Texas Bandmasters Association
Bandmasters Review • June 2014
22
MEC:
What do some of the other Chicago Symphony
clarinetists use?
JD:
Larry Combs uses a Richard Hawkins, the same
one that I use. I’m not sure about the others.
MEC:
It has your initials on his?
JD:
On the invoice it does.
I wasn’t quite satisfied with Richard Hawkins’
R’s, and I wasn’t quite satisfied with his S’s, each in
different ways. I played an S for about 12 years, but I
was always missing something. Then I played an R for
a while, but it was missing what my S had. So we did
a blind test where I tried a whole bunch of these and
a whole bunch of those, and they all were coded. We
came up with something, and it was pretty much my
S facing on an R blank. That’s how we got there. Then
I gave them to Larry, and he really liked them so he
plays one now.
MEC:
How do you feel about the administrative
aspect of your work?
JD :
For me the administration is mentally
challenging in a completely different way.
Dealing with the problems of other people and
trying to help them to be happy and able to do their
jobs. Then the teaching is more like, “ahh, I’m home.”
I really enjoy working with students because they keep
me remembering why I teach.
MEC:
Yes, I love teaching and my students too. Do
you think you have a good balance between all the
aspects of your professional life?
JD:
I do, except I’ve had to reduce the amount of
time I play. That was a choice I made, and I don’t regret
it, but sometimes I miss it and the music making. On
the other hand, I don’t miss all the rehearsals. I don’t
miss a lot of concerts. I don’t miss the stress from that.
I’m working on finding that balance, but I like the
distribution in my job. Actually, I like it a lot.
Dr. Mary Ellen Cavitt is Associate Professor of Music Education at Texas State University. She received the bachelor’s and master’s
degrees in music performance from The Juilliard School and a doctorate in music education from The University of Texas at Austin. While
teaching instrumental music at DeLay Middle School in Lewisville, Texas, New Braunfels Middle School, and Georgetown High School, her
bands received numerous awards. In 1992, she was named Outstanding Young Bandmaster of the Year at the Texas Bandmaster Association
Convention/Clinic.
Dr. Cavitt served as adjunct professor of horn at The University of Texas at Arlington and Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas
and performed professionally in several orchestras in Texas, New York, and Arizona. She has served on the music education faculties of Michigan
State University, The University of Arizona, and The University of Texas at San Antonio, and coordinated the instrumental music programs as
an administrator for North East Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas.
Dr. Cavitt is an active clinician and adjudicator in instrumental music and serves as mentor to several band directors in Texas, Mississippi,
and Louisiana. Her research has been presented at regional, national, and international conferences in the felds of music education and music
therapy.
Clarinet Clari ty: An Interview wi th Jul ie DeRoche