My name is Miaka Kemp. I’m a clarinet player who loves to occasionally squeak with my pal Connor. By the way, Connor is the name of my clarinet, named after a close friend, who may or may not be relevant here. Connor is the reason I was able to slay my college audition and attend the University of Georgia as a music education student. He and I are like the dream team, or the gruesome twosome, depending on who is listening to me play.

Connor and I have been partners since December of my senior year in high school. He came to me for Christmas because I needed a better partner in order to get into the school of music. We have been working together since, and the amount of growth we have experienced together is insurmountable. We have experienced so much together, from all of the trips taken as a Redcoat to my first college recital in Fall 2018. He has allowed me to be the best musician I can be, even though the end of the previous semester says otherwise.

I would absolutely love to keep the dynamic duo together, but my time as a full-time clarinet player is limited, and grows shorter each second. Once I graduate, I will spend more of my time on a podium teaching kids to play music instead of actually playing the music myself. There may even come a time where Connor finds a new partner in order to benefit a future student who may need him more than I will. Even though we won’t perform together as much once I graduate, the partnership he and I have will live on forever. Or until one of us breaks.