Clarinet Social Media Roundup (June 2014 column)

Since the Clarinet Cache column began in 2008, social media has in a few short years become one of the primary ways that many people communicate and share information with others. By now most of you are aware that you can connect with your favorite performers and ensembles online; these days everyone from your local clarinet repair technician to the U.S. Navy Band is on Facebook, with more and more joining Twitter all the time.  Here are a few of our favorites on Facebook and Twitter:

Facebook
First, all of our readers will want to make sure they’ve connected with the International Clarinet Association Facebook page. Previously, the International Clarinet Association had a “group,” which still exists and is very active with members posting often. But as Facebook evolved, they introduced the concept of “pages” designed for organizations and businesses, and the I.C.A. decided to take advantage of the new format. Timothy Phillips, professor of clarinet at Troy University, set up this page in February 2013 and continues to do a great job maintaining it on behalf of the I.C.A. “Like” the I.C.A. page for information about clarinet workshops, competitions, clarinet news, and announcements from the I.C.A. -- and look out for photos and reviews from the upcoming ClarinetFest in Baton Rouge!

All the way back in September 2008, our column published an interview with James Zimmerman about his new Facebook group, Clarinet Jobs.  Like the I.C.A., Zimmerman decided to migrate activity to a “Page” which has more than 4600 likes.  This page has really become the place to go for news about upcoming auditions and audition winners.

On the Clarinet Corner Facebook page, Timothy Phillips lets you know what interviews and music he has coming up on his radio show Clarinet Corner, which you can listen to online.

Denise Razzouk created the Clarinet Jazz Point page in 2009 and continues to actively post videos and news about jazz clarinet. The page has nearly 4,000 fans who also share their own links and projects.

We’ve blogged a couple times about the Clarinets for Conservation organization, which combines sustainability efforts and musical instruction in a unique way: they support efforts to protect and plant the mpingo tree from which clarinets are made, while also offering free clarinet instruction for the communities in which these trees grow. Stay in touch with this group’s efforts via their Facebook page, where you can learn about ongoing fundraising efforts and volunteer opportunities.

For the younger crowd, the Clarinet Memes page shares clarinet-related memes including quite a few Spongebob references!

Twitter

Twitter is a great way to keep up with the latest news and find links to clarinet content of interest.  Here are some of our favorite performers on Twitter:

@JBlissClarinet [edit: handle changed to @Julian__Bliss] Julian Bliss, British clarinetist

@earspasm - Michael Lowenstern, NYC-based bass clarinetist

@requinta - Wesley Ferreira, professor at Colorado State University

@multiphonic - Gregory Oakes, professor at Iowa State University

@ThiagoTavares - Thiago Tavares, Brazilian Symphony Orchestra

@ThomasPiercy - Thomas Piercy, artistic director and clarinetist of the Gotham ensemble in NYC

Here are some of our other favorite feeds:

@woodwindninja - Bret Pimentel’s educational feed about all things woodwind.

@ClarinetJobs - Clarinet Jobs feed about audition postings and winners

@CClarinetist - Curious Clarinetist shares posts from their blog on a variety of clarinet-related topics

@ClarinetNow - Account associated with the Clarinet-Now website, run by West Point Band clarinetist Chris Jones

@ClariperuNews - Clarinet news from South America via Marco Mazzini

Of course, on Twitter you can also find many clarinet-related businesses like @VandorenUSA, @LegereReeds, @BackunMusical, and Phil Muncy of Muncy Winds (@klarinut). Check out everyone we’re following on Twitter by looking us up at @ClarinetCache.