A Clarinet Research Paper

When I started volunteering at Utica Dance in the fall of 2014, I was just as nervous as the newly enrolled dancers in the class I was about to teach. Even though I was only the Volunteer Assistant to the Dance Instructor, I felt as if a heavy responsibility was placed upon me. I oversaw almost twelve children ranging from seven to thirteen who all wanted desperately to become professional dancers, many of which are still pursuing that dream. On top of that, all these children had begged their parents to sign them up for an expensive, intensive fundamental ballet program; then dragged their parents to buy tights and leotards; then dragged them into the waiting room of a dance

The clarinet is a woodwind instrament consisting of a cylindrical wood, metal, or ebonite pipe with a bell-shaped opening at one end and a mouthpiece at the other end, to which a thin reed is attached. The clarinet has five different sections, the mouthpiece, the barrel, the upper section, the lower section, and the bell. The length of the entire instrument is 60 cm long. The mouthpiece section consists of a slotted cylinder, to which a reed is attached by a metal clamp called a ligature. The mouthpiece plugs into the next section which is a barrel. The barrel is simply a connecting cylinder to which the mouthpiece and the upper section plugs into. The upper section is a cylindrical pipe consisting of 4 holes and 9 keys placed in

I danced at Tina’s Dance Studio in Eldridge, Iowa for 12 consecutive years before I graduated high school. There I studied in ballet, pointe, contemporary, modern, lyrical, tap, jazz, hip-hop, musical theater, gymnastics and clogging. I was also a part of the competition team for eight years. We not only did local competitions and conventions, but we traveled and went to nationals in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City. I also danced in shows in Disney World and on a Carnival Cruise Ship. In high school, I was on the varsity Dance Team winning three state titles in pom and lyrical eventually traveling to Nationals. A few summers ago, I trained with Hubbard Street Dance in Chicago with their summer intensive focusing on modern, contemporary and ballet. During my senior year of high school and this past summer I taught classes in jazz, tap and contemporary for students 8-16 years old. I also self-choreographed three competition solos. Here, at Ohio University, I am a member of the dance team doing dances at football and basketball games.

It was in my ninth grade year when I finally became the first chair clarinet.

I don’t remember if it was my choice or my parents, but in 5th grade when we were given the choice to be in band, I was very anxious to start. We got to meet with Mrs. Jones and try a few different instruments before making a decision. My top three choices were percussion, trombone, and clarinet (only because my sister had played it). I tried the clarinet first and thought it was alright, but not my favorite. I tried the trombone next, and while it was difficult, I really wanted to keep trying. I also tried percussion- she just had me keep a beat on my leg- and I thought percussion may be difficult for me, but I still wanted to do it. In the end, Mrs. Jones decided I would be best fit for the clarinet, mostly because I could use my sisters and not have to buy a new instrument. I was happy with the choice, mostly because I was excited to be playing anything!

The clarinet has been a key part of my life for the past eleven years, and will continue to be important to me for years to come. In elementary and middle school, I tried dabbling in theater and singing, learning who I am and finding the confidence in what I do. Despite wanting to expand my talents, it is always the rod of black plastic, metal keys and a bamboo reed that whispers in my ears, calling me back. Time after time music calls out to me, like a limb I cannot live without.

As far back as I can remember I've always gone to professional dance performances and taken a variety of dance and fitness classes such as aerial silks, trapeze, tap, break dancing, ballet, yoga, contemporary, hip hop, afro jazz, and many more styles of dance and movement. In seventh grade I went to a master class for the Bad Boys of Dance and then saw their show. Their creativity and skill made a big impression on me and I fell in love with dance and movement. Learning how to express feelings and emotions through your body. Having been apart of the KPAC, Prince Dance, for almost seven years has really opened doors for me. There have been numerous master classes with established professionals. I have been involved in private dance parties and performances held as fundraisers for both Prince Dance and the

In band there is about 150 students to two teachers. We have different sections that are split up by the instruments. There are even smaller groups inside each of the eight main sections. In the section that I belong to, clarinets we have three smaller groups. The hard workers, ones who put in some work, and just the slackers or ones who do not do a whole bunch of work.

For the past six years, I have been dancing at Shirley Matta Dance Academy. I have been taught many dances of different variety such as jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, etc. The studio has recently begun offering Pointe classes, which I also attend. In addition to attending the studio, I also assist in teaching dance and gymnastics classes there. This has been an experience that I will never forget, especially since I spend most of my time at the dance studio. It has helped me in so many ways. Not only have I improved immensely as a dancer, my communication and leadership skills have skyrocketed as well. In fact, every Tuesday, I currently teach ballet to a group of about fifteen girls between the ages of 7-10 year all by myself. In

I've been in marching band for four years, so you could say it’s a pretty big part of my life. I started in eighth grade and I joined the pit where I made a lot of new friends. I stayed in the pit for three years until this year. I switched to clarinet because pit just wasn't fun for me anymore. I'm glad that I switched because the girls in the clarinet section are all my friends now and I made lots of good memories with them. This year, our show was “Through the Woods” and it was fantastic. We worked so hard every moment that we could and had lots of fun together. It was a great group and we did really good. We made it to Semi-State again at Decatur Central High school, but on that cold October night, our name wasn't called when the announcer named off the bands that would go to State at Lucas Oil Stadium that next weekend. It was sad because we all thought that we had it in the bag.

I had already been a clarinet player three years prior from joining marching band, so I had to use my credibility as a competent player to show my directors that I could be trusted with the higher level music being given and anything else they throw at me. The directors decision to move me up to the advanced band class and had me learn

The things I carry is not as meaningful as the things that I keep safe. Physically I carry a phone and it means something for me because it’s direct contact with my friends and family with the push of a button. Not only that, but I am able to see the pictures and videos of loved ones that passed away or are so far away that I can’t see them. My phone is the quickest way for anyone to reach me at any time and it is very meaningful for me to talk to the people I love. Something that I have, but I don’t carry is a gold chain that my mother gave me. When it comes to objects, it is the most meaningful of all. The reason why it is so meaningful for me is because the backstory that went goes with it. My mom is very important to me and she raised me

Entering 6th grade, I decided to join beginning band at Torch Middle School in La Puente and chose the clarinet as my instrument. Out of the eight clarinet players that were in band, I was the worst. I became determined to become a better clarinet player and dedicated my time to practicing my instrument at home. By the end of 8th grade, I was impressed with my improvement and became third best out of six clarinets. However, freshmen year came along and I felt newcomer again. I was bent on becoming one of the best clarinet players.

One of the problems clarinetists of the 21st century face when performing Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, K. 622, is creating a performance that is memorable while keeping the authentic integrity of the work. Many clarinetists who perform this work are often concerned with how they should the approach and execute the concerto. Any musician who tackles any new work will approach it by researching historical information on the composer and work, do a musical analysis, and gathering recordings of other interpretations of the same work. This approach will not only allow the performer to be fully immersed in the piece but allow for the performer to create a memorable interpretation.

The origination of the clarinet began in the 1600’s. It was an improved version of the Chalumeau - the first narrow reed instrument. The difference between the two instruments was that, the clarinet now had two extra keys, and it contained a higher range by over two octaves! He also invented a better mouthpiece, and a slightly improved bell. 1690, the clarinet was created. It is known to be a “single reed woodwind instrument with a cylindrical tube”. All the credit for this creation goes to Johann Christopher Denver and his son Jacob Denver. Nuremberg, Germany was the location where the clarinet was made.