Kody Myhra February 28, 2022
This weekend, I had the pleasure of working Millikin University's Clarinet Day, as well as take part in various activities throughout the day. Read further to hear about my day, as we go through the multiple activities, events and opportunities that were provided for young clarinetists in our area!
Morning Warm Up
After everyone checked into the event, we all joined together to participate in a morning warm up routine, lead by Dr. David Cook, Assistant Professor of Clarinet at Millikin. We all worked on basic warmups, that were inclusive to many ages of clarinet experience, such as long tones, register jumps, and articulation. This was a very effective way to get everyone engaged and excited to play. As a college student, I was very happy to see the amount of students engaging with the exercises and telling me that they wanted to incorporate them or something similar into their daily practices.
Dr. Julia Heinen Masterclass
After the morning warmup, Dr. Julia Heinen, Professor of Music at California State University, Northridge, gave a wonderful masterclass to four current Millikin students, one of them being myself! Being able to participate and recieve feedback from Dr. Heinen was very exciting and insightful. I performed Johannes Brahms' Clarinet Sonata Op. 120 No. 1, and was able to work with Dr. Heinen in a one-on-one observed setting for 30 minutes.
Not only was I being engaged, but the younger audience was able to ask questions and recieve answers about anything during the masterclass, ranging from clarinet tone support all the way to clarinet history. Dr. Heinen gave very detailed and precise answers to each question, and helped each person with their curiosities in understanding what was happening during the class. I loved playing for and with her, and she overall was a very good teacher!
Lunch and Vendors
Over the lunch break, students had the opportunity to visit the vendors who came from The Music Shoppe as well as Buffet-Crampon. Students could try clarinets, purchase various different supply options like reeds, books, mouthpieces, swabs and more, and speak to vendors about any questions they had. My favorite part was definitely trying out all the different clarinets they had!
Lunch was provided in the University Commons by the Millikin University Dining Program.
Student Q&A Panel
Perhaps one of the most well-known parts of the Clarinet Day is our student Q&A panel. students K-12 had the opportunity to speak to the students at Millikin about college life, tips and tricks for school, and various other subjects. I find that this session is very reassuring to many of the Clarinet Day attendees, as their questions about college and schooling in general get answered, but every student in the clarinet studio has had a different experience at Millikin, whether it be majoring in a completely different area than music or following a different path in the music department, such as education, performance, or business.
We also had the opportunity to discuss the way ensembles work at Millikin as well. We talked about different opportunities for clarinetists and multifaceted instrumentalists. Millikin has a lot to offer when it comes to ensembles for clarinetists, such as the Millikin Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra, the Eidolan Woodwind Quintet, Clarinet Choir, and other various clarinet ensembles. Students are also encouraged to create their own ensembles for more experiences.
K-12 Masterclass
The last event for our attendees to participate in was the K-12 masterclass, where two students got to work one-on-one with Dr. David Cook on their playing. They discussed subjects like phrasing, tone, and musicality in an hour masterclass. Students had a lot of fun asking questions and participating and recieving feedback on their playing.
Final Recital and Clarinet Day Wrap-Up
The final event for the day was the clarinet day recital. This recital featured the Millikin Clarinet Quartet, the Millikin Clarinet Choir, and Dr. Julia Heinen. I was lucky to have premiered my very first clarinet choir piece ever written on this recital! I am very lucky to have peers who support me through the process of writing and premiering this piece, and to have faculty that support me and give me these opportunities here at Millikin. The Millikin students did very well on their performances, and Dr. Julia Heinen put on a fantastic recital. In the middle of the intermission for the recital, Clarinet Day attendees were put into a raffle for many prizes from the days sponsors. Music Shoppe gift cards, silverstien products such as ligatures, omniguards, omnicaps, and more, and various other prizes were raffled off to the students, and Millikin was very fortunate to be given these prizes for the raffle.
Overall, Millikin Clarinet Day 2022 was a huge success! I am so happy to have seen so many students with smiles on their faces, and to see so many student's love for music. This event happens every year in February, and I am glad to have spent my final Millikin Clarinet Day as a senior in person this year. Below will be a slideshow of photos taken at the Millikin Clarinet Day, please feel free to scroll through!
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