A Clarinet, a cause, and a calling

Abby Maher was in fifth grade when she fell in love with the clarinet. Years later, as a music education and clarinet performance major at CCM on track to graduate in 2028, and a recipient of a Hoffman Study Abroad Scholarship, she beheld the magic behind the clarinet’s velvety, captivating sound — and the gift of sharing it.

Maher spent three weeks in Moshi, Tanzania, as part of the Daraja Music Initiative, a U.S.-based non-profit that provides children with what is typically their first exposure to classical music.

“I fell in love with the mission,” she says. “We teach students at the general primary school. We teach clarinet, violin and general music as well. While there we also spend time planting Mpingo trees and pruning them and educating the community about the significance of the trees and why it’s important to take care of them.”

The Mpingo, an endangered blackwood native to Africa, is the source of the world’s most prized clarinets and oboes.

One of Maher’s most memorable moments included teaching her students about syncopation, an unexpected change in rhythm or accents during a piece of music that catches the listener’s attention.

“I shared a lesson I had used in one of my music education classes at CCM, and they picked up on it very quickly,” Maher recalls. “I taught it to them on a Friday. Over the weekend I expected them to forget it. And then I came back on Tuesday and as soon as they saw me walk into the classroom their faces lit up and they started singing the song about syncopation. I was so proud of them and so happy. It made me realize I love working with younger students. It made me rethink what kind of path I wanted in the future.”

A CCM Honors Scholar, she says that receiving her scholarship has changed her view of the world. “It allowed me to study abroad and bring my passion for music to people in Tanzania. I wouldn’t have been able to do that without the generosity of donors.”

Maher was drawn to music very early on. Her grandmother had a piano, she says, “and every time I went there, I would have to play it.” She began taking piano lessons at age five. But it was the clarinet that stole her heart. “I was originally planning on playing saxophone in fifth grade, but once I picked up the clarinet and made a sound on it, right away I knew it was the instrument for me.”

Performing with the Ohio All-State Band in high school cemented her decision to pursue a career in music. While exploring her college options, she visited CCM and had a private lesson with Associate Professor Pavel Vinnitsky, Chair of the Woodwinds, Brass and Percussion Department. “He has such an amazing energy and spirit and is so kind, so inspiring,” Maher says. “I remember walking out of that lesson thinking, ‘This is the place I want to be; this is the environment I want to spend the next 4½ years in.’”

Maher says her goal is to become a well-rounded music educator and performer who inspires the joy of music in students from all backgrounds. And that includes continuing her involvement with the Daraja Music Initiative.

“They don’t have access to a lot of instruments. We bring all the instruments, but there are not enough for all the children who would like to participate. This inspired me to start an instrument donation program, which is still an idea in progress. My hope is to get people to donate old instruments that are just sitting around, and we’ll send them to Tanzania so they can have a new life bringing joy to people.”

Featured image at top: Abby Maher is a student in UC's College-Conservatory of Music. Photo/UC Alumni Association