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2019 - Jan and Beattie Wood Concerto Competition Semi-Finalist
2018 - Buffet Crampon Summer Clarinet Academy Prize Winner
2019 - SAI Summer Music Festival Scholarship Recipient
2019 - Brevard Music Center Participant
2020 - Northwestern University Bienen School of Music Eckstein Merit Scholarship Recipient
Hi! My name is Samantha and I am an ambitious musician with a passion for entertaining and inspiring others. I graduated from the University of Houston on May 6th, 2020, earning my Bachelor's in Clarinet Performance, with plans to pursue my Master's in Clarinet Performance at Northwestern University in the Fall of 2021. As a performer, I have performed with the Brevard Opera Orchestra, Concert Orchestra, and Sinfonia, as well as the Moores School of Music Opera Orchestra, Concert Orchestra, and Wind Ensemble. I have also taught students at both the beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels at Wunderlich Intermediate and The Woodlands College Park High School in Houston. I pride myself on fostering habits in my students that promote mental and physical health while encouraging creativity!
I started teaching at Wunderlich Intermediate School during my junior year of college, where I began teaching beginner clarinet players. I loved getting new students excited about music, and helping them have fun while they learn! I then moved to The Woodlands College Park High School my senior year of college, where I taught more advanced students. I loved helping my students grow their confidence and motivation, showing them what a little bit of effort and some passion can accomplish! Encouraging practice habits that promote mental and physical health is at the core of teaching style. I want my students to have fun while they learn, and surprise themselves at how far they can come! I always encourage my students to enter competitions, perform their own recitals, or compose their own music. A cornerstone of my teaching involves catering to each student by helping them achieve their own individual goals. Whether you simply want to improve a hobby or want to make music your career, I can show you how to improve and have fun!
For beginning students, I focus on creating great tone quality and establishing excellent practice habits. I typically recommend the Rubank Elementary Method for beginners, but many students have to purchase other texts such as Accent on Achievement or the Hal Leonard Essential Elements for their beginning band class. In any case, these will also work for beginning lessons! Once a student advances, I will have them work on all Major and Minor scales found within the Klose Scale Sheet (located on my website), then we will move to the Baermann scale book. I will also assign solo repertoire at all levels, so students are always excited to play and motivated to practice. Furthermore, I often play duets with my students to teach them ensemble skills, rhythm, and how to have fun!
My teaching style revolves around the student and their needs. I encourage all my students to take charge of their lessons by asking them to develop questions throughout the week, prioritize what music we focus on, and tune into their own weaknesses and strengths. While I will guide them along the way, I want my students to gain the confidence to make decisions for themselves. At the end of each lesson, I will often have my students establish their own goals and create a plan to effectively execute them. I also love challenging my students to create their own musical ideas! Seeing their own ideas come to life is such a surreal moment, and one of the greatest rewards in teaching.