QU Music Professor Authors Article
Christine Damm D.M.A., division chair of fine arts and communication at Quincy University, authored an article entitled “Clarinet 101: Getting Beginning Clarinetists Started the Right Way.” The article was published in October 2020 on the website Band Directors Talk Shop.
The article is geared towards band directors and focuses on beginning clarinet pedagogy. The article presents helpful tips and suggestions to give band directors the tools to get students started efficiently and effectively. The foundations of clarinet playing embouchure, tone development, flexible fingers and articulation are discussed. Newly composed clarinet warm-ups and scale studies accompany the article for director resources.
“I love teaching clarinet and finding new ways to communicate approaches to performance,” Damm said. “Oftentimes band directors are looking for innovative ways to reach students, and this article provides warm-ups and techniques that students will find exciting and beneficial.”
Damm is the director of the Hawk Express Jazz Band, a woodwind instructor, and teaches a variety of music courses. She is the Principal Clarinetist with the Quincy Symphony Orchestra. She is an advocate of new music and has premiered several works for the clarinet. She has also appeared as a featured soloist with the Quincy Symphony Orchestra, Quincy University Symphonic Band, and the Quincy Area Clarinet Choir. She has published articles for The Instrumentalist, Illinois Music Educator’s Journal, The American Music Teacher and the Missouri Journal of Research in Music Education. She has presented lectures for the Illinois Music Educators All-State Convention, Iowa Music Educator’s Convention, Quincy University POLIS Lecture Series and John Wood Community College Lunch and Learn Lecture Series. Damm received her D.M.A. from the University of Missouri, M.M. from the University of Illinois, and a B.A. from Quincy University.
Founded in 1860 by Franciscan friars, Quincy University is celebrating 160 years as a small Catholic university emphasizing the sciences, liberal arts and the professions. Quincy University offers undergraduate, graduate and adult education programs integrating practical experience and Franciscan values. Faculty and advisors work with students to design customized success plans to help them graduate on time, find their passion and prepare them for life. QU is a member of NCAA Division II for intercollegiate athletics. For more information, please visit www.quincy.edu or contact the Office of Community Relations at (217) 228-5275 or communityrelations@quincy.edu. Quincy University. Success by Design.