The Changing Role of the Bass Clarinet: Support for Its Integration into the Modern Clarinet Studio

The bass clarinet of the twenty-first century has come into its own. Composers often treat it as a solo instrument and clarinetists are more often expected to play bass clarinet. In the last half of the twentieth century, the amount of literature for bass clarinet has grown and the quality of the instruments have improved exponentially. Still, most university studios focus primarily on B-flat clarinet. This document is intended as a pedagogical guide for the inclusion of the bass clarinet in the clarinet studio. As support for incorporating the bass clarinet into the undergraduate curriculum, this document describes three areas of development: historical, pedagogical, and the development of literature. In addition, a survey and interviews were conducted in order to gain perspective on current attitudes about teaching and playing bass clarinet. Participants in the study consist of leading bass clarinet pedagogues in higher education, soloists/specialists, and orchestral players known internationally. Chapter 1 focuses on the history of the bass clarinet, beginning with the evolution of bass clarinet designs, followed by an overview of its changing role in the orchestra, chamber ensemble, band, and as a solo instrument. Chapter 2 focuses on pedagogy beginning with performance issues unique to the bass clarinet, followed by an examination of curricula from various types of university programs including those that offer specialty degrees in bass clarinet, those with degrees in multiple woodwind performance, and those with only a foundation in B-flat clarinet studies. Chapter 3 provides a selected, annotated bibliography of bass clarinet literature and criteria for suggested levels of study. Categories of music include “Warm-ups,” “Scale Studies,” “Methods, Guides and Studies,” “Orchestral Excerpts,” “Concerti,” “Works with Piano,” and “Unaccompanied Solo Bass Clarinet.” Chapter 4 is a culmination of the previous chapters and begins with results from the bass clarinet questionnaire, followed by the suggested course guide. The guide ranks literature appropriate for students from freshmen through graduate and professional levels. Bass clarinet literature is shown in conjunction with clarinet literature

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Telomere length and common disease: study design and analytical challenges.

Telomeres, the repetitive sequences that protect the ends of chromosomes, help to maintain genomic integrity and are of key importance to human health. The aim here is to give an overview of the evidence for the importance of telomere length (TL) to the risk of common disease, considering the strengths and weaknesses of different epidemiological study designs. Methods for measuring TL are described, all of which are subject to considerable measurement error. TL declines with age and varies in relation to factors such as smoking and obesity. It is also highly heritable (estimated heritability of ~40 to 50%), and genome-wide studies have identified a number of associated genetic variants. Epidemiological studies have shown shorter TL to be associated with risk of a number of common diseases, including cardiovascular disease and some cancers. The relationship with cancer appears complex, in that longer telomeres are associated with higher risk of some cancers. Prospective studies of the relationship between TL and disease, where TL is measured before diagnosis, have numerous advantages over retrospective studies, since they avoid the problems of reverse causality and differences in sample handling, but they are still subject to potential confounding. Studies of the genetic predictors of TL in relation to disease risk avoid these drawbacks, although they are not without limitations. Telomere biology is of major importance to the risk of common disease, but the complexities of the relationship are only now beginning to be understood.This research was supported by Cancer Research UK Programme Awards C588/A10589 and C588/A19167 (MMI and JHB) and C8197/A16565 (AMD and KAP) and the Isaac Newton Trust.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00439-015-1563-

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Student Recital

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Graduate Woodwind Quintet Recital

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Doctoral Recital

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Clarinet Ensemble Recital

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Doctoral Recital

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An Online Database for Informing Ecological Network Models: http://kelpforest.ucsc.edu

Ecological network models and analyses are recognized as valuable tools for understanding the dynamics and resiliency of ecosystems, and for informing ecosystem-based approaches to management. However, few databases exist that can provide the life history, demographic and species interaction information necessary to parameterize ecological network models. Faced with the difficulty of synthesizing the information required to construct models for kelp forest ecosystems along the West Coast of North America, we developed an online database (http://kelpforest.ucsc.edu/) to facilitate the collation and dissemination of such information. Many of the database’s attributes are novel yet the structure is applicable and adaptable to other ecosystem modeling efforts. Information for each taxonomic unit includes stage-specific life history, demography, and body-size allometries. Species interactions include trophic, competitive, facilitative, and parasitic forms. Each data entry is temporally and spatially explicit. The online data entry interface allows researchers anywhere to contribute and access information. Quality control is facilitated by attributing each entry to unique contributor identities and source citations. The database has proven useful as an archive of species and ecosystem-specific information in the development of several ecological network models, for informing management actions, and for education purposes (e.g., undergraduate and graduate training). To facilitate adaptation of the database by other researches for other ecosystems, the code and technical details on how to customize this database and apply it to other ecosystems are freely available and located at the following link (https://github.com/kelpforest-cameo/databaseui)