Advice for Students Preparing for College Auditions

What do you listen for when you audition students for your studio?

First, I assess the student’s overall performance level. Tone quality is very important. Demonstrating proficiency in scales is essential - if the scales are weak, this is a strong indicator of gaps in the technical foundation. I also listen to a prospective student’s style and musicianship, and if they are conveying something personal in their interpretations. Overall, I would say I listen more to how they play, as opposed to what they are playing.

What advice can you offer to students preparing for college auditions?

Thorough practice and organized preparation over a long period of time is the best way to prepare for any audition, and I can’t overemphasize the importance of taking regular private lessons with a qualified teacher.

The ability to demonstrate proficiency in sight-reading is very important, so remember to practice sight-reading. Expect to be nervous, but do not let your nerves detract from the many months of preparation time you bring to the audition.

Take your time in the audition. Mentally prepare yourself for a few seconds before beginning each scale, solo, or sight-reading. Lastly, have confidence! Believe in yourself and remember you are not there to play perfectly, but to demonstrate what you have to offer as a musician.

How do you prepare your students for the life after school?

This is a great question and something I do think about! Number one is to help them to become the best clarinetist and musician they can be. Regardless of their eventual profession, learning to perform at a very high level on a musical instrument will help their future success in any field. Music students utilize their cognitive abilities in a very focused and logical manner. They also know how to work and achieve results independently. I educate my students in all facets of the music field – not only in the career opportunities in teaching and performance, but also music industry, technology, and entrepreneurialism as well. I regularly invite guest artists and lecturers to visit my class to offer a broad range of perspectives to my students. UF is a very demanding academic institution, so my students receive a well-rounded education across a wide spectrum of subjects. We offer a very popular major, called Music Performance in Combination with an Outside Field, which allows students to seriously study music while pursuing a strong concentration in another (unrelated) subject. This major offers flexibility and options to them when they complete their undergraduate study. I am very honest with them about the limited and shrinking opportunities in the music field, especially in performance. For UF music education graduates, we have a 100% job placement record in my 18 years at the school.

How does equipment play into your teaching and what is your setup?

Having the finest quality equipment is essential to success as a musician. When students begin their studies with me, I assess their setup – instrument, mouthpiece, reed, and ligature. Then, I carefully consider whether to recommend any changes.

My overall philosophy is that if it sounds good, leave it alone. If I they are not getting the best results, I will suggest that they try other possibilities, under my watchful supervision. I always listen blindly – without knowing whether they are playing their own setup, or something new – I am never influenced by the name on something, only by the musical results. I teach my students to find a quality setup and stick with it, because there is no such thing as a perfect setup. It is a huge waste of time to constantly seek out and play test equipment. This time could be much better spent in the practice room! My own setup is as follows:

Instrument: Buffet Crampon R13 (silver plated keys)

Mouthpiece: Vandoren M15 (traditional)

Reed: Vandoren V.12 - strength 3.5 or 3.5+

Ligature: Vandoren M|O Pewter

About the Author

Mitchell Estrin is Professor of Music Emeritus at the University of Florida where he was founder and music director of the University of Florida Clarinet Ensemble and a University of Florida Research Foundation Professor. He served as the Artistic Director of the Vandoren Clarinet Ensemble Festival and was founder of the Buffet Crampon USA Summer Clarinet Academy. Prof. Estrin was the 20th President of the International Clarinet Association (ICA). He is the author of the biography Stanley Drucker, Clarinet Master published by Carl Fischer and Writing the Vandoren WAVE published by CAMco. His critical edition of the Weber Concertino for Clarinet, Op. 26 is published by Jeanné.

Prof. Estrin is a 2023 recipient of Honorary Membership in the International Clarinet Association. This accolade, marking the highest honor in the clarinet world, is said to acknowledge individuals with a distinguished background in the areas of professional service, teaching, performance, and lifetime achievements.

Mitchell Estrin studied clarinet with Stanley Drucker at The Juilliard School where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. His other influential teachers include Jerome Stowell, Walter Wollwage, Leon Russianoff, Larry Combs, Robert Bloom, and John Moses.

Prior to his academic appointments, he had a 25-year association with the New York Philharmonic. He performed in hundreds of concerts and on 19 international tours with the Philharmonic as principal, second, and E-flat clarinetist under music directors Alan Gilbert, Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Zubin Mehta, Pierre Boulez, Leonard Bernstein, and many distinguished guest conductors including Erich Leinsdorf, Sir Georg Solti, Claudio Abbado, Klaus Tennstedt, Andre Previn, Sir Colin Davis, and Leonard Slatkin. He performed on dozens of recordings with the Philharmonic and on numerous occasions performed with the orchestra on the PBS award winning series, Live From Lincoln Center.

As an international concert artist, Mitchell Estrin has performed in over 40 countries on 5 continents. He performed and recorded the world premiere of The Shadows of October for clarinet and orchestra by Michael Whalen with the Janacek Philharmonic.
“This beautiful and lushly scored tonal piece…. is performed by clarinetist Mitchell Estrin…. He plays beautifully with a lovely colored tone.”
The Clarinet

As a chamber musician, he has performed with such notable ensembles as The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, New Arts Trio, American Chamber Winds, at the Newport Music Festival, and was a founding member of the Amadeus Ensemble.

Prof. Estrin has an extensive discography of solo and chamber music and recorded hundreds of television commercials and Hollywood motion-picture soundtracks. He has performed and recorded with many leading popular artists including Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Peter, Paul and Mary, Ray Charles, The Fugees, Wynton Marsalis, Benny Golson, Smashing Pumpkins, and Natalie Merchant. His motion picture soundtrack credits include recordings for Columbia, Walt Disney, Paramount, MGM, 20th Century Fox, United Artists, and Warner Brothers on feature films including Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Alamo, Intolerable Cruelty, The Score, You’ve Got Mail, Primary Colors, Fargo, Batman Forever, Interview with the Vampire, Home Alone 2, Pocahontas, Doc Hollywood, Regarding Henry, The Untouchables, Reds, and Dressed to Kill. His television credits include recordings for ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, HBO, TBS, and ESPN. Prof. Estrin was principal clarinetist for the NBC 75th Anniversary Special; broadcast from the famed NBC Studio 8H in New York City. He has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Phil Donahue Show, the television series Nurse, and in Kramer vs. Kramer, the 1980 Academy Award Winner for Best Picture. His clarinet playing has also been heard on hundreds of television and radio commercials. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences recognized him as a Most Valuable Player nominee for his outstanding performances in the recording studio.

Prof. Estrin has presented recitals, masterclasses, workshops, and seminars at many prestigious educational conferences and institutions. This list includes the Eastman School of Music, Peabody Conservatory, Arizona State University, Florida State University, University of Maryland, University of Alabama, University of Arizona, University of Illinois, University of Texas, Texas State University, Texas A&M University, Midwest Clinic, New York State School Music Association, Connecticut School Music Association, and Florida Music Educators Association. In 2019, he was a guest clinician in Australia at the University of Melbourne. He has performed in recital with clarinetists Stanley Drucker, Karl Leister, and Mark Nuccio.

Widely acclaimed as a conductor and proponent of the clarinet choir, Prof. Estrin has served as director of the International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest® College, Festival, and Professors Clarinet Choirs, Texas State Clarinet Fiesta Clarinet Choir, Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium Clarinet Choir, Texas Clarinet Colloquium Clarinet Choir, and United States Navy Clarinet Choir. He held a Guinness World Record for conducting the world’s largest clarinet choir (367 members) in 2019. He has conducted the University of Florida Clarinet Ensemble throughout the United States and Europe, including three feature recitals at the International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest®. The ensemble has produced four critically acclaimed CD’s for Mark Masters, Christmas Clarinets (2016), Clarinet Choir Classics (2012), Clarinet Thunder (2009), and Wind in the Reeds (2006). Each of these recordings was selected for the Grammy Nomination eligibility list. Prof. Estrin has authored multiple articles on the history, development, repertoire, and logistics of the clarinet choir.

As a music producer and annotator, he has worked on projects with such renowned artists as trombonist Joseph Alessi, jazz pianist Lynne Arriale, and saxophonist Mike Smith. He has produced five clarinet choir CDs for Mark Recording.

Prof. Estrin’s students have performed with such prestigious ensembles as the Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, New York Pops, United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own”, United States Army Field Band, and West Point Band. His students hold educational positions at several major universities including Indiana University, University of Arizona, University of Florida, and University of South Alabama.

Mitchell Estrin is a Buffet Crampon Legacy Artist and performs exclusively on the Buffet R13 clarinet. As a Vandoren Performing Artist, he endorses and performs exclusively on Vandoren reeds (V.12) and mouthpieces (BD2). Prof. Estrin’s educational articles are published regularly in the Vandoren WAVE and his biography is listed in Who’s Who in Classical Music, Who’s Who in American Music, and Who’s Who in International Music.