Design · Practice · Grow
Welcome
I’m Austin McFarland—a teaching artist and creative strategist based in Northwest Arkansas. My work focuses on helping musicians build sustainable, meaningful careers that reflect the realities of today’s classical music landscape. Over the past decade, I’ve shaped a portfolio career that blends performing, teaching, cultural production, and long-term systems thinking—grounded in community, collaboration, and patience.
This site serves as a simple home base for my work. It’s intentionally lean, but very much alive. You’ll find information about what I’m working on, how I teach, and how to connect if our paths overlap.
What You’ll Find Here
My Work
Information about current projects, performances, collaborations, and professional roles—including chamber music, nonprofit leadership, and industry work.
My Studio
Details about my teaching approach, private studio, and work through the University of Arkansas Community Music School. This includes resources for single-reed players and information about lessons, coaching, and future training opportunities.
Writing
My longer-form writing and reflections live on Substack, where they take part in a broader, ongoing conversation. New pieces will be released there and linked back to this site as the work develops.
Connect
Ways to get in touch about lessons, collaborations, projects, or simply to continue the conversation.
A Practice Rooted in Community and Sustainability
Music has always been a relational practice for me—shaped by collaboration, mentorship, and shared responsibility. Across my work as a performer, teacher, and cultural producer, I’m motivated by a belief that artists thrive when they’re supported by strong communities and clear pathways forward.
Rather than chasing outdated, single-track models, my goal is to help musicians build whole, adaptable professional lives—ones that can grow, change shape, and endure over time.
(And yes, the houseplant theme is intentional. Building sustainable systems—musical or otherwise—requires patience, attention, and knowing when to let things grow.)
My Portfolio
Rather than organizing my work around a single role, I’ve built a portfolio career that allows teaching, performing, leadership, and industry work to inform one another. Each part of this portfolio serves a different function, but together they create a more sustainable, flexible, and human way of staying connected to music over time. This approach reflects both the realities of today’s classical music landscape and my belief that meaningful artistic lives are shaped through balance, adaptability, and long-term thinking—not a single track or title.
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My work with B. Corbin Clarinet Products sits at the intersection of musicians, educators, and the broader clarinet industry. As Sales Manager, I focus on building and maintaining strong dealer relationships across North America, working closely with retailers, teachers, and performers to make high-quality clarinet equipment more accessible and better supported.
This role involves direct dealer management, artist and educator relationships, and representing the company at conferences, festivals, and events throughout the year. I also work closely with international manufacturing partners to help align product development, distribution, and long-term brand sustainability with the real needs of clarinetists at every stage.
The goal is simple: to ensure that clarinetists—from beginners to working professionals—have access to reliable tools that support their artistic growth and long-term practice.
B. Corbin Clarinet Products
Royal GlobalConsidering a new instrument?
If you’re a clarinetist exploring options or looking to schedule a trial, feel free to reach out. I’m always happy to help players find an instrument that fits their needs, goals, and long-term practice. -
As Executive Director of the New Works Project, my work focuses on building shared infrastructure that supports the creation, collaboration, and circulation of new music. The organization commissions, publishes, and distributes contemporary works while providing professional development and practical support for artists working across disciplines within the classical music ecosystem.
This role brings together strategic thinking, community building, and long-term sustainability—creating pathways for artists to engage meaningfully with new work while helping the field evolve in ways that are accessible, repeatable, and artist-centered.
Interested in getting involved?
Whether you’re a composer, performer, educator, or supporter, there are many ways to participate in and help shape the work of New Works Project.
Learn More -
With over a decade of experience in music education, my work spans K–12 classrooms, higher education, private instruction, and ensemble leadership. Early in my career, I worked as a K–12 music educator, an experience that continues to shape how I approach teaching, rehearsal pacing, communication, and the developmental needs of young musicians.
Today, I teach, coach, and conduct musicians throughout Northwest Arkansas and across the Midwest and southern United States. As Adjunct Music Faculty at Northwest Arkansas Community College, I conduct the classical ensembles and teach applied woodwinds. My work also includes private instruction, clinics, and ensemble-based teaching, supporting musicians at a wide range of stages and career paths.
My pedagogical approach emphasizes strong technical foundations, clear musical communication, and adaptability. Rather than focusing on a single outcome, I help musicians build sustainable practices that integrate artistry, identity, and real-world constraints—so music remains something they can grow with over time. Whether working with individuals or ensembles, my goal is to equip musicians with the clarity and tools needed to collaborate, adapt, and stay engaged with music for the long term.
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As a single-reed specialist, I perform regularly in and around Northwest Arkansas, with much of my work rooted in chamber music and close collaboration. I’m drawn to projects that grow out of shared curiosity and long-term musical relationships, and I love making music with friends—especially when it allows space to explore less conventional formats.
I am a founding member of four chamber ensembles:
Cynical Duo — a single-reed duo with saxophonist Samantha Canon, focused on collaborative repertoire and flexible instrumentation.
Apollo Duo — a single- and double-reed duo with my partner, oboist Em Lindsey, exploring contemporary works and new repertoire shaped by close musical dialogue.
Conundrum — a reed trio for saxophone, clarinet, and oboe, an instrumentation that remains largely unexplored and offers unique possibilities for color, balance, and new commissions.
Quintessence — a reed quintet in which I serve as the Soprano clarinet chair, centered on ensemble-driven performance and the expansion of contemporary repertoire for reed chamber groups.
Together, these ensembles reflect my interest in adaptable instrumentation, collaborative process, and building performance projects that can grow organically over time.
