About Me
John Patzlaff is currently in his first year of teaching at Roncalli Elementary in Aberdeen, SD. He recently obtained a Bachelor's degree with Honors in Instrumental/Vocal Music Education at Northern State University, also in Aberdeen. Performing mainly on the clarinet and saxophone, John also has a passion for composition, taking many courses and independent studies in composition, counterpoint, and orchestration during his time at NSU. John has the great pleasure of studying clarinet with Dr. Alan LaFave and has studied composition with Dr. William Wieland and Dr. Alan Jacobson.
John has delved into many different musical areas in his years of composing. His first piece, Panther Fanfare (2010), was written as an Honors Project for Basic Music Theory II and was written for the Platte-Geddes High School Band under the direction of Jeff Patzlaff. He then went on to compose smaller works for other classes, leading him to compose Spring and Winter (2011) for NSU's production of Love's Labour's Lost. This led to working with theater student Daniel Jensen in writing music for a one-act musical entitled Providence: a musical myth. More recent compositions were premiered at his Composition Recial on April 22nd, 2013, including works for trombone, clarinet, alto saxophone, soprano, piano, clarinet quartet, tenor, and jazz combo. One of these, A Changing Wind for clarinet quartet, won the South Dakota MTNA Composition Competition and received honorable mention in the West Central Division contest. John is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), National Association of Composers USA (NACUSA), the American Composers Forum, the International Clarinetist's Association, and the South Dakota Bandmasters.
John's Educational Online Portfolio
Article from Composer's Circle
John has delved into many different musical areas in his years of composing. His first piece, Panther Fanfare (2010), was written as an Honors Project for Basic Music Theory II and was written for the Platte-Geddes High School Band under the direction of Jeff Patzlaff. He then went on to compose smaller works for other classes, leading him to compose Spring and Winter (2011) for NSU's production of Love's Labour's Lost. This led to working with theater student Daniel Jensen in writing music for a one-act musical entitled Providence: a musical myth. More recent compositions were premiered at his Composition Recial on April 22nd, 2013, including works for trombone, clarinet, alto saxophone, soprano, piano, clarinet quartet, tenor, and jazz combo. One of these, A Changing Wind for clarinet quartet, won the South Dakota MTNA Composition Competition and received honorable mention in the West Central Division contest. John is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), National Association of Composers USA (NACUSA), the American Composers Forum, the International Clarinetist's Association, and the South Dakota Bandmasters.
John's Educational Online Portfolio
Article from Composer's Circle
Indiana composer Michael Schelle and I after the Aberdeen University Civic Symphony's concert on November 16th, 2013. I had the pleasure of playing his Extraction on No. 9 with NSU's Symphonic Band and participating in a private lesson and small-group discussions during the week of his residency. For more of Dr. Schelle's music, visit his website here.
