r/Clarinet • u/MrMacaroniPenguin • 3d ago
Advice needed c/o ‘27 kid is STRESSED about auditioning for clarinet music performance
title ,, wow college auditions are a BEAST. any advice on literally any standard rep would be amazing. learning the standard concertos (mozart eugh) and literally any of the standard orchestral excerpts even i’m grasping at STRAWS.
for more context, i am primarily a bass clarinet player. i’m a completely self taught and i’m getting a clarinet teacher specifically to help with my auditions for college. i do not play Bb clarinet as often anymore (well until the past few months), and i also am a doubler in all my school ensembles so i jump around, primarily on bari sax, french horn, mellophone, and euphonium. weird combo.
with ever rising feelings of imposters syndrome and doubts about my abilities i would appreciate literally anything. i don’t really want to switch majors because a lot of the times music ed just requires your primary instrument and more and nothing else really peaks my interests. i just wanna know what i can do to help me learn my pieces better and some tips.
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u/Capital-Bug-3416 College 3d ago
you're gonna make it!!! you may or may not end up at your dream school but any program you end up at, you'll be able to turn it into a wonderful, meaningful, and musical experience. but oh my god i feel your pain. it feels like so much and every school has different audition requirements and systems, and every school website is utter complete dogshit. sending you strength and reassurance that there is something completely awesome and worth it on the other end! i had a weird winding path, but i'm exactly where I want to be now and getting a music ed degree feels like living out my wildest dreams. and it can/will for you too.
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u/MrMacaroniPenguin 2d ago
i appreciate it :’) i want to go to ucla so bad and i don’t want to prep myself for rejection for all my schools but i feel like i won’t get into them it’s a weird place to be
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u/Initial_Magazine795 2d ago
Are you auditioning for a degree in clarinet, or in woodwind doubling? Others will know more than me, but I imagine most programs will want you to focus on one instrument (or at least, one family). Excessive doubling doesn't get you much if it limits your practice time on your primary instrument(s).
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u/ClarSco Buffet R13 Bb/A w/B45 | Bundy EEb Contra w/C* 2d ago
AFAIK, all academic woodwind doubling programs are postgraduate. They expect you to already have a performance degree on one of the woodwinds (or possibly a music ed degree with demonstrable equivalent performance standard) under your belt.
The possible exception would be undergraduate jazz degrees, where a saxophone primary would be expected to learn flute and clarinet for big band performances.
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u/Initial_Magazine795 2d ago
I thought North Texas had an undergrad doubling program but it is/was unpopular due to being ferociously difficult (dunno if it was jazz-focused). But in general I think you're right. My doubling certainly started due to jazz and pit orchestra (started on clarinet, learned sax later), though I did get half decent at classical alto.
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u/ClarSco Buffet R13 Bb/A w/B45 | Bundy EEb Contra w/C* 2d ago
According to Bret Pimental's site, there are a few UG Woodwind Courses in the USA, but you're right in UNT being an outlier - it's the only one that requires all five woodwinds at UG level, the rest are three woodwinds at UG level, or jazz or music ed programs with a focus on multiple (usually three) woodwinds.
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u/Initial_Magazine795 2d ago
good night that's insane, I can't imagine learning double reeds along with the others
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u/MrMacaroniPenguin 2d ago
only school i’m majoring in doubling in is umich who has a program where you have a specific primary instrument, so for example mine would be “multiple woodwinds performance - clarinet”
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u/Slothli_ 2d ago
This was so interesting to pop up on my feed. I am a current freshman music education major who also primarily plays bass clarinet. I know that you do not want to major in music education which totally makes sense it is a lot. I also know the auditions can be very stressful as I went through the same process earlier this year. The only advice i have is that when you get with that teacher make sure you pick repertoire that suits your skill level. I know that Mozart sucks but I actually played the 3rd movement for my audition and it went really well. They are looking more for something you can play well and not something that is messy because you believe that you need to play something at such a high level. I also know from experience a lot of colleges are gonna expect multiple pieces. While that may seem terrifying luckily it's contrasting. So something a little bit harder to where you have to work on like 16th notes and its faster, and something slower where you can show off dynamics. Make sure to look at the specific requirements for each school. I would also if possible make sure to meet with the clarinet professor from the colleges you are auditioning at as you will be spending a lot of time with them. I know this seems like a lot but I believe in you and you are going to do so great!!
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u/gwie Clarinerd 2d ago
It's great to know that you have this kind of commitment and diversity of interests. Somewhere out there, there is a program that will value your range and work ethic, and a teacher willing to meet you where you are and help you develop your skills into a career.
>I’m a completely self taught and i’m getting a clarinet teacher specifically to help with my auditions for college.
I get requests like this a lot, and over the decades I've started being less effusive about it. It's not because I don't think that students can make progress in the short term, but because the music education system at the college level historically has discriminated against students who haven't had the privilege of studying the instrument for a long time, especially those who have only had experience in school programs and may be largely self-taught.
It's already October of the year, and auditions start in January. It is a big stretch to learn the Mozart concerto in that short of a time, especially if bass clarinet is your primary and you haven't spent a lot of time on soprano. I understand your situation, as I did not have the opportunity to take lessons until I started eleventh grade myself! However I was fortunate to have exceptional teachers who helped me bridge the gap eventually, but it was certainly not easy at any step, and even after graduate school it just kept getting more challenging.
If you feel comfortable sharing some recordings if your playing, I would be happy to lend what support I can. I wish you the best in your clarinet journey!