Music And Memory

Memory With Mom

• The first song I remember having a strong connection with is “Dallas” by Alan Jackson, a country artist from the 1990s. My mother was and still is a huge fan of Alan Jackson. Anytime one of his songs comes on the radio, I’m instantly taken back to car rides with her on the way to Spartanburg, to my grandmother’s house, to church, or to various appointments, singing along at the top of her lungs.
• Those moments bring back many happy memories of my mother’s joy and warmth, especially from the time before my father passed away. Another memory that always comes to mind is her asking me whether I understood what Alan Jackson’s lyrics meant and reminding me that I should try to live my life by those messages. She loved interpreting song lyrics and applying their meaning to her own life and to me adn sister's life 
• Dallas is especially meaningful to me because it was the very first song I memorized when I was only three years old.

Music With Students

• So, like I mentioned in my last blog, my clarinet studio has really been growing, and there’s one student in particular who has just blown me away. In only 12 weeks of private lessons, she has moved up multiple levels in her clarinet playing, and honestly, I couldn’t be more proud.
• Region Band was this past Saturday (1/10), and she went in and played the solo we’ve been working on together. Every time I hear those step-wise sixteenth notes going into staccato eighth notes, it immediately takes me back to our lessons. I remember moments when she would stop and say things like, “Should I phrase this line like this?” or “That needs to be legato, right?” And every time she asked questions like that, it made me so happy, because I could really see her musicianship growing.
• I also think about the times she’d get frustrated with a certain lick and start doubting herself, feeling like she wasn’t good enough. That part especially resonates with me because it reminds me so much of myself when I first started taking lessons. Seeing her push through those moments and grow because of them is what makes this memory so meaningful. It really reminds me why we do this and why teaching music matters so much.
• This isn't like a piece or anything, but it is region band-selected music for clinic level.

This is the website to see the recording of the clinic-level clarinet region band solo!

https://sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/music/community/community_events/all_state_band_recordings/clarinet.php 

Music With Career 

• Lastly, one musical memory I will never forget is learning a piece that led to a better my clarinet playing and that is Carl Philipp Stamitz’s Clarinet Concerto in B♭ Major, No. 3. I recently heard another clarinetist practicing a passage from this concerto, and it instantly brought back vivid memories of learning the piece in 2023.
• I can still remember the moment when everything began to click back then, and understanding how to articulate properly, using a slurr two, tongue two pattern. and learning how to prepare the slurred note before the staccato note. Those technical realizations marked a turning point in my playing and helped me approach the instrument with a new level of confidence and control.
• This piece also takes me back to the first time Dr. Hill handed me the concerto. I remember feeling genuinely intimidated, unsure if I was ready for the challenge. He simply looked at me and said, “You can do this.” That was the moment I chose to trust him and fully commit to the process. So with this experience, I became a different player.
• Since then, I have continued to grow as a musician, fueled by a deeper excitement for learning and a constant desire to improve my clarinet playing.