Best colleges or conservatories for clarinet study.

Momofadult
Tue, 21 Jul 2015 14:01:51 +0000

The best resource, if you haven’t exhausted it already, may be in your own back yard.

Where has her teacher sent students for college/conservatory study? Take a look at those spots, perhaps scheduling a “trial lesson” or visit this year to meet potential teachers. Check with her current teacher that she is “ready” for this as a Junior. Sometimes students are making great progress and a teacher knows that they will make a better impression meeting with a potential college teacher in the fall of senior year rather than fall or spring of junior year. If, however, the current teacher OKs a visit in spring of junior year, this can take a lot of pressure off senior year.

Does she currently play in a youth orchestra? If not, explore the options. Playing in bands alone does not offer wind players the experience in independent playing they need for optimal development. If no orchestra, perhaps there is an auditioned wind ensemble with one or at most two on a part. Or, maybe there is a chamber music program or her teacher or band director could put together a woodwind quartet or reed trio or clarinet ensemble or similar chamber group of other serious young musicians. Use these ensembles as a school hunt resource also - where have the older youth orchestra clarinetists continued college study? How does she feel her playing compares to theirs?

It’s great that she’s made all-state, etc, especially as a younger student. Don’t, however, put too much emphasis on this as a predictor of future success. (I know you aren’t, you are listening to her teacher.) All-state quality varies greatly from state to state and many of the best music students don’t ever audition for these opportunities. The competition pool for all-state, etc may be diluted from the reality of the playing level of that she will encounter in looking for colleges and conservatories.

Good luck - exciting next couple of years!