I am planning to hold lessons as normal today, because the roads seem to be fine. If you would rather stay home, please email, text, or call me. Thanks!
Mrs. Noyes
What happens when two tremendous artists come together? Absolute, musical magic. Check out this video Time for Three posted to their Facebook page:
With so many people still snowed in, I have decided to cancel today’s lessons, as well. Stay safe, everyone!
-Mrs. Noyes
Today, I had the distinct pleasure to serve as a clarinet judge for Maryland All-State for the third consecutive year, along with several of my extremely talented colleagues.
One of the clear advantages to judging All-State is the ability to network and bond with colleagues and build lasting professional relationships. I have been blessed to meet so many incredible teachers and players through my experiences with All-State, and they have helped to make me a better teacher along the way. Another advantage is knowing the caliber of musicianship being displayed across the fine state of Maryland, which I can use to push my own high school students.
What a difference in talent we experienced this year, as compared to the past two. The vast majority of the students we listened to this year were poised, prepared, and pleasant. There were a few chuckles along the way, too, like the guy named Jake that laughed and said, “Yes, like ‘Jake from State Farm’,” that was immediately followed by a different student dressed in khakis and a red shirt.
All in all, the day passed quickly and with loads of smiles.
Thank you, Music & Arts of Ellicott City and Stephen Byrd, for a wonderful experience today. One of my middle school students is the lucky, new owner of a Buffet E11 intermediate clarinet today, and both she and her mother were so pleased by the experience we had.
I was able to visit the store thirty minutes before my student in order to try the clarinets I had in mind for her. I played through the Yamaha 450N, Buffet E11, and Buffet E12F clarinets in a lesson room with plenty of privacy and pleasant assistance from the manager and his staff. Once my student and her mother arrived, I had Grace play through all the models and tell me which she felt played the best. Luckily, we agreed on which clarinet played the easiest and had the warmest tone: the Buffet E11.
Everyone walked away from today’s experience happy, and now Grace sounds even better than she already did. Thank you, again, Music & Arts of Ellicott City.
The Maryland Music Educators Association has released the updated lists for both junior and senior All-State this week. In years past, there was a four-year rotation of the same études, so this presents nearly a complete departure from said rotation. I am on board with this, being fairly new to Maryland’s system for All-State.
After looking over the lists for clarinet, I can already see that judging All-State again this year will be challenging. The octave jumps on page 23 at 120 bpm will be a true test of the students’ abilities and our patience as judges. That said, I remember mastering the same étude when I was a sophomore clarinetist, auditioning for West Virginia All-State. Ah, memories.
MBDA List 2015-16
Donna Noyes, Clarinet 