The breathing cycle is a beautiful and complex mechanism, which when used consciously in a natural way, gives us immense control over our phrasing, tone, pitch control and dynamics. Used unnaturally, problems arise such as shortness of breath, excessive nerves,…
CSO is a Great Orchestra
It’s hard to believe how good the CSO sounds, considering the beating we’ve taken the past year. Tonight we had our first concert back in the Ohio Theater since last May, and we sounded incredible. Last week we played Holst’s…
Emerson Meyers Clarinet Sonata
A few months ago I got an email, through the contact page of my blog, from a Steve Offutt, whom I had never heard of. Here’s the text. I serendipitously met someone at the post office in Arlington, VA who…
Clarinet Pushups
I have discovered that issues with the right hand position holding up the clarinet can deteriorate over time, causing serious problems if not corrected. My solution is clarinet pushups!
Thoughts on Perfection and Being Human
The great performers practice not so much to perfect a piece of music, but to render performing it effortless. Ironically, perfection is all the more attainable when we get out of our own way.
Breath Support, a Singer’s Words
I always meet interesting people during vacation visits to my father. While visiting him in S.C. over Christmas, he took me to the golf driving range so he could hit a few balls to enjoy the mild weather. We had…