with biology equally with music. Ended up studying bio and environment and have been in the federal govt for the passt 20 years. I also sing and direct church choirs and learned how to transpose into C at an early age so could read off piano/flute/oboe parts at church which made me "marketable" to church groups. A year and a half ago i realized i really missed playing clarinet more often that a couple times a year and joined DC's only community band DC Different Drummers and have loved every minute of it. We even get to go to Sydney Australia in 2002! Now THATs what I call a band trip <G> i like the threads about how many of us have "day jobs" to afford our hobby. I do hope if nothing else, those of you who pursue other carreers other than music to not wait 20 years or more to get back into it. If for no other reason....youll meet other people in community bands, church choirs etc with "day jobs" who might offer you a "day job" too! Blake
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Author: Matt Locker
Date: 2001-04-16 17:13
Here's my history:
I played clarinet from 3rd grade through 9th grade, then got shanghaid to be a French Horn player for the next 3 years. After graduation I bought the electric bass ( I think you were required by law to be a rock band musician in the 70s!) and played everything from R&R to jazz, funk, blues, and finally weddings (the most enjoyable job I ever had!) for the next 13 years. Stopped all music to go back to school, get job, start career - always wanting to pick up the clarinet again but never having time. I finally did pick it up again about 15 months ago and love every second I play. I play in the Amateur Musicians Orchestra in my area, and will play in a community band this summer. I also hope to move into a larger orchestra if my abilities continue improving at the rate they have recently.
I love to be back into music. There is nothing so satisfying.
Matt
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Author: David Kinder
Date: 2001-04-16 17:16
I've played since I was 8 years old, but put it off for about 3 years while I try to find out where my "career paths" lie ahead of me. I am now in a broker for surplus merchandise for manufacturers and have very little time to play. (Just one reason I'm selling my R-13.) I plan to purchase a Prestige R-13 or RC within one year and a Prestige RC C clarinet for my church choir. They always have flute or violin music, but nothing in Bb, so I might as well get a C clarinet. I still play every once in a while, but nothing serious.
As my career plans start paying off with my home business, I plan to go back to school and major in Music Education. I think I'd really enjoy being either a high school band director or teaching elementary school kids. I'm not sure which.:)
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Author: David Kinder
Date: 2001-04-16 17:17
Oh yeah, I'd also love to learn how to do expert repairs on instruments so I can do my own overhauls and serve my community as an instrument repair technitian.
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Author: Bill Gamble
Date: 2001-04-16 22:56
I got my first clarinet 64 years ago, at age 10, an Albert system which I played until I was a senior in high school. I still have it, together with about 15 others, ranging from 5-keys to 21-keys. I am largely self-taught, except for public school orchestra and band directors, but with their help became sufficiently skilled to become a weekend professional at 16, and have maintained that status ever since, with dance bands, circuses, ice shows, many other types of travelling shows, the local symphony orchestra, much jazz--without letting it demolish a law practice which has flourished for over 50 years. I also play sax, some flute, euphonium, and dabble on trumpet and piano. Don't ever give up. I'm new to this chatroom and am learning a lot from you.
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Author: joseph o'kelly
Date: 2001-04-18 14:35
Although still a high-school student I think I can safely say that I am pretty proficient on the clarinet. I participate in honor orchestras and bands in Michigan. I like to use my knowledge to give lessons. Right now I'm giving the lessons for free and getting community service for them but next year might charge.
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