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 TagAuthor: Jessi Vandagriff
Managing 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 […]
Continue readingMore TagRhythm Lab – App Review
I am often amazed at how poorly my students count music. I had one student in particular who had been playing the bassoon for three years before he started lessons with me. The rhythms he played came out almost right, but when I asked him to count something out loud, he had no clue! He […]
Continue readingMore TagSimplify Your Studio – Charge a Materials Fee
Do your students buy their own music? Do you wait weeks for them to actually order it? Do you buy it for them? Do you wait weeks for them to pay you back? Are you frustrated with the time and energy this takes from you? The two best policy changes I ever made were moving […]
Continue readingMore TagTeaching Theory to Your Bassoon Students
We can’t leave it up to the piano teachers and public school teachers anymore. We need to be teaching theory to our bassoon students. When students understand the structure and elements of what they are practicing, their practice becomes much more effective. When they can look at a scale and say “Oh, that’s just a […]
Continue readingMore TagReproducible Theory Materials with Tenor Clef!
I’ve been teaching bassoon for over 15 years and have only recently added theory to my curriculum. I am embarrassed to say that I didn’t see teaching theory as my responsibility. I have had a complete change of heart! The following is a review of the theory materials I am using with many of my […]
Continue readingMore TagFree Intro to Music Theory Course at Coursera.org
Update: Since this post was first written, some of the course offerings have changed. The course described below is still available for free, but you may want to use another platform, such as edX. See this page for the most updated listings. I absolutely love the music theory and history courses offered by The Berklee School […]
Continue readingMore TagMusicandtheBassoon.org – A Review
Kristen Wolfe Jensen and her team have done the bassoon world a HUGE service by creating the website musicandthebassoon.org. The website serves as a beginning to intermediate level bassoon course, perfect for use by band directors with their students as well as students studying with traditional bassoon teachers. I once used this website with a student […]
Continue readingMore TagYoung Bassoon Students Need Recitals
My studio sponsors four student recitals per year. I think that teaching students to perform is just as important as teaching them to play the bassoon. I remember being surprised when many of my music school friends would say, “Oh, I love to play my instrument, but I don’t like to perform.” I didn’t get […]
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