With over 30 years of experience playing with TOP orchestras and teaching along the way, let me guide you to become YOUR OWN best teacher.
I have 30 years of experience playing and teaching at all levels both privately and at University. Formerly clarinetist with The Naples Philharmonic and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestras in the U.S.A. I am currently the Associate Principal Clarinetist with the Galicia Symphony Orchestra in Spain.
Being like my former teacher Professor Yehuda Gilad a restless investigator, I consider myself to be at the peak of my career and more prepared than ever to help clarinetists achieve their goals. I have analyzed most technicals difficulties we may encounter and have tricks to solving them. The body has memory and know how to program fingers, tongue, air, etc. to flow in our favor to allow us to mainly focus on making music. Knowing how to practice is 90% of the game. A lot of musicians practice hours a day mindlessly. If you are mindful while you practice you will achieve goals a lot sooner.
I believe we are all very creative individuals and I love teaching because it gives me the opportunity to show clarinet players the way of least resistance towards becoming great musicians.
It is great to develop good technique and I will help you achieve that in a very well-thought-out way but, it is more important to see it as a means to transcend it so that musical ideas can transpire effortlessly. My goal is to help you get to the point where your mental musical ideas materialize through the clarinet in a very convincing and natural way. We will rationalize along the way so that intuition and mindfulness walk together.
I will help you develop your OWN personal VOICE the way I developed mine. I don't want you to sound like me, nor like any other artist. My goal is to get you in touch with what YOU have to say personally and help you get it out 100%. For that we will use conventional and sometimes not so conventional methods, even ones inspired by ancient instruments and singing styles.
Lastly let me tell you that I am a firm believer in walking this path in an encouraging manner but always striving for perfection. Music is wonderful and we are very lucky to be an instrument through which music by great composers comes alive!.
Why should you have a lesson with me you might be wondering?... former students say I am easy going and have a gift for analyzing problems and giving practical easy to follow solutions. Also they say my methods really help in the long run, as opposed to being quick fixes that don't last.
Even though I specialize on orchestral studies I can help clarinet players at all levels. I love to motivate my students to contemplate higher and higher versions of themselves, musical ideas included. You can only play at the level you can imagine or contemplate. Many of my students have now great jobs and their feedback is one that reflects having helped them as a guide on their journey to finding their highest potential.
I have been principal clarinet with Boulder Symphony for 8 years. Lately, I feel my playing isn't progressing and I happened to notice that Iván Marín García is available at Play with a Pro, whom I have been following on Youtube for a while. I have to admit that taking that first step to contact Ivan and set up the first lesson made me somewhat uneasy. However, the lessons have been way beyond my expectation: they are very inspiring and have elevated the horizon on what I may achieve as a musician. Within a very short period of time, Ivan has got me to think about a lot of things which I never thought about. I can feel that I am approaching music in a very different mindset. I am amazed by the progress I have made under him so far, and I am looking forward to more to come as I plan on working with him on a long term basis. I would encourage people to take that difficult first step to contact Ivan. You will be glad you did.
I strongly recommend Ivan as a teacher either for just one lesson or as a regular teacher. He has the ability to motivate from the very beginning of the lesson and goes straight to the key point that you need to work on or improve, making his lessons really worth it. He is very experienced both in the orchestral repertoire or preparing for auditions as well as working on any solo piece, sonata or concerto. His wide knowledge as mouthpieces craftsman with his great playing skills and experience , make him the perfect guide to accompany you into finding your own voice.
Ivan is the type of teacher every musician should look for. A guide who is capable of transmitting knowledge that goes beyond the technique and interpretation of the clarinet. To me he is a versatile teacher who motivates and gets involved in whatever aspects needs to be worked on. He has a lot of experience and is very knowledgeable about the inner human aspects. I recommend him as a teacher because his ability to get the best out of me is extraordinary.