Welcome! My name is John Zumwalt. I have always been a student of music. My earliest memories are of listening to tapes my grandfather sent me that included Mozart’s masterpiece Clarinet Concerto and George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. I later discovered my dad’s secret collection of jazz and big band music that introduced me to Benny Goodman, and I was hooked. In many ways I still find myself grasping at comprehending the beauty and complexity of jazz.

Though the path I chose to follow was percussion, I always had a fondness for the clarinet. I married a talented musician who played in jazz bands and has been on stages around the world. Several of our kids picked up the music bug and are now performing, writing, recording, and producing.

I found that there was so little available on the internet of practical helps for people who were starting out their journey of playing the clarinet. The sad fact is that more than half of all students who start quit! Sometimes it is because they don’t know how to get better. Or their instrument is falling apart. Or worse, they succumb to the nagging lie that they are not talented enough. I was determined to begin working on a site that would be informational, educational and fun! This will be a work in progress, and I would love your input and contribution. So if you are a parent trying to help your kids push through the early-stage difficulties or a seasoned artist who just wants to increase your understanding, this will be a place you can let your inner musician out!

Why should you visit the Clarinetist? Here you will find encouraging testimonies from people who persevered and mastered, or are mastering, the clarinet, along with accurate and relevant reviews and helps for musicians of all skill levels.

Let’s make music together!

John Zumwalt