Clarinet Major: Help charting a (realistic) course

College Majors Music Major
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My 9th grade son has just recently expressed that he’s interested in being a music major. My oldest is a senior who’s still making his final (non-music related) college decision; I thought I had awhile to recover from that process now, but instead I find myself needing to familiarize myself with an entirely different college admission route. I’m not the musical parent at all, but I am the obsessive researcher.

DS22 just started clarinet last summer. He’s also taken piano lessons for the past 4 1/2 years (and did a couple of years of guitar before that, but he doesn’t play anymore). So a late start on the clarinet, though I think the piano background helped him jumpstart it. He’s homeschooled, which both creates more time for music and somewhat fewer or at least less straightforward opportunities for it. Right now he’s playing in a local homeschool music organization (clarinet in concert band and also keyboards in jazz band). He started playing on his own last summer and auditioned into advanced band, the 3rd of 4 levels there, in the fall.

He started private lessons a couple of months ago, and those seem to be very helpful for him (not sure about his current teacher and whether he’s the best one to prepare him for college level auditions and all that going forward).

He’s auditioning for a local youth symphony next month. I have no idea how likely he is to get in as a relative beginner, but we’ll see. He’ll be continuing with the homeschool group next year (auditioning for the next level up) and adding in woodwind ensemble there. If the band director thinks he’s ready, he’ll be able to do All-state auditions through them as well.

We’re going to be traveling for much of the summer, and I haven’t been able to find any summer music programs that will work with our schedule, but finding one is definitely the plan for summer after 10th grade.

So…I guess I’m just looking for any guidance on what else we should be doing right now/in the next couple of years. Tips on where to find the best private instructor for him? He’ll likely do dual enrollment at a local university with what I’ve been told is a pretty good music department in 11th and 12th grade, and he’ll have the opportunity to audition for their music ensembles. Is that something he should try for or is youth symphony a better thing to focus on? What kind of music theory prep should he be looking at?

And I know this might be an impossible question to answer, but…how much do I rein in his expectations? We just visited St. Olaf and Oberlin for my older son and did music info sessions/tours while we were there for this kid. He liked them both, but, of course, especially loved Oberlin. Did the tour, sat in on a music theory class, and thought it was all amazing. Of course Oberlin would be fabulous for clarinet if he could get in (and they offered my oldest excellent financial aid, so I know it’s doable in that regard)…I certainly realize it would be a long shot, but is somewhere like that even worth thinking about for a kid who didn’t start his primary instrument until just before high school? Or is it just too soon to even think about it one way or another yet? I’m thinking we’ll start visiting local schools in the fall to get an idea what options he would have close to home (we’re in Georgia, and there’s a lottery funded scholarship that would cover his tuition at any in-state public, so any of those would be realistic financially). I don’t think he’s the kind of kid who’s going to get fixated on a dream school and be crushed if it doesn’t happen…but I really have no idea how to go about making a realistic list right now.

I’ve asked him about BM vs BA and about whether he’d want to double major, and he says, “well…I can’t really think of anything I’d want to do except music.”

so that got long! To sum up: I have no idea what I’m doing–please help!

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He, of course, might change his mind. But if he liked Oberlin, Lawrence in WI is another college with a con he might consider.

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Has he specifically said he wants to major in clarinet, or would he be open to auditioning on piano? At many schools he’d still be able to take clarinet lessons and play in ensembles as a piano major.

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I sympathize with your need to “do the research”, but at his age, it is early to expect him to know BA vs BM, or even firmly commit to music as a direction. I am assuming he is classically inclined, but he may end up preferring jazz, and this is pertinent to knowing what schools to attend as well. With regard to theory classes, we are in an excellent public school system where several kids go to music schools each year. The kids get AP theory as juniors or seniors, and all do fine in college. No more prep is expected academically. It is their playing that gets them accepted.

You are on the right track trying to get him into summer programs, ensembles, and to study with good teachers. That will help to gauge his relative talent level and how he responds to deep immersion in music. He may ultimately find music is exhilarating, tedious, or somewhere in between, and that will tell you a lot about what universities or conservatories to be thinking about in the future. Focus less on making a college list and more on helping him find opportunities to study, practice and explore. The list will be easier and more representative of his fit once you know his relative skill level and interests.

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My 2 cents… get him the best teacher you can find and afford… look to local colleges or symphonies. Enroll him in all ensembles you have locally and FIND A SUMMER PROGRAM. That was the biggest thing for my D was to go to a summer program where she was with like minded students. It gave her the ability to see that she did have the talent to do it.

How tied is he to the clarinet? There are many clarinet players out there and in a Symphony they only take 2 maybe three… however if he was interested in the Oboe/bassoon … which are harder to play and more needed he might have a better chance starting later. Many of the clarinet students at Tanglewood BUTI had been playing since they were very young… not to say it cannot be done, but just an idea. My D plays the French Horn which is also a rarer instrument

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@albertsax I think he likes them both more or less equally but feels more competent at clarinet. Paradoxically, maybe, since he’s been playing piano much longer, but learning a whole new style with piano doing jazz band this year has been challenging. I also had the impression that piano would be more competitive and more full of kids who started extremely young. No?

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What @mperrine said: “Find a summer program”!!! The summers take you out of your local bubble. You could be the best thing since sliced bread in your community, but knowing how that compares to the larger world of music is something that is better gauged through good, national programs of similar age students (with whom he will be competing for spots in college!).

FWIW my Bienen junior in VP was thinking about being a middle school Latin teacher in 9th grade. May still happen someday, but goes to show you how much they can change over the course of a year or two with regard to interests!

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thanks @songbirdmama ! Reading up on majoring in music has left me fairly overwhelmed; I’m very open to hearing that I’m being too paranoid/worried! I tend to worry :smile: . And, yes, he might well change his mind as he gets older, but that only overwhelms me more because it means I have to make sure he’s preparing both for music AND for a different college route entirely! Have I mentioned I’m a bit of a worrier? :wink: But at this point he gobbles up any suggestion I make to do more music stuff, so I’m just going with it for now.

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@mperrine his teacher actually offhandedly suggested bassoon to him (because he has big hands?)…then I looked up how much bassoons cost :lol: . He actually wanted flute when he picked an instrument but it didn’t seem to be a natural fit with the shape of his mouth or whatever. I don’t know…he would be open to switching (he’s a very open to suggestion kind of kid. It’s nice to have one of those after my oldest!), but I’m kind of hesitant given that he loves his clarinet (and that we just a few months ago returned his rental and bought him a nice clarinet that should take him through high school. I mean, not that it can’t be sold; we bought it used). My 7th grader plays French horn and has finally gotten past the stage where it makes him cry with frustration on a regular basis :slight_smile: …but I don’t think (and he doesn’t think) it’s likely to be more than a hobby for him.

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re: summer programs: literally the only one I’ve been able to find that happens just in July (we’ll be gone nearly all of June; my in-laws are taking us to Ireland, so that trumps summer music this year!) is the UNC Greenville camp. It bills itself as “America’s Most Popular!” which is not actually something I consider a selling point since it seems to mean “we take everyone!”. But he likely wouldn’t get into an audition program this year anyway I’m guessing? Anyway–anyone know anything about it and whether it’d be worth doing?

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@kokotg don’t look up how much a Schmidt French Horn costs then… hahahahaha… you’ll have a coronary. You could take him to a music store and maybe test drive some other reeded instruments. However, it really depends on his passion… what does he love? that is what will drive him forward. When my D went from Clarinet>Coronet>Trumpet> to French Horn… she fell in love with the sound. She also has been playing piano since 4, but the opportunities for the piano are less. She started the FH in 6th grade. If it is indeed the clarinet… attack it… get those lessons… we went to the principal in our local Symphony… then settled on another professional player who wasn’t touring… but those connection are important

as for summer programs… look to Florida… maybe at Frost… Interlochen has 2 week camps but they are in Michigan… maybe one of the local colleges… I am not sure where you are in GA. I am in CA so a completely different state. However in the 9th grade she went to Idylwild which is in LA and the 10th to Tanglewood Buti in MA

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@kokotg - Welcome, fellow clarinet parent! So happy to have you here! There may be others lurking, but only one or two posting in recent years. Glad for the company!

I agree wholeheartedly with the advice offered by @songbirdmama and @mperrine. Yes, your son has gotten somewhat of a late start with clarinet, but this doesn’t sound insurmountable, IMO. His background in piano is a definite plus, and the flexibility of his homeschool schedule could be very helpful. My D will be applying to school in the fall, and complains daily about wishing she had more practice time.

YES! to finding a private teacher. I don’t think this person has to be the very top teacher to begin with, but it would be helpful to find someone who is knowledgable and well connected. We found my D’s teacher by asking around at an info. session for the local youth symphony. Turns out this teacher works with nearly all of the top clarinets in our area. This, coupled with the fact that she had successfully guided others through auditions for District, Regional, and State Band and Orchestra, let us know that she would be more than capable of getting my D off to a good start. It was an added bonus that they clicked from the start!

YES! to playing as much as possible, with as many high level groups as possible. We have been amazed at the growth this can produce. Last year we decided that D. should audition for a summer program. She was continuing to grow in skill and rank over the years, but we had no idea how she would compare with similar students from other areas. The summer program provided a good reality check, helped us to gauge goals and expectations, and exposed her to a higher level of play. Her playing improved, and we saw her hard work pay off time and again this year. It definitely helped to solidify her goal of studying music in college. She will be returning this summer for more!

We are now in the process of finding her next teacher. Time to find someone who can continue to help her stretch and grow, who has a “name”, and who is knowledgable about the college application process. Probably we could have done this a bit earlier, but the timing finally feels right to D and her current teacher.

As an obsessive researcher (and worrier!) myself, I feel your pain. I can only say how helpful the folks here have been for me. The more you read these pages, the smarter you’ll feel! :wink: Please feel free to reach out. Happy to answer any questions I can. This is a particularly tricky path. Yes, it is early. Yes, your son may change his mind. BUT, if he wants to pursue this in college, he needs to be preparing as well as he can, as early as he can. No problem, right? Lol. Hang in there! You’ll figure this out together!

P.S. I keep telling myself that on the off chance my D changes her mind between now and next year, she really won’t be too far off where every other HS Senior is. Lucky for them, it seems much more possible to apply, get accepted, and figure it all out later. Our music kids are in the fairly unique situation of needing to know what they want to major in and being WELL on their way to preparing for it before they even apply. Not for the faint of heart!

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thank you, @mom2clarinetobsessedkid ! And good luck to your daughter this fall! He does have a teacher right now, but it’s the guy who happens to teach at the music school down the street kind of teacher. We don’t have any issues with him and we’ve definitely seen improvement, but before long I’d like to find someone with more experience guiding kids through auditions and all that…I get the impression that he mostly teaches younger kids (and doesn’t teach clarinet exclusively, either). Anyway, thanks for the encouragement! I’m sure I’ll have (many) more questions as we go along!

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It may be farther than you want to go for a summer camp but Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan is a great first camp for kids to go and get a first experience with that kind of thing. They have camps for band and the opportunity for wind instruments to play in orchestra. It is a traditional style camp in the woods, on a lake with cabins. Affordable and several sessions throughout the summer so there’s likely to be one that fits your timing. My brother went for years from Tennessee and met the french horn professor from MSU that he ended up studying with. I now live in MI and lots of kids from our area go every year. My D went to MT camp there and had a great experience.
Also, look for instrument specific camps through colleges. For example I know of one in Illinois that is specific for cellos. I’m more familiar with string festivals but I’m sure there are folks on this site who have knowledge of camps/festivals geared to wind instruments.

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@kokotg check this list out;
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/510498-music-festival-master-list-p1.html

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Have you read the Double Degree Dilemma essay closer to the top of this forum? It is really about the ways in which students can study music, including different degrees (BA and BM), double degree and a double major within each degree.

He is still young. You do not have to consciously prepare him for anything. Just let him follow his interests. Plenty of kids change their minds during high school. And at many schools they can also enter as undecided.

He can attend a school that does not have a conservatory or school of music, do a BA: major in general music, take lessons and play in extracurricular ensembles and orchestra. Or major in something else, or double major, or major/minor.) That path usually does not have auditions for admission but often has audtitions in the fall to get into ensembles. He could submit a supplement to the Common App with a recording, a music resume, and letter or two from teacher or director.

If he wants full immersion in music a BM would be the ticket (23/-3/4 classes in music) and that usually means auditions for admission.

Some summer programs are pretty selective and some aren’t taking applications at this point. Others on this forum know more about instrumental summer programs :slight_smile:

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Ithaca College and Eastman have 2 week summer programs…Kinhaven could work next year. I’m sure there are local programs as well. Agree with everyone—get him out there with other music kids. He’ll either “find his tribe” or he’ll realize this isn’t his path.

Another option — try out for local and junior regional orchestras. Definitely get a teacher who knows the ropes about auditions and so on.

Once these building blocks are in place, I would give it a bit of time. In our case, although he’d been playing sax since 6th grade, it wasn’t until 11th grade (specifically the Berklee jazz program the summer before) that my son decided he wanted to go the distance. Or as my brother in law, a classical clarinetist, said, “My condolences, you have yourself a musician.”

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Sometimes high schools own more expensive instruments like the bassoon so he could start out and see what he thinks.

And gosh, I went to Blue Lake 40 years ago as a teen. ? Agree, it is is a good way to get out of his bubble and build some skills in the summer.

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@compmom thanks! I have read it, but it’s been a little awhile, and it was a lot to absorb–I’m probably due for a reread :slight_smile:

Thanks to everyone for the summer program suggestions…most summers far away is not a huge issue–my husband’s a teacher, so we have a lot of flexibility then…but since we already have pretty intense travel plans early in the summer, we’ll probably look closer to home this year. The UNC-Greensboro camp may work well for him this year.

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@intparent the homeschool group he’s in does indeed have a bassoon, but I already asked about it and someone’s already using it this year. Not sure if it would be available next year or not…