Favorite blog posts, September 2023

See the woodwind blogs I’m following, and suggest others!

Using electronic harmonization with woodwinds

In a recent recital I performed my own arrangement of Ravel’s Boléro for multiple woodwinds soloist using electronics, with piano and snare drum. I used electronics to try to approximate some of Ravel’s harmonies (and timbres), and used what in my mind are three different techniques, which I’ll try to outline here. In performance, I … Read more

Recital videos, August 2023

I’m pleased to share videos from my recent Delta State University faculty recital.

The future of woodwind instruments

shallow focus photography of microscope

Here are a few predictions (or wishes) about the woodwind instruments we might be able to buy in the future. Personalized ergonomics With the amount of worry musicians expend over repetitive motion injuries and other playing-related ailments, it’s truly baffling that instruments are still almost entirely a one-size-fits-all affair. For just one example: for generations, … Read more

Interview: Stefanie Harger Gardner, clarinetist and #clarequality activist

Dr. Stefanie Harger Gardner teaches clarinet, chamber music, and music theory at Glendale Community College and Ottawa University. Previously she served on the faculty at Northern Arizona University. Gardner has performed with Arizona Opera, the Phoenix Symphony, Red Rocks Chamber Music Festival, Seventh Roadrunner, the Paradise Winds, and the Égide Duo, whose mission is to … Read more

Favorite blog posts, June 2023

Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, June 2023 edition.

Favorite blog posts, May 2023

Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, May 2023 edition.

Q&A: Personal reflections

balance blur boulder close up

A couple of weeks ago I put out a call for questions, in honor of today being the fifteenth anniversary of this blog. A few of the questions asked about my own career and approaches to various things. I’ll try to answer the best I can. One reader asked about music education and work/life balance. … Read more