How to be inspired, shake up routines, and build more joy into your life: a conversation with clarinetist James Shields.

Lisa: What is it with clarinetists anyways? Arts administration… performing… adding things to the jack-of-all-trades hat seems to be a constant theme among clarinets. So for you, why clarinet? Why not anything else?

James: It’s funny. I saw it in a book when I was in 2nd grade and I liked how it looked. My hands were too small at the time to play clarinet, so I ended up playing violin first. If memory serves, you wouldn’t have guessed that I’d take naturally to being a musician. I was always sitting in the back of the string orchestra goofing off. There’s something more interesting to me about the buttons of a wind instrument, and having that as a grounding feeling, versus starting off in a fretless land.

Lisa: When did you first get serious about the clarinet?

James: I liked practicing right away. In 6th grade I was immediately able to practice consistently for an hour at a time. I was very interested in the instrument and in the repertoire, although I’m sure I didn’t play it well. I became a lot more systematic about my practicing in 10th grade. That’s when I got into the classic practice model of four hours a day. I would do 30 minutes before school, 30 minutes of scales over lunch break, and then two 90-minute sessions after school, five days a week, with two days off.

Lisa: Do you still do this now?

James: I break it up differently. Nowadays, I get in 1-2 hours of practice in addition to playing whatever I’m doing professionally that day. However, with such a busy schedule, I think it’s important mentally and physically to allow yourself breaks. The discipline of taking time off becomes just as important as diligent practicing.

Lisa: What kinds of advice do you have for young musicians? In fact, let's narrow it down to woodwinds specifically.

James: I think as far as taking lessons, it’s true that everyone is a little different and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to pedagogy. There are however some tried-and-true ways of doing things that we should all adopt. You should give a lot of attention to these values and techniques before deciding you’re special or different. I think finding the balance of “nuts and bolts” things versus your own spin or someone else's spin is helpful.

Also, really finding stuff you like practicing and are able to apply pedagogical principles to are going to make you a happier player. I would also say listen to a lot of music and go to a lot of concerts. It builds enthusiasm and you absorb a lot by osmosis. It gives you good insight on what you like and the sounds you like, which gives you a lot of motivation. Your musical peers are also going to be your rock, so finding people you like playing with is going to be important.

If you’re a woodwind player, start hanging out with pianists and string players, because they have a different perspective and different priorities from which you can learn. String players, I feel, have dialed into some social things about getting along with a variety of people in a way that you don’t have to deal with when you’re in a school band. Visualizing how string players do things can also be very helpful in understanding larger musical concepts. If you want to learn how to get along with a lot of different types of people, hang out with a string player!

Lisa: What is your favorite concerto for clarinet?

James: It changes around between Mozart, Copland, and John Adams.

Lisa: My top two are Copland and Gnarly Buttons (Adams).

James: I also love a good Stamitz played by Sabine Meyer. I think some of the other more standard repertoire can be interesting as well.

Lisa: Tell me about the journey from performer to administrator.

James: It’s all been pretty natural. I started helping out with the Church of Beethoven, which became Chatter, in Albuquerque when I was 25 years old. I started helping because one of the main organizers had gotten cancer. However, it was a natural fit for me when I stepped in. David Felberg, the guy I’ve been working with for 15 years, and I have had a mostly very harmonious relationship which makes it also very easy. I think I had a proclivity for organizing concerts from a young age – if I look back, I was organizing a lot of ad-hoc concerts for certain events. I sort of fell into it with Chatter without any formal application process – I just kind of showed up and did whatever was needed. The high volume of Chatter, with low bells and whistles, is very exciting to me. The consistent concerts with exciting pieces, with as little fanfare and meetings as possible, is my jam. I like doing that and I like producing shows this way. I like organizing people too. It’s surprisingly positive. For me, it's natural to practice, then go to a coffee shop, do a little admin, then go back to practice.

Lisa: You’re playing in the Oregon Symphony, 45^th Parallel, ChatterPDX, Fear No Music, Music in the Mountains, and probably more. What are some highlight concerts you’re looking forward to this coming year?

James: I’m definitely looking forward to 45^th Parallel’s presentation of Quartet For The End of Time in November. I have so many concerts scheduled that I don’t even know all of them off the top of my head. I’m really looking forward to playing at Mendelssohn’s – I love the vibe there. With ChatterPDX, we won’t have a season announcement – it all happens on a rolling basis. I don’t know if I get that excited about specific shows, but I like the flow of continuous playing and continuous exploration.

Lisa: What’s something unexpected about your recent and newer dive into composing?

James: When you’re younger you think about the depth of expression and singular feeling injected into a composition. I think I’m in an area now with composition where I have a more practical approach to it.

There’s a clarinetist and a violinist in our house. If I compose something today and finish it, we can play through it at the end of the day. I’ll have two sets of ten small pieces complete pretty soon. The first ten I just wrote out when I had an idea, and it would take me a week to finish a four- to five-minute duo. I just really enjoyed being super practical, and I’ll probably stick in this vein. I’ll most likely write next for violin, clarinet, and cello. It’s been freeing. I think even if you’re not very good at it, composing is still insightful for your playing. I sort of think everyone should try it. It’s really helpful as a performer to understand when the need for certain musical mechanisms happens. The need for a coda, or the need for a break or recapitulation in an area to make the idea make sense, has been fun for me to explore.

Lisa: What is your favorite part of Oregon summers?

James: The weather! It’s awesome and so nice! Often I say to myself, how is this weather even real? With all the nature flourishing from the rain earlier in the year, it’s amazing!

Lisa: Thanks James! We’ll see you this upcoming season at To the Angel Who Announces the End of Time in November, as well as some guest performances throughout the season! You never know when James will pop up :-)

Watch James perform Thomas Adès’ Alchemia at ChatterABQ last December Credit: Chatter / lavendr.

Lisa Lipton
Executive Director, 45^th Parallel Universe