In 2019, after looking unsuccessfully for information about playing the clarinet (or any wind instrument) during pregnancy and the postpartum period, I decided to embark on a research project to find out more. I surveyed 57 clarinetists who had given birth, consulted pedagogical sources on breathing for singers and wind instrumentalists, and pored over articles from medical journals. My goal was to examine the physical challenges of pregnancy and the postpartum period that may affect clarinetists, and understand how women deal with those challenges. From this I created a set of recommendations for clarinetists as well as their teachers, administrators and ensemble directors, to help support women and families during this life event.
