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Clarice the Clarinet gets second chance with new band student

Subhead
Ruminations
Lead Summary
By
Mavis Fodness, Reporter

Naming an animal is not at all unusual.
As a child I named every cat — along with a special chicken or cow.
Giving an object a name is a little more unusual.
In elementary school I gave my first band instrument, a clarinet, the name Clarice.
Clarice the Clarinet.
I grin at the thought. You might think I named the black plastic instrument after Jodie Foster’s character in the horror movie, “Silence of the Lambs.”
However, I chose the name Clarice for the B-flat clarinet long before that 1991 movie release. My years of clarinet playing came in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Clarice more than likely came from the animated 1964 Christmas television show, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.” Clarice was the name of Rudolph’s girlfriend.
Clarice the Clarinet became a reminder of my middle and high school years. My parents purchased her from a former band student, and I recall carrying that Bundy clarinet everywhere.
She often became a footstool while riding on the school bus. She became the envy of other students because her case had a special area for the lesson book. She accompanied me on trips to Des Moines, Iowa, and Kansas City, Missouri. She is the reason why I can read music today.
My musical endeavors are currently limited to singing in church. I no longer play an instrument but still have a great appreciation for those who do.
A couple of weeks ago, I uncovered Clarice from behind the living room entertainment center. She joined another clarinet (this one is not named) in the convenient storage area.
Clarice, however, will soon get a new home. Because of her poor condition I haven’t placed my fingers in the open holes in decades. I never considered selling her without replacing all the pads, but I never got around to taking her to the repair shop.
So for years, Clarice moved from my childhood home to each of my adult homes. Now after almost 15 years of being behind the same entertainment center, it’s time to part with Clarice.
A company in Aberdeen, South Dakota, takes unwanted instruments, cleans them, reconditions them, and makes repairs for someone to use again.
I talked with a representative from Taylor Music. She talked of their school trade program, where a school can receive a musical instrument and turn the piece into Taylor for repair or credit toward instruments current band students can use.
The representative gave me hope that Clarice could be restored to useable condition and be purchased by a student at an affordable price, much like what was done for me as a budding band student.

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