*UPDATE: See the end of the post for the product that finally got me standing My students love watching bassoon videos on YouTube. It doesn’t take very many videos before they start asking me if they should be playing the bassoon standing up. I have never been really confident in my answer, as I tried […]
Continue readingMore TagYear: 2015
Virtual Recitals on YouTube
What do you do when your students have a conflict with a scheduled studio recital? I usually have one or two students in this boat, but this year it happened to over half of my bassoonists! All of my high school students qualified for the Utah State Solo/Ensemble Festival—and the festival just happened to coincide […]
Continue readingMore Tagorchestralbassoon.com – A Review
Once in a while I find a resource that is excellent in every way. Orchestralbassoon.com is one of those resources. It contains performance scores, autograph scores, audio examples, historical notes, harmonic analyses–and the list goes on. It is a clean, thorough, and intuitive website that I return to again and again. I always learn something new. […]
Continue readingMore TagHighlighter Tape – My New Favorite Office Supply
Over the past year I attended a few masterclasses that focused on teaching students how to practice. Most of the techniques I learned involved writing on, highlighting, and basically destroying the student’s music. I saw teachers using everything from sharpies to erasable highlighters. I myself used the erasable highlighters for a year, but now I […]
Continue readingMore TagBartering and the Bassoon Teacher
Bartering is a common and accepted way for you to receive compensation for teaching lessons. It’s so mainstream that even the IRS provides a space for you to report bartering transactions on your taxes. So how do you know if a bartering arrangement is right for you? Figure out what your needs really are Don’t […]
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From Barrick Stees (Cleveland Orchestra and Cleveland Institute of Music): Read the rest of this article at steesbassoon.com. Don’t miss the sections for bassoon teachers and parents at the end.
Continue readingMore TagTeaching Bassoon Embouchure
A correct bassoon embouchure is not something that students figure out on their own. While there are multiple acceptable embouchures (dependent upon teacher, country, reed style, bassoon setup, etc.), the embouchure most beginning bassoonists default to is incorrect. A thin, wide, lips around teeth, biting embouchure is never appropriate. I guarantee that you will have […]
Continue readingMore TagRejection: Summer Festivals
From Rob Knopper, percussionist with the Met Orchestra. Link to the rest at robknopper.com. Also check out his FREE audition cheat sheet.
Continue readingMore TagManaging a Music Lending Library
There is a way to loan music to students without saying goodbye to it forever. I use a combination of a personalized stamp, personalized stickers, and a very handy app (Who Has What 2) to keep track of my stuff. I also have a built-in reimbursement program should my items never return. More about that […]
Continue readingMore TagHow to Plan a Recital
Recitals are a lot of work, I admit. But they are necessary if we hope to train future performers. A violinist friend of mine has written a very helpful post about planning a recital. Check out her website for the full rundown and even a free downloadable recital planning checklist. Her post covers finding a venue, hiring […]
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