Fresno State School of Music
I am currently Lecturer of Clarinet at the Fresno State School of Music in Fresno, California. Fresno State is part of the California State University school system and located in the southern Central Valley near Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks.
The School of Music offers several options for music majors including Performance, Education, Jazz Studies and Composition (BM and MM). Students who are interested in learning about the audition process, classes and life at Fresno State can contact me here.
Clarinet students are provided with a curriculum that typically includes embouchure fundamentals, scales and technical exercises, etudes, solo rep, excerpts and chamber music. Each semester I assist students with preparing for various assessments and performances including Convocation, studio recitals and their end-of-semester exams including juries, performance exams and degree recitals.
You can find more information about clarinet audition requirements here - please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have. I welcome and encourage all prospective students to a trial lesson with myself and a visit to our campus.
Clarinet Studio, Fall 2024
Clarinet Choir, Spring 2024
Private Lessons
I am currently accepting students in my private clarinet studio. Lessons are available in 45 or 60 minute lengths and billed monthly, in advance. Before our first lesson with the clarinet, I offer an optional and complimentary 30-minute online session to ensure we are a good fit for each other and discuss curriculum options. Lessons are currently only available in-person at my home in Fresno.
Students who decide to study with me will be expected to practice several times each week to maximize the efficacy of the materials covered in the lesson. I am happy to help students prepare for All-State or other ensemble auditions including seating placement tests at their school or music programs. Lessons are the best way to gain individual guidance and information on your instrument, and greatly increases the rate of your progress.
Please reach out if you are interested in private lessons.
Summer Festivals
Fresno Summer Orchestra Academy
Come experience a robust and intensive 2-week music festival in Fresno, California at the Fresno Summer Orchestra Academy (FOOSA). This festival is catered to a wide range of ages and abilities and includes the orchestral programs of the Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber orchestra, and a newly added orchestral program, Symphony Orchestra. In addition to the orchestral rehearsals and sectionals, students will receive masterclasses on their primary instrument, an annual concerto competition opportunity, and weekly lessons from me and University of Michigan professor Guy Yehuda. Please click here for more information and I invite you to contact me for more details and questions about the clarinet audition repertoire. Tuition assistance is also available - all application materials must be submitted by March 15, 2025.
Montecito International Music Festival
This festival, located at the beautiful campus of Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California, is known for its wide array of offerings throughout each of the four 10-day sessions. I will be teaching during Session 4 (July 16-25, 2025) which coincides with the Montecito Orchestra Institute, featuring legendary conductor and pedagogue Larry Livingston preparing a full orchestral concert. Students will experience orchestral sectionals, chamber music coachings, weekly lessons, masterclass and concerto competition opportunities, and seminars and workshops. Please contact me for more information about applying - scholarships are available.
Student Testimonials
“Dr Smith has brought so much life and joy back into my musical experience! Her encouragement and attention to detail always leaves me inspired to become a better musician!”
-Joseph Cota, senior at Fresno State
“I have studied with several teachers over my lifetime, but no one has really helped improve my playing as quickly as Dr. Smith has. Together we have worked on articulation and embouchure and warmth of sound, and in just a few months, we have solved some issues that I have had for years. She's got a great ear and has always got just the right exercise to push me to the next step.”
-Gail Verbano, adult student