Originally published in The Clarinet 50/1 (December 2022).
Printed copies of The Clarinet are available for ICA members.
Book Reviews: December 2022
Joshua Anderson and Ellen Breakfield-Glick. The Clarinet Studio Companion. Conway Publications, 2022. $31.25
The Clarinet Studio Companion is a valuable resource for any young musician who is aspiring to a career in clarinet. Indeed, it is part of a series intended to be guidebooks for university music majors on many of the ins and outs of being a successful music student, as well as preparing for different careers in music. The book begins with a brief historical overview of the clarinet, including helpful solo and chamber repertoire lists that are organized by instrumentation and difficulty. It also gives several suggestions on how to structure warmups and practice routines, which etudes are helpful in developing which skills, how to evaluate recordings, an introduction to extended techniques, working well with a collaborative pianist, starting your own chamber ensemble, instrument care and repair, injury prevention, and audition preparation. In addition to this wealth of information, perhaps most valuably the book includes interviews with successful clarinetists in all walks of a music career—orchestral player, military musician, freelancer, private teacher, public school teacher, and conductor. These working musicians share their experiences and suggestions for navigating their given paths. While The Clarinet Studio Companion is primarily written by Anderson and Breakfield-Glick, there are contributions by some of the biggest names in our industry, including David Shifrin, Daniel Gilbert, and Anthony McGill, as well as many other successful clarinetists. The combined experiential knowledge of experts, as well as the unique offerings and breadth of information found within The Clarinet Studio Companionmake it an important addition to the bookshelves of clarinet teachers and students alike.
– Madelyn Moore
