
Clarinet
- Bachelor of Music (BM)
- Performance Diploma (PDip)
- Artist Diploma (ADip)
Our clarinet program offers a collaborative studio environment for weekly lessons, master classes of solo, chamber, and orchestral excerpt study, and reed making with clarinet reed room access. Students work closely with master teacher Richard Hawkins, who since 1990 has developed some of the most notable performers and teachers in the field of clarinet today.

Photo credit: Carina Wu
Master Classes
Weekly studio classes and regular master classes for clarinet students involve mock orchestral auditions, reinforcement of fundamentals, chamber music performances, solo recital performances, guest master classes, and many other types of performance opportunities. We encourage students to support their colleagues with positive and constructive feedback. Oberlin cultivates a learning environment in which students are open to making mistakes without consequence in larger public performances.

Time to Play
We place first-year students among returning students equally and fairly within the sections of all ensembles. We nurture them in a collaborative studio environment to inspire personal growth and development. Through orchestral, chamber music, jazz, improvisational, and historical through contemporary music for the clarinet, we encourage versatility and provide immense breadth of experience.
Sample Courses
- WELL 110 - Introduction to Body Mapping 2 credits
- APST 802 - Orchestral Repertoire for Woodwinds 2 credits
- APST 805 - Contemporary Chamber Music 2 credits
- PHYS 054 - Musical Acoustics 4 credits
Clarinet Faculty
Conservatory faculty maintain active performance schedules while remaining accessible and committed to their students. Individual instruction is paramount to helping students develop their mechanical, technical, stylistic, psychological, and musical skills.
Explore Faculty within ClarinetSee Profile“Preparing students for today’s music field is ever-changing. Oberlin provides an atmosphere of growth and preparation for my undergraduate students to expand their musical knowledge. It is my aim to present traditional and modern teaching methods to prepare each individual to find their career path while promoting a healthy and happy environment to work with their peers.”
Richard Hawkins, Professor of Clarinet
Clarinet News
Life After Oberlin
Clarinet and double-degree graduates are prepared to pursue professional music careers as soloists or with a range of ensembles—from major orchestras to contemporary chamber groups; many earn principal appointments. Others work in schools, conservatories, and in all facets of society.