Do you want toĀ transform your clarinet playing this year?Ā
Sign up now for the tools, structure and support to finally fix your high notes, play with better tone, move your fingers more easily and quickly, play more expressively, learn new styles of music and have rock steady rhythm so you don't get lost in rehearsals.
Registration closes May 26thĀ until next year.
Super-charge your clarinet progess with the best systems to improve tone, technic, rhythm, musicality, confidence and more...
Once a year I open the door to the Clarinet Transformation Community, which is like a magical clarinet kingdom full of the tools and with the support that you need to play clarinet better, without wasting time feeling frustrated or stuck.
One of the best ways to improve clarinet is participation in regular masterclasses
Every clarinetist faces similar challenges. Seeing many solutions within every class will give you the knowledge that you are missing to play the music that you love better. Even the family members of people in our community (who have to hear us practise at home) agree!
You can participate in a masterclass every week, and additionally, each month there are added Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced classes with recommended music. (Most people perform in a class about once every 4-6 weeks and watch at least one per week.) We record every session, and always have some live sessions that work in your time zone.
Let us give you the step-by-step solutions to common clarinet problems
Sometimes you already know some things that you "should" be doing (like practising, for example), or long tones, or a better embouchure, but it doesn't seem to happen.
Michelle and the other coaches create deep-dive themed trainings that you can do (with all of your friends in the community) to actually implement some new habits. To up the stakes, we give you homework (that you can usually do in about 10 minutes a day for a week). After a month, you have the thrill of tangible improvement, and you can share that thrill with your clarinet friends in the Clarinet Transformation Community!
Do you want to feel more motivated? Do you want to enjoy clarinet more?
Every week you will find a Guided Practise Session with a professional clarinetist to help you "practise like a pro". Learn the best ways to prepare a piece of music from start to finish. You will find tools that save you so much time and help you play more expressively.
We give you valuable warm-up exercises that are designed to improve the fundamentals of clarinet. This is followed by 2 15-minute repertoire practise sessions. Sometimes the coach will choose a piece that you can play, and sometimes they demonstrate very challenging music that they are preparing. You can see how the coach practises, or mute the coach and practise with the support of the group setting on screen. All sessions are recorded so you can watch them later.
Be part of an amazing, inspiring, supportive, fun community of clarinetist from all over the world
Something about this group is incredibly special. They laugh together, they cheer each other on, they motivate and inspire each other. Don't you want that? Sometimes we all even make music together. Click on this Halloween project image to hear our last group recording. You could play in the next one! Plus, be sure to read comments and watch the short videos below from current members.
A Note From Michelle
I made just about every mistake that clarinet players make as I bumbled along in my "youth" on clarinet. I had fun, but I also had some bad habits. Luckily for me, I met some great teachers who helped me recognize what I was doing incorrectly, and showed me how to fix things. It made playing music so much more fun. At one point, in university, I quit clarinet forever (or so I thought at the time), but that is another story. I don't want anyone to feel the frustrations that I felt. My goal is to help you recognize any bad habits that you may have, and give you simple directions to correct them so that you too enjoy the music that you play. This is literally one of my life's missions as not only does music bring meaning to us, but we all get satisfaction from making significant improvements in any area of our lives. Please join me in this journey, and I will do everything that I can to help you play the music you love at the highest level possible. I've been teaching for over 40 years, and would love to see you in this amazing community.
Meet our other Clarinet Transformation Community Coaches
Deborah Andrus
Debbie is an amazing clarinetist and coach who believes that what is required to face a musical challenge is a solid plan and a supportive mentor. She is founder of Clarinet Guide, a resource used by students of all levels and abilities to set clear goals and to creatively solve their clarinet challenges. Dr. Andrus is the clarinet professor at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Lauded for her "inspirational teaching", she is the second clarinetist with the Allentown Symphony Orchestra, and is a member of the SATORI Chamber Ensemble, the DeMarina Trio and the East Winds Quintet.
An author, Deborah released her most recent book in 2020, titled The Chalumeau Register. This book is the first in a series of warm up books for clarinet students of all ages, levels and abilities, and the focus is warming up the tone, fingers and tongue in the lowest register. The second edition of her book Teaching Woodwinds has just been released as well. Debbie is the co-author of DIY Clarinet with Michelle, a new book from Hal Leonard Publishing, which is due out later this year.
Josh Goo
Carlos Savall Guardiola
Carlos Savall Guardiola finished his Superior Studies in 2015 at the Conservatorio Superior de Música “Oscar Esplá” de Alicante, Spain, obtaining the maximum qualifications on his Final Project, guided by professor Jose Franch Ballester. He is currently completing is Doctor in Music Arts at the University of British Columba, and working as a clarinet technician at Backun Musical Services.
As a teacher, he has been a member of the faculty at the School of Music “José Seguí” de Callosa d’en Sarrià, the School of Music of Polop and the Sociedad Musical l’Harmonia de Alicante (Spain). His teaching is based on musicality, always supported by a good technique of air control, which, in his view, is the most important aspect of any wind instrument.
Here are messages to you from members of the Clarinet Transformation Community:
Troy from France
I have been a member of the Clarinet Transformation Community since its inception and there are many reasons why I remain committed to it. To put it simply, the whole program is brilliant. It’s your one-stop place for everything clarinet and music-related. From beginner to advanced, there’s something here for every level of player. In my own playing, this program, with its top-notch, supportive, and encouraging teachers and variety of activities (master classes, special workshops, etc.), has helped me transform from someone playing notes on the clarinet to someone playing music on the clarinet. On this very day that I write this, I recorded a piece for a master class and played it for a friend. He said, “Wow! You have come so far!” There’s still a long way to go but I attribute my improvement to Michelle and her wonderful team. This is the place to be for anyone who wants to improve their clarinet playing.
Troy Hyatt, France
Jane from Germany
Hi, this is Jane. I played clarinet at school and then put it to one side for 35 years. Five years ago I picked it up again, and in June 2021 joined the Clarinet Transformation Community. I am so happy I did so. The support I receive in my classes from our wonderful mentors reinforces everything my live teacher has ever told me, and adds more depth and clarity. I would never have thought that an online lesson was possible, but Michelle, Josh and Debbie have shown me that it's not only possible, but that they know how to get amazing results over the air. I have improved immensely as a player here, not only from the advice and homework I personally have received, but also from the feedback other players in my class have been given.
And on top of this is the joy being a member of this community brings me. The camaraderie of a bunch of clarinettists all talking shop. And the friends I have made here. This is what make this place a wonderful place to be.
Nigel from the UK
Hi. I am a retiree living in the UK who picked up the clarinet about 7 or 8 years ago, just after I retired, & had little or no knowledge of music theory or how to play the clarinet. Just wanted to play a few tunes. Having put in a reasonable amount of time & effort over this period using the internet & my daughter's old beginners music books, I found, to my frustration, that I was putting in the miles but still struggling. I found myself playing the same old familiar things & still having all the usual beginner clarinet players issues. Joined the Community about a year ago & have learnt so much. Michelle & her team have provided me with a solid practice & techniques platform which has helped me enormously. While I am never going to be a performer I now have the confidence to try new music & make, to my ears anyway, a reasonably satisfactory sound, my wife's stopped complaining & she does make the occasional request! Fewer squeaks, the odd miss fingering perhaps & maybe a bit slow, but hey ho it's still work in progress. To that end the Community is providing me with so much information, motivation & encouragement. Thank you to the Community & of course to Michelle & her team.
