| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this study is to produce best-practices pedagogical approaches for soprano clarinet, bass clarinet, and alto saxophone, and distinction of differences between the instruments for teachers of multiple woodwind instruments. No prior studies attempt to develop best-practices models through comparisons between multiple artist-teachers of the same instrument. Most woodwind pedagogy resources rely on anecdotal expertise, and works treating multiple instruments often focus on elements perceived to be most universal instead of clarifying differences. This descriptive study relies on qualitative analysis of survey data solicited from artist-teachers who are employed at the level of professor, associate professor, or assistant professor and teach applied clarinet or applied saxophone at universities within the United States that offer graduate degrees in music, identified through advanced searches in the College Music Society¿s Directory of Music Faculties. Survey questions addressed the physical approach to the instrument in the areas of embouchure, air support, and voicing. Of 464 invited participants, 65 responded, producing a 14% response rate. This study reveals considerable transfer of the physical approach between instruments but also specifies important differences valuable for instruction of any single-reed instrument. Results revealed that applied instructors prioritize air support, embouchure, and voicing similarly and show some consensus but greater variety in conceptual approach and vocabulary used to express physical components of performance. These similarities in presentation of the physical approach to the instrument, at least conceptually, indicate a bias in pedagogy toward sameness, reaffirming the purpose of the study but indicating a need for further investigation. | |
