Why I Chose Backun
"I was immediately drawn to the rich tone, intonation, and responsiveness of the clarinet. The Lumière allows me expand my expressionistic capabilities."
About
Amy Guffey serves as Instructor of Clarinet at Kansas State University. She holds degrees from Shenandoah University, Ball State University, and Florida State University, where her doctoral treatise explored clarinet concerti composed between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2013. Her career as a clarinetist has taken her to South Korea, Europe, and throughout the United States. Her principal teachers include Deborah Bish, Caroline Hartig, Frank Kowalsky, Kathleen Mulcahy, and Charlene Zimmerman. In addition to her studies with the aforementioned teachers, she has worked with esteemed clarinetists such as Mark Nuccio, Pascual Martinez-Forteza, Lawrie Bloom, Victoria Luperi, and Michael Lowenstern.
Dr. Guffey currently serves on the International Clarinet Association (ICA) Youth Involvement Committee. Prior to receiving her doctorate, she taught elementary instrumental music in the Washington, D.C. area, woodwinds at Yongsan International School (South Korea), blockflöte at Otfried-Preußler-Grundschule (Germany), and early childhood music at Cornerstone Center for the Arts (IN). While working in these various learning environments, she gained experience differentiating learning experiences for non-typical learners, ages pre-K-12.
