Kai, the Clarinet King

You may not know it if you pass him in the halls, but Junior Kai Johannessen is among the best young musicians in Maryland. Here’s a look into the life of the 2x Maryland All-State Clarinetist Kai Johannessen.

He’s a highly motivated, mature musician who not only studies music but revels in performances.  Aside from being promoted to senior all-state band as a sophomore, which is the highest position of instrumental playing for a high school student, he has had numerous high-profile performances, including playing for Governor Wes Moore in October. 

When asked how his passion for music started, Kai stated, “I started to play clarinet in 4th grade because it was similar to playing the recorder, which I played in general music.”  And from there, he found it interesting enough to continue and has been playing ever since. 

His daily life includes a packed schedule full of challenging classes: AP Music Theory, AP Research, and AP Calculus, to name a few. On top of that, he has to set time aside on Tuesdays and Thursdays for marching band practice, homework, and more practice at home for about an hour each night. He stated, “I will practice for about 45 mins to an hour, but no longer than that. It takes about two hours to learn a new piece, depending on how difficult the song is.”

The slight bump in the road that he would soon face was switching from classical music to jazz music–a step that made it a bit difficult for him to pursue his passion because of the differences between the genres.  He doesn’t plan to do this as a career, but he does love music enough to continue playing. Kai states, “No, I don’t plan to make this a lifetime thing; I plan to do this as a side hustle and also do gigs.”  

Kai not only appreciates the talent he’s cultivated by playing music, but he also understands everything else music has given him. He explained, “I can take the things I learned from playing the clarinet and use it in different parts of life.” He is a very musical person, as he not only plays clarinet but also saxophone. Learning multiple instruments is very demanding and takes a long time and lots of dedication and practice. 

“The longest time I’ve played the clarinet was for eight hours straight at All-state learning a new song.” This shows his dedication to playing clarinet, even if he isn’t considering it as a career. Kai sets an example for many to pursue their passions even if they experience bumps along the way.