Interlochen Arts Academy: Pre-college clarinet at its finest

The Interlochen Arts Academy, located in the beautiful forests of Interlochen Michigan, is one of the finest arts schools in the world.  Interlochen has produced many notable alumi including Anothony McGill, Samuel Caviezel, David Shifrin, Luis Baez, Franklin Cohen, Larry Combs, and Sean Osborne. With its fantastic combination of rigorous artistic training, excellent faculty, beautiful surroundings, and top-notch facilities, you can not go wrong.

Interlochen's current clarinet teacher is the renowned Deborah Chodacki. Ms. Chodacki was a student of Stanley Hasty at Eastman and of Robert Marcellus at Northwestern University. She is well known as a soloist, teacher, and ensemble musician. Her students have gone off to win positions with the Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, "President's Own" Marine Band, and more.

Having worked with Ms. Chodacki personally, I can attest to the fact that she is an incredible teacher. She has a deep knowledge of the clarinet and music and is able to convey it to the student in a very natural, fluid way. Her ability to help the student discover new things helps them to grow very rapidly as a player. She is also one of the most compassionate and outstanding people I have ever met. She loves all of her students dearly and does all that she can for them.

The school employs an incredible staff as well. The teachers, academic and artistic alike, are top-notch. They are knowledgeable, caring, and willing to help the students accomplish their goals. The academic teachers work hard to incorporate the arts into their curriculum, making it more interesting and relevant to their students. They are also very understanding of artistic commitments, making a point to work around performances and lessons.

The campus is simply beautiful. It is nestled between two lakes and in the middle of the woods. Walking to class is always gorgeous, no matter the season. I remember many times doing homework by the lake. Theory doesn't get much better than that.

The buildings are also very nice. Corson Auditorium is a beautiful performance area and frequently has big events come in, such as the Vienna Boys Choir, the Russian Circus, and more. Dendrinos Chapel is also a nice, intimate space for solo or chamber recitals. There is also the massive outdoor Kresge Auditorium which housed a Jason Mraz concert this year.

As for academic buildings, the Frohlich building is a new building which houses the theory and composition department. The other academic classes are held in the three rotundas on campus. It is a unique and interesting setup.

The dorms are pretty nice. The rooms are small, but if you are practicing like you should, you won't be spending much time in them anyway! Each room as its own bathroom with a shower. Most are two people to a bathroom, but some are set up suite style with four to a bathroom. It works out well and makes things simple. Most of the dorms are not air conditioned, but you will only feel it for maybe ten days out of the year.

Each of the floors in the dorms has a counselor, which is a person to run the floor, hold events, and be there for the students. All the counselors I knew were fun, friendly, and loving people who cared about all of their students. It is a really good system.

All in all, this school is in incredible choice for anyone wanting to go into music. It is especially suited for the clarinet as Ms. Chodacki is one of the finest teachers alive. Attending Interlochen will give you a huge advantage when it comes time to apply for college and conservatory. Though it does all come down to your playing, if you work hard, you will leave this school infinitely better than when you came.