BIO

DR. JACKIE MCILWAIN

SHE/HER/HERS

Dr. McIlwain studied clarinet at Middle Tennessee State University (B.M.), Indiana University (M.M.), and Florida State University (D.M.) with Dr. Todd Waldecker, Prof. Klug, and Dr. Frank Kowalsky as her respective major professors. Each degree earned was in clarinet performance, however, Dr. McIlwain approached her studies with music education and pedagogy in mind. She earned a Certificate for College Teaching at FSU and a cognate in music education at IU.

Dr. McIlwain began teaching at The University of Southern Mississippi in 2013 after having teaching posts at Southeastern Louisiana University and The Florida State University. She has cultivated a positive, encouraging, and safe studio atmosphere for students to flourish as themselves. This holistic approach allows students to express themselves freely as a person and musician, which is the prime state for growth and maturation, both personally and musically.

Performing is an exhilarating experience for Dr. McIlwain who enjoys keeping a busy performance schedule. Dr. McIlwain is dedicated to conveying musical intention in any format or venue, but particularly enjoys presenting solo recitals featuring a variety of genres. She performs solo recitals often at USM, various music conferences, universities across the country, and festivals around the world.

The orchestral performance schedule remains consistently active as the second clarinetist of the Meridian Symphony Orchestra and Bass Clarinet/Eb clarinetist of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. Dr. McIlwain also regularly performs with the Mobile Symphony Orchestra and Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra. Other groups she has performed in include the Northwest Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, and Tennessee Philharmonic.

Chamber music has been an exciting venture with many wonderful colleagues. Dr. McIlwain has participated in Category 5 Wind Quintet and Magnolia Reed Trio, both composed of USM School of Music faculty. These groups have taken regional, national, and international stages in many contexts including featured guest artist teaching and performing contracts, conference invitations, and performances for the International Double Reed Society and International Clarinet Association.

The most recent recording of Dr. McIlwain can be heard on her husband’s, Ben McIlwain, first solo CD entitled indefatigable in which she performed Alan Theisen’s Symphony No. 2: Pas de deux in 2022 with Dr. Ellen Elder, piano. The chamber version of this work was most recently performed at the International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFest and the International Trombone Festival. She partnered in the commission of this work and premiered it with the USM Wind Ensemble and also performed it with the Middle Tennessee State University Wind Ensemble. Dr. McIlwain was also invited to perform and record Joseph Schwanter’s Concerto for Wind Orchestra: Luminosity with the USM Wind Ensemble, which can now be found on Naxos.

While a music student, Dr. McIlwain experienced a performance-related injury that posed a significant threat to her career. After finding the Alexander Technique and Body Mapping she was able to recover and create a healthier and more mindful approach to music that inspired a survey of over 600 college-aged clarinetists as the basis for her doctoral treatise. When she began teaching a full studio Dr. McIlwain quickly realized that she could recognize alignment and body-use issues in her students but wasn’t sure how to address these interferences. After this realization, she started the training process to become a Licensed Body Mapping Educator. After completing the training in 2017 Dr. McIlwain was quick to incorporate the training into her clarinet teaching and has cultivated a culture of mindfulness and attention to the body and mind within her studio. Dr. McIlwain has been a member of the Association for Body Mapping Education since 2014 and is currently serving as a training mentor.

As an inspired teacher, Dr. McIlwain is co-author of three upcoming publications: Body Mapping for Clarinetists: New Frontiers in Clarinet Pedagogy published by GIA Publications, The Breathing Book for Clarinetists, and Flow Studies for Clarinetists, both of which are published by Mountain Peak Music. One of the greatest pleasures in her career is to share her knowledge of Body Mapping and clarinet pedagogy. These books bring her two passions together as a guide for all clarinetists to incorporate principles of Body Mapping into their everyday performance and teaching.

Quality equipment that feels and sounds great is essential for all performers, which is why Dr. McIlwain chooses to perform on Buffet clarinets and Vandoren mouthpieces, reeds, and ligatures. In 2017 Vandoren USA reached out to Dr. McIlwain to recruit her as a Vandoren Artist-Clinician. This position allows her to visit middle and high schools and bring equipment for the students to try. This outreach has proved to be beneficial to the surrounding communities.

Dr. McIlwain has been a devoted member of the International Clarinet Association for two decades and is honored to have recently been appointed the Mississippi State Chair.