>>Coming Full Circle
    Indiana University School of Music, consistently ranked as one of the top music schools in the country and renowned for its incredible faculty, recently added a new Lecturer in Music for saxophone. Otis Murphy, 29, is the youngest faculty member in the school's history. The man whose music initially inspired Murphy to become a professional saxophone player at the age of 15 eventually became his teacher and biggest influence--IU Professor Emeritus and fellow Yamaha artist Dr. Eugene Rousseau.
    "I started sax in the 6th grade," explained Murphy, "but my life-changing moment came at 15. My father moonlighted evenings as a campus policeman at Georgia College. He loved classical music, and during his break he would go listen to it in the small music library. One evening he called home and asked my mom to bring me to the library. I'll never forget the moment when I walked through the doors there was a record playing this most amazing and beautiful sound--I had never heard anything like it. Dad held up the album cover; it was called Eugene Rousseau Plays the Saxophone. I suddenly knew just what I wanted to do."
    And Murphy pursued that goal with diligence, enrolling at the University of Georgia to study under Dr. Kenneth Fischer, a pupil of Rousseau's. He finally met Dr. Rousseau in 1994 when he won the prestigious Yamaha Young Performing Artist award. He headed to IU for his Masters shortly thereafter, where he graduated with the Performer's Certificate--IU's highest honor. Murphy also spent a year in France on a Fulbright Grant, studying with internationally acclaimed French saxophonist Jean-Yves Fourmeau, where he received the Prix de Perfectionnement, the final performance degree. "Fourmeau had a completely different style," says Murphy. "After eight years with Dr. Fischer and Dr. Rousseau, it was really nice to have someone with a different approach to playing the saxophone. Fourmeau opened my mind to seeing how the saxophone can be played well in so many different ways."
    Now Murphy will be passing that knowledge along to a new generation of young musicians. "I am very excited, and grateful to IU that they saw potential in such a young person," says Murphy. "I'm sure it was a tough decision. Eugene Rousseau spent 36 years building IU's saxophone program, and I realize I have a tremendous responsibility to maintain that excellence. At the same time I hope to create my own path with my own studio, as a unique person." Murphy also has goals on an international level. "I feel the classical saxophone field is so small, so specialized when compared to piano or violin. It's extremely important that we communicate. I'd like to establish more of an international scope for the saxophone at IU and in America."
    For prospective saxophonists, Murphy has three pieces of advice: "The most important one is that we should always remember why we play music--because we love it, and we enjoy it. It's easy to forget. The second thing is that we shouldn't be afraid to take risks and make mistakes. It's how we learn, and how we grow.
    "And finally, I wanted to say something that originated with Marcel Mule, Rousseau's teacher at the Paris Conservatory. He says 'On n'arriver jamais' which means, 'One never arrives.' That's what Rousseau has lived his 36 year career at IU by, and that's what I intend to do as well."

--Murphy plays a YAS-875.

Yamaha's Ycl-221 Bass Clarinet Allows for Comfortable Playing
The YCL-221 bass clarinet from Yamaha Corporation of America, Band & Orchestral division, boasts the new pro-neck angle, a design exclusive to this model, allowing for a natural playing position.

"The YCL-221 adds many new features to improve comfort while playing, reducing the risk of future problems associated with bad posture during rehearsals," stated Kurt Witt, Wind Instrument product manager.

The matte finish ABS body on the YCL-221 provides a better appearance, warmer sound, excellent response, and a lighter weight than a grenadilla wood body. The register tonehole position is scientifically designed for extremely accurate intonation and the easy-to-assemble joint system and rounded key connector make this an ideal instrument for students. The smaller-sized case design makes it easy to carry the bass clarinet back and forth to school, and requires less storage space.

Yamaha YM-6000 Marimba
    YM-6000 Custom Grand marimba is what gives world-class artists like Keiko Abe an instrument that inspires exciting musical and textural possibilities with every performance. It is one-of-a-kind instrument, representing the ultimate in design, construction, and materials. It offers a full five-octave range of carefully aged Honduran rosewood bars, cut and tuned by hand, and features a beautifully crafted, sturdy frame.

    Our uncompromising approach to tuning tone bars is a crucial part of what makes this instrument so exceptional. In addition, adjustable resonator caps in the lower 1-1/2 octaves allow "fine-tuning" of the sound to ensure a resonant tone even when changes in temperature and humidity occur.