Articles
 Everyone in life has gifts. We often don't like to brag about them and sometimes don't even recognize them. I am a firm believer that if you use your gifts daily as part of your life's work, you not only will be successful but will thrive.
In life I have been given a couple of gifts that are the core of my life's work. The first is my ability to see opportunity and know what direction to take it to grow. For whatever reason, my ideas have lead to others great success and to my own. I am excellent at seeing what needs to be done to advance a good cause or market a product or help someone get on the right path with their career.
For Hans Zinner
As a professional clarinetist, my frustration in not being able to find a good selection of great mouthpieces during the mid '80s was very high. Thanks to the late Jerry Hall, who introduced Zinner mouthpieces to me during the Clarinet Festival held in Chicago, IL, I not only recognizing I myself could have a great mouthpiece, but I saw a huge opportunity to help other clarinetists play better by advancing and promoting Zinner as a quality blank that others could finish. By choosing to encourage Zinner to not put out their own mouthpiece but instead sell their blank, I was able to expand the market to meet the needs of all clarinetists in their mouthpiece selection.
I was equally careful to ensure that every blank bear the Zinner name so that anyone who bought it knew where it came from. As the exclusive importer for Zinner for ten years, I recognized the opportunity to help Zinner significantly expand his United States market share by promoting his product as a blank and not a finished good; creating a new market for many mouthpiece makers that did not exist until I successfully did this.
Among the first to use Zinner mouthpiece blanks were Greg Smith and Richard Hawkins. After a few years I recruited others including Mike Lomax, Clark Fobes, Brad Behn, Fred Rast, and eventually The Leblanc Corporation. Zinner continues to be the most popular blank used by a very long list of quality mouthpiece makers to this day.
For DePaul University
It has always been a dream of mine, and remains a dream I still have today, to see every creative arts school have a program that includes developing the student as a whole person and not just their art form. Having been asked by the Dean of DePaul University to serve on the Advisory Board for The School of Music as well as design a course involving the business of music for DePaul's student, I was delighted. While the Dean told me that he would never endorse a degreed program on the business of music nor hire a full time facility member to run that program, I saw something much bigger for DePaul's student body.
The course I developed, designed, and taught, focusing on career development for artists and entrepreneurship. I then went on to create a couple of different student run organizations that were visible to DePaul faculty and successful as well as a student run music oriented job fair; the first of its kind. Over a ten year period of time, through my efforts, I was able to demonstrate the desire and capacity of the students I taught to the Dean.
When I started teaching at DePaul students knew little about their own creative goals and aspirations in the context of applying them to their career. Ten years later I had students coming to me with artistic business's started already needing guidance and students starting their careers while still attending DePaul.
I knew when I started at DePaul, ten years ago, that in time with my efforts the Dean's vision would change- and I was right. In 2005 my dream became reality and my mission was accomplished. DePaul now has a Performing Arts Management Program which is run by a full time faculty member.
In my own Business
I was able to build my first business, which I started at the age of 18 as a senior at Northwestern University, into a Top 100 retailer because of my ability to identify what the market needs. I went on to create three more businesses during a twenty year period, each sustaining double digit growth for over 17 of the 20 years I owned them. I was recognized by President Bush as a business leader for the state of Illinois in 2004 and in 2002 The National Association of Women Business Owner's honored me as Business Owner of The Year.
My creativity lead me to develop catalogs that had original artwork on the covers as well as insider tips and articles written by other accomplished musicians. I created, from the beginning of my business, a hand selection service that started with just clarinets. As I began to sell other instruments, I expanded to serve my customers by allowing them to work with the right professional instrument specialist to serve their playing needs.
As a result of my creativity and understanding of what the market needs, others in the music business, who were and are much larger, copied my ideas and continue to do so.
When you lead and are original in your thinking and creativity others will want to be like you because you achieve in business what they are struggling to achieve-growth.
For You
My second gift in life is the gift of expression. I am a very good communicator. I communicate through the beauty and expressiveness of my clarinet playing, as a speaker, teacher, and soon to be author.
As a result of being a good communicator, I am extraordinarily good at hand selecting instruments. It's more then just the playing attributes I find in a clarinet. It's the traits unique to your playing that I will help you find in the right instrument for you to sound and play your best.
When you make the gifts in life you are given a core part of how you earn a living, you can't but help others Stand Out in a Crowd.
Back to Top
 I would love to help you find the right instrument that fits your playing needs like a glove. To do that I need a few things from you.
In an effort to know your needs, I need you to be communicative and available for one detailed phone call and an exchange of emails for me to define and clarify what you need.
I also ask for your patience; if it is required. Sometimes what you are asking for in the right instrument requires some time to deliver. Other times it is readily available. Availability varies more than it has in the past. I go to Buffet very often and try a lot of instruments, however not every time I go am I able to try and choose instruments that fill the requirements of every order I have.
When you place an order with me it would be ideal if you would place the order 30-60 days ahead of when you really would like the instrument. By doing so I can ensure that I will provide you with the exact level of service you deserve to play your best.
Most of my orders are filled within 3 weeks, but by planning further ahead my service only gets better and better! I truly am devoted and committed to serving your requests.
Back to Top
According to NABIM ( National Association of Band Instrument Manufacurers), Buffet Crampon in the professional clarinet category, leads in market share with a resounding 87%. That means that for every 100 professional clarinets sold, 87 of them are Buffet!
Considering the number of other brands and models available 87% market share is truly a remarkable accomplishment.
Back to Top
 In my twenty years of music retailing I have sold, Buffet, Leblanc, Selmer, Yamaha, Rossi, and Patricola clarinets. I have stocked all of them for extended periods of time and as a result have really gotten to know personally all of their pros and cons as instruments. I also have hand selected almost all of them over twenty years. I have sold each of these manufacturer's Bb's, A's, Eb's, Bass Clarinets, C and D clarinets, Alto Clarinets, Basset Horns, Contra Basses and Contra Alto's. If they make it, I have sold it.
I have sold to a large number of "Somebody's" and "Everybody's" as well. I have heard every customer's comments about the various makes and models as well as helped them make choices about which clarinet to buy to best meet their performing, playing and financial needs.
Over my twenty years, unequivocally, the choice of 90% of my customers has been Buffet-Crampon. Personally, I have to agree with their choice. Buffet- Crampon's instruments are simply the best.
Mechanically, Buffet's instruments are superior to any other instrument made. As a professional player, adjustments need to be made to all instruments we choose. When Buffet clarinets are adjusted by a repair technician, only Buffet's hold the adjustments made to them, unlike other brands.
Additionally, Buffet-Crampon has the best plating of all the brands. In 20 years of sales it is only Buffet's plating that has never peeled, cracked, or scratched. Buffet-Crampon also has produced a mechanism that is resolutely firm and sturdy and lasts unlike others. Because of this attention to the mechanism, Buffet key work feels by far superior in action, balance, and bounce to facilitate ease of playing.
I am choosing, at this time, to only sell the best of the best-- Buffet Crampon; as my twenty years of retail experience has demonstrated resoundingly to me.
Back to Top
|
