Sean Osborn

We'd like to direct your attention today to the personal website of Sean Osborn.  A clarinetist and composer, Osborn was the youngest clarinetist to play with the Metropolitan Opera when he joined the orchestra in 1989.  His teachers include Stanley Hasty, Frank Kowalsky and Eric Mandat. 

The "Educational" section of Osborn's website features several articles of interest to clarinetists and teachers, such as an article about establishing a daily warm-up routine, and another on tips on fingerings from Stanley Hasty.  Especially notable are the instructional articles on individual orchestral excerpts including the Beethoven symphonies and Mendelssohn "Scherzo."  Some of the articles have links to videos demonstrating the excerpts -- Osborn's video of himself playing the Mendelssohn excerpt was featured here as one of our top ten videos of 2010.

Video augments several other articles as well; a "legato fingers" article includes videos of incorrect movements that students might make as they try to learn the technique, and an interesting video from inside Osborn's mouth helps to illustrate articulation principles.  He has also uploaded his copy of the solo part to Mozart with phrasing markings written in.

And just for fun, Osborn has developed an extensive collection of "Musician Jokes," including gems like the following:

Q: What do clarinetists use for birth control?
A: Their personalities.

Enjoy!