• Clarinet
     
    Clarinet students will need:
    • 1 B-flat clarinet
    • Accent On Achievement Book 1 for Bb Clarinet
    • A music stand to use to practice at home
    • A box of ten clarinet reeds, size 2 (students go through at least one box of reeds per year.
    • 1 clarinet cleaning swab (if not included with the clarinet).
    • 1 tube of cork grease (if not included with the clarinet).
    All students who attended Fox Meadow in the 3rd grade have had some experience with clarinet.
     
    The clarinet is a member of the woodwind family. It uses a single vibrating reed to produce sound.  Producing a good sound on the clarinet is usually well within the abilities of most 4th graders, which makes the clarinet a great instrument for beginning instrumentalists.  A year or two of study on the clarinet is excellent preparation for other single-reed members of the woodwind family like the alto saxophone, tenor saxophone or bass clarinet.

    Clarinets come in five different parts and must be assembled by the player.  The parts are the bell, the lower joint, the upper joint, the barrel and the mouthpiece.  The mouthpiece needs to have the reed held against it by a small metal or plastic clamp called a ligature.  Assembling the clarinet can be a mental and physical challenge at first, but with practice and repetition it becomes easier.  It is important to use care assembling and disassembling the clarinet and making sure the clarinet and reeds are kept clean.

    Clarinet reeds are made of bamboo and have a very thin edge.  They can become chipped or broken try easily.  Students will go through a number of reeds per year.  Beginning students should use reeds with a thickness of 2, but may move on to a thickness of 2 1/2 or even 3 before they graduate from 5th grade.
     
    If your child shows a strong interest in the clarinet and has not had experience playing it in 3rd grade, please contact me about setting up an appointment near the end of the year to try out a clarinet in my classroom.
     
    Please take a few minutes to watch some of the videos for beginning clarinet players I have linked to here.