Wishing for Better Sound?

Have you tried a million reeds, at least 2 different mouthpieces in the past year, and you are still wondering if a different ligature, barrel, or bell will improve your sound quality and stop the squeaks and grunts?

I have good news and bad news. The bad news...you might be missing some key clarinet fundamentals because with good fundamentals you can make almost any equipment work. The good news? We will be covering all of the fundamentals in the very first week of the Intensive, and you won't have to spend any money on new equipment!

Is Practice Frustrating?

Do you ever play things over and over again just for them to be just as bad the next day? That inconsistency is infuriating, and that kind of "pointless practice" is the leading cause of stagnation and eventually giving up music all together.

Now imagine a world where you knew that every rep you did was moving you forward. You are programming in the correct information, and can trust that it will stick. As you learn the opposite of "pointless practice" during the Intensive, your practice sessions will start sounding good and feeling fun again, just like when you first picked up the clarinet.

Are You a Rhythm Faker?

If you have to listen to a recording or hear someone else play it before you know how it goes, follow more than lead when playing in ensembles, and absolutely loathe the metronome, then you are undoubtedly a Rhythm Faker...

No judgement! Most of us are Rhythm Fakers because the way counting is taught makes rhythm faking come natural. But if you are ready to become a natural at rhythm then you will love week 3 of the Intensive where I will share my True Rhythm Mastery System, while actually working one-on-one to implement it on some Short Rhythm Studies. By the end you might even find the metronome to be helpful 🤯

So You Want Faster Fingers?

Have you ever had Fast Finger Freakout? That's where anything at a fast tempo starts looking like just a jumble of ink that you hopelessly wiggle your fingers through, while always feeling too slow and like you are falling behind, just hoping for the day that you finally have fast fingers.

Spoiler Alert: Your fingers are already fast enough! What you will learn in the Intensive is that you actually need to get out of your own way, and systematically train your brain (not your muscles!) how the music goes. WITHOUT freaking out, so that you can actually be in control even as the tempo gets faster.

What Even Is Musicality?

We know it when we hear it, but no matter how hard we try to do the dynamics and articulations on the page it comes out sounding stiff and robotic more often than not...

Believe it or not, more dynamic contrast is not the only way to be musical. In fact, I bet you have heard recordings or performances where the extreme dynamic contrast was almost annoying, or have gotten goosebumps listening to just pure, steady, tranquil tone (like the beginning of the Debussy Premiere Rhapsodie). We are going to unpack all the ins and outs of what really makes a performance musical in the last two weeks of the Intensive.