As a music teacher, I like to say that all of my students are my favorite, in one way or another. However, Corbin really was a favorite-among-favorites. It was such a joy to teach him. I’ll never ever forget Corbin.
I started working with Corbin when he was very small - a year or two younger than students typically begin learning clarinet. Despite his young age, he picked up the instrument very quickly, with an unusually good musical aptitude. Corbin’s awesome and supportive family also left a wonderful impression on me…I just love to see that. As time went by, I began to get to know Corbin not only for his musical ability, but for his razor-sharp wit and quirky sense of humor. I had so much fun teaching him.
Always quick to look for new challenges, Corbin soon decided to try playing the bass clarinet, a much larger version of the clarinet. This specialized instrument is much larger and far more unwieldy than its more commonly-seen cousin, but this didn’t stop Corbin - he set his mind to learning the instrument and was soon blasting out bass lines on an instrument nearly taller than he was!
It seems the unique, quirky and underappreciated nature of the bass clarinet really spoke to Corbin. As he continued to play the instrument, Corbin held things down in school band, playing bass lines and supportive background parts. At the same time, Corbin really took advantage of one-on-one lessons with me, learning to play more soloistic music in the high register of the bass clarinet. Whenever I had Corbin pick a song to learn for our lessons, he often made surprising and creative choices. I ended up repurposing many of these arrangements, using the music with other students.. because these songs worked so well and were just so fun to play! Corbin’s selections really helped us all get to the heart of the joy of making music.
A few of Corbin (and my) favorites included:
- “Path of The Wind” - Joe Hisashi (from the beautiful animated classic My Neighbor Totoro)
- “Undertale Medley” - Toby Fox (music from the brilliantly written, quirky, funny and poignant video game of the same name)
- “Jolyne’s Theme” and “Giorno’s Theme”- Yugo Kano (from the Manga/Anime epic JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure - I remember Corbin trying to explain the complicated plot of this one as I became increasingly confused by the complexity)
- “Luigi’s Mansion Theme” - Shinobu Tanaka & Kazumi Totaka (another song from a great game… perfect for Halloween!)
- “Vampire Killer” - Kinuyo Yamashita (from Castlevania… I cannot think of a better instrument than bass clarinet for this classic game’s signature song)
When the COVID lockdowns hit, Corbin was one of my first students to take his lessons entirely online. He did a great job adapting to the new format - I was so impressed to see that Corbin made as much progress taking virtual lessons as he did with in-person sessions. It is hard enough being a young adult even in the best of times, and his perseverance during this difficult period is a testament to his and his family’s strength.
Even more recently, Corbin prepared and won an audition for a spot in the Oakland Youth Orchestra. Youth orchestras don’t always have specific music for bass clarinet, but the ensemble made a place for him. This group plays a wide variety of repertoire, including major symphonic works written for professionals. I am so happy and proud that Corbin got to work with this group, and make music with other young artists. I have such a fond memory of working with Corbin on the overture for The Wreckers, an opera by Ethyl Smith. I’d never heard of this opera before, but the bass clarinet part is epic, and he did a great job. Corbin’s gleeful description of the opera’s crazy plot made me so happy.
I will miss Corbin dearly. I have been so lucky to know him in this one area of his multi-faceted and beautiful life.
Share with others
Donate in memory
