Advice needed for a beginner lessons for kids

[Boondoggle]

My 10 year old wants to start learning clarinet this summer. I have two questions. I have played clarinet through college but it's a long ago and I'm not good enough to teach anyone. I reached out to a university near my house and they had some suggestions.

They suggested a music education undergraduate or a clarinet major graduate student as a private lesson teacher. I can't decide. I feel like learning from a clarinet major is more rigorous in the long term.

I need to buy a clarinet for my kid. As a child, I started with Buffet E11 (not sure but it was around $1000 30 years ago) but not sure if I want to spend that much. Any advice what to get?

Thank you in advance for any advice.

[350 Rocket]

I'd lean towards a music ed undergrad - many of them are preparing to teach 10-year-olds anyway and would be more likely to be interested in teaching private lessons for a beginner. I don't think being rigorous is going to enter into it for the first couple years - there are a lot of fundamentals to start with.

A used clarinet that's had a full repad done should run about $225-$300 depending on the model and your location.

For a used beginner clarinet, the best overall option in my opinion is the Vito (and it's numerous permutations). Sturdy keywork, consistent design, and consistent quality. Plastic Yamaha models are well-regarded but command a high price on the used market. The plastic Buffet models were the B10 and B12 (older ones were called Evette) and should be solid choices as well.

[kurth83]

My teacher says wait until their fingers are big enough to cover the holes easily.

I like the E11, but love my E12F, might be pricey for a beginner though.

Any teacher that teaches the general public will have mostly beginning students.  My teacher is pretty funny about this, she showed me her method books, all of which are 35+ years old.  The beginner ones are worn and falling apart, and the advanced ones look brand new.  She was principal clarinet of a smaller symphony for many years before she retired, and has taught piano and clarinet the whole time (to mostly beginning students), that's my ideal find in a teacher too.

[ghostler]

My 10 year old wants to start learning clarinet this summer. I have two questions. I have played clarinet through college but it's a long ago and I'm not good enough to teach anyone. I reached out to a university near my house and they had some suggestions.

They suggested a music education undergraduate or a clarinet major graduate student as a private lesson teacher. I can't decide. I feel like learning from a clarinet major is more rigorous in the long term.

At 10 years old their hands are still developing. Once in a while I've heard of for example, a family girl's band, but the players were trumpet, trombone, drum set, and etc. under the age of 12. The brasswind instruments are only 3 valve, trombone with slide, no holes for fingers to cover perfectly, thus I gather easier to teach.

Woodwinds require use of all fingers. Plateau key (closed hole) clarinets where one just keys, doesn't have to cover tone holes completely with their finger tips are a harder find these days. They were popular in the 1930's, but because of their extra manufacturing expense to have an unmuffled tone were as far as I know discontinued by the 1950's.

By the time a child is 12 years old, overall their hands can now handle a clarinet.

In my opinion an option may be to start a 10 year old on a baroque recorder. They are a true musical instrument. It teaches them the principles of fingering, obtaining a good tone, learning scales, learning to read music, learning to play with dynamics. So it gives them a head start. Example,

Yamaha YRS-24B Soprano Recorder With Baroque Fingering for under $10.

Prior to Covid I taught a baroque recorder class during the Salvation Army's Summer Vacation Bible School for several years. Musician's Friend then had generic recorder packs, 25 for $50. I purchased them and used them for this class. Although inexpensive they were quite good. Every child that attended from start to finish got to take the one assigned to them home. The baroque fingerings can be easily managed by children 8 years and up.

I also learned that for children under 8 years old, the recorder was a whistle.

Even though you are not a professional teacher, you can easily learn the recorder with practice, then walk your child through how to play it and even practice with them, teach a couple songs.

I need to buy a clarinet for my kid. As a child, I started with Buffet E11 (not sure but it was around $1000 30 years ago) but not sure if I want to spend that much. Any advice what to get?

Recently I bought a used Selmer CL300 Bb soprano student clarinet on eBay from a music store in Idaho for $108 total in good playing order. The nickel plated keywork is like new. The gold gilding in the engravings is still intact. Case is like new without any serious wear and tear. The current model is the CL301 for $1,400 on Sweetwater.

You may pay a bit more for buying the same at a local music store, maybe $300 or $400, but if serviced to playing order will be worth it. Plus, a good used clarinet can play as well as a new one at significant savings. (Note, music stores compete with on-line helping their prices to be competitive.)

If you buy a used brand name that looks very clean, you can have it serviced to playing condition for a few hundred dollars or less.

Last year I bought a very clean "1952" Le Blanc Beaugnier Vito Model 37 "student" alto sax on eBay for $270 total. (It had a high serial number, estimate early 1960's - they made these for a long time, parts from France but assembled in US.) Tarpley Music of Lubbock, Texas serviced it for $210 replacing 5 pads and a few other tweaks. For $480 now I have a wide bore alto that produces a nice vintage sound, good for jazz. It plays like an intermediate.

By comparison a least expensive brand name new Buffet Crampon Prodige Student Alto Saxophone - Gold Lacquer intermediate costs $1,707.

[colber]

For the teacher, I would mainly look for someone who has experience teaching children, rather than focusing only on their degree or title. A clarinet student specializing in performance or education can be an excellent choice if they know how to explain the basics, adapt exercises to a 10-year-old, and teach good posture and embouchure.

You could arrange a trial lesson first and see whether your child feels comfortable with the teacher. A spet teacher may become particularly valuable as your child's level develops.

For the instrument, I would recommend renting or buying a good, professionally serviced student clarinet rather than purchasing a very cheap new model. Commonly recommended beginner instruments include the Yamaha YCL-255, the Buffet Crampon Prodige, and some Jupiter models. A Buffet E11 can be a good clarinet, but it may not be necessary at the beginning, and it can require more maintenance.

The mouthpiece and reeds also matter a great deal for a beginner. Most importantly, avoid an instrument that is difficult to play or poorly adjusted, as this can quickly discourage a young student.

I work on Easy Lig, a project focused on clarinet accessories. We have published some free educational resources about getting started, reed placement and choosing a ligature. They may complement the teacher's advice:

https://easylig.com/blogs/infos

Wishing your child a wonderful start!