Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2005 A Review of Eight University Clarinet Studios: An Investigation of Pedagogical Style, Content and Philosophy Through Observation and Interviews Margaret Iris Dees Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MUSIC A REVIEW OF EIGHT UNIVERSITY CLARINET STUDIOS: AN INVESTIGATION OF PEDAGOGICAL STYLE, CONTENT AND PHILOSOPHY THROUGH OBSERVATIONS AND INTERVIEWS By Margaret Iris Dees A treatise submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Music Degree Awarded Fall Semester, 2005 Copyright © 2005 Margaret I. Dees All Rights Reserved The members of the Committee approve the treatise of Margaret I. Dees on November 2, 2005. ______________________ Frank Kowalsky Professor Directing Treatise ______________________ Carolyn Bridger Outside Committee Member _______________________ Eric Ohlsson Committee Member The Office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above named committee members. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This paper is dedicated to Frank Kowalsky. He has been my teacher since 1984, a touchstone throughout my life, and the best editor a reluctant writer could ask for. A special thanks goes to the participating clarinet professors for donating their thoughts and time so freely for this study. I would like to thank Helen Earl for giving me the right books to read and for time in the red chairs; Dan Moseley for his many suggestions, editing expertise, and ability to draw a good bath; Connie Frigo for constant laughter, advice, and panic maintenance; Deborah Bish for shared angst, solutions and inspiration; Jenny Dees for brilliant prose and David Dees for answering his phone. I would like to thank Carolyn Bridger for teaching me to play chamber music and for her editing expertise; Eric Ohlsson for always being available for luminous discussions; and Jeff Keesecker for candid commentary. I would like to thank my parents, Marion Dees and Ellen Zeller for finally letting me go to Interlochen Arts Academy, the financial sacrifices they made for my education, their constant support and the support of their spouses: Marie Dees and James Zeller. I would also like to thank my brothers: Mark, Ben and David, and their wives and families for their support. Finally I would like to thank Johannes Brahms for this sage advice: when English pianist Florence May asked the composer how to most quickly improve he responded, “You must walk constantly in the forest.”1 I couldn’t agree with him more! 1 Norman Lebrecht The Book of Musical Anecdotes (New York, Macmillan P 1985) 205. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................... vi INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 DEBORAH CHODACKI ................................................................................................... 3 Lesson Observation......................................................................................................... 3 Interview ......................................................................................................................... 9 HOWARD KLUG ............................................................................................................ 17 Lesson Observation....................................................................................................... 17 Interview ....................................................................................................................... 22 FRANK KOWALSKY ..................................................................................................... 30 Lesson Observation....................................................................................................... 30 Interview ....................................................................................................................... 36 RICHARD MACDOWELL.............................................................................................. 48 Lesson Observation....................................................................................................... 48 Interview ....................................................................................................................... 54 FRED ORMAND.............................................................................................................. 63 Lesson Observation....................................................................................................... 63 Interview ....................................................................................................................... 68 ROBERT SPRING............................................................................................................ 78 Lesson Observation....................................................................................................... 78 Interview ....................................................................................................................... 83 ELSA LUDEWIG-VERDEHR......................................................................................... 89 Lesson Observation....................................................................................................... 89 Interview ....................................................................................................................... 94 iv JOHN WEIGAND .......................................................................................................... 104 Lesson Observation..................................................................................................... 104 Interview ..................................................................................................................... 108 CONCLUSION............................................................................................................... 116 APPENDIX..................................................................................................................... 119 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY...................................................................................... 122 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .......................................................................................... 126 v ABSTRACT Teachers often have a unique philosophy and teaching style based on the sum of their learning experience. That experience may include contact with their teachers, colleagues and students. When a student comes in contact with a large number of teachers, he has more source material from which to draw in his own teaching. The purpose of this document is, to present an in-depth descriptive narrative of individual lessons taught by university clarinet professors, highlighting their teaching style and philosophy and to provide a biography and personal interview. This study aims to bring light to the teaching philosophy, application of that philosophy, character and content of instruction, and interaction between student and professor. It is not the purpose of this study to comment on the validity of individual teaching styles, but rather to shed light on that style. This allows the reader to examine a collection of pedagogical approaches to the clarinet. The qualitative methodology used in this study included the observation of two lessons and a personal interview with each participant. The participants include Deborah Chodacki, Howard Klug, Frank Kowalsky, Richard MacDowell, Fred Ormand, Robert Spring, Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr, John Weigand, and their respective students. The delimitation of this study is that all the professors have had at least ten years of university teaching experience. Students may increase their knowledge and understanding of clarinet playing and performance by applying concepts learned from this study. Inexperienced teachers, while forming their own teaching style and environment, might do well to emulate a more experienced teacher, and more experienced teachers might broaden and enhance their own lesson content and style. vi INTRODUCTION Teachers often have a unique philosophy and teaching style based on the sum of their learning experience. That experience may include contact with their teachers, colleagues and students. Another influence is experience gained from performance itself. When a student comes in contact with a large number of teachers, he has more source material from which to draw in his own teaching. Although studies have been done on specific clarinet teachers and pedagogical topics, no study has sought to reveal individual teaching styles based on the application of their teaching philosophy in a lesson setting. The majority of published projects are based on interviews. Similar projects done in other areas are based on interviews and surveys, but they do not describe lessons or include observations of actual teaching. The purpose of this document is, to present an in-depth descriptive narrative of individual lessons taught by university clarinet professors, highlighting their teaching style and philosophy, and to provide a biography and personal interview. This study aims to bring light to the teaching philosophy, application of that philosophy, character and content of instruction, and interaction between student and professor. It