Dan H  

5

  5.0 (8)

Instruments: Clarinet
Styles: Classical, Marching Band

I’ve enjoyed teaching the clarinet since I first decided to get serious about music in high school. I got my start by offering lessons to younger students in my neighborhood and the surrounding towns in the western suburbs of Chicago. During my undergraduate years in Greencastle, IN, I took several clarinet pedagogy classes and began teaching local students in the DePauw University Preparatory Program. In my junior year, I entered a 2-year apprenticeship with the Chicago-based Fifth House Ensemble where I worked with community partners to engage students in classical music performances and appreciation. At home during the summers, I was a clarinet instructor at Lyons Township High School’s summer band programs for junior high students. When I moved to Chicago in 2015 to begin my graduate studies at DePaul, I continued teaching through Musika and DePaul’s Community Music Division. I’m currently preparing to begin my third year on faculty at The People’s Music School, where I teach private lessons, group classes, music theory, and chamber music to students ranging from elementary beginners to advanced high schoolers at multiple sites throughout Chicago.

I work with all of my students on the fundamentals of clarinet playing - proper embouchure, good posture, strong air support, etc., and I’ve compiled a strong bank of exercises and warm-ups (some that I’ve written myself) that cover all the major areas of playing an instrument (tone, technique, articulation, rhythm, etc.). When a student has a good grasp of the basics, there is nothing they can’t play! I incorporate solo music or duets at every stage of development so students can practice applying the fundamentals to real repertoire. I always ask students what genres they like to play or what their musical interests are so that I can find music that is engaging, exciting, and level-appropriate for them. My beginners normally start with selections out of Hal Leonard’s “Essential Elements” series before transitioning into more advanced etude books or solo repertoire.