I get email on a pretty regular basis from people who are considering multiple woodwinds degree programs. They usually have excellent questions for which there are no real answers, but I’m always happy to try to offer whatever perspective I’ve got.

I heard recently from one of my readers who is working on a bachelor’s degree at a very large and well-respected university music department. They are currently enrolled as a double major in jazz studies (playing primarily saxophone) and flute performance, and have some skills in additional woodwinds.

The question was whether this person should continue on that track, or switch to a double major in jazz studies with a 5-instrument multiple woodwinds degree.

I like the idea of getting just a flute degree, because it makes it sound like I’m a REAL flute player. The woodwind degree also makes it sound like I can play any double—but I’m afraid it still kind of sounds like I’m just a “doubler.” (Not really an EXPERT at any of them).

The work I’d like to do after school is anything that utilizes woodwind doublers – playing in shows, playing on cruise ships, playing in big bands, playing in recording studios (dream job!).

What would you suggest I do?

Here’s the best advice I was able to come up with. (All quotes here are somewhat edited.)

For the kind of career you are talking about, you won’t need a degree of any kind—you’ll just need to play at a very serious level. Your reputation will get you gigs, and what’s on the diploma won’t matter. (Of course, the study you put into your degree will help you become the player you want to be.)

You may be right that the flute degree will give you some cred as a flutist, and some people may not take the woodwind doubling degree as seriously. But in most situations—getting gigs, applying to graduate schools, etc.—you will be required to prove yourself as a player anyway.

In general, I’m not a big fan of bachelors-level degrees in multiple instruments—I think most students benefit at that level from focusing on one instrument, and really learning the kind of musicianship that you can only achieve if you have already conquered the technical challenges of an instrument. Studying multiple instruments multiplies the technical challenges. You will have to decide, perhaps with the help of your professors, if that advice applies to you.

A double major at a high-caliber music program is already a lot to deal with. You might consider options such as a multiple woodwinds degree with a jazz minor, or a BM multiple woodwinds and a masters in jazz studies (or vice versa). Again, you will have to decide what works for you.

The person reads this blog, so if you’ve got additional advice, feel free to add your comments below.

Here are seven habits (apologies to Stephen Covey) I’ve observed so far in my most effective university music students—those that are making consistent improvement, performing successfully, and progressing toward graduation and career.

1. Hit the practice rooms early. My best students don’t wait until the final hours of the day to get their practicing done. Practicing earlier on establishes in the student’s mind (and mine) that practicing is a priority. It also makes practice sessions more focused and less fatigue-prone, and encourages healthier sleep habits. (I do usually have the university’s music building to myself when I get to the office to practice at 7:00 am, but most weekdays a few student go-getters are warming up in the practice rooms by 8.)
2. Use a pencil. A lot. I know it’s going to be a successful lesson when a student opens their etude book or repertoire piece and it’s covered with pencil marks. It shows me that students are getting to know their music in a meaningful, in-depth way, and that they are thinking through technical and interpretive issues. The students who keep their sheet music in perfect mint condition? Not so much.
3. Show respect. My students have charming Southern manners (I’ve never been called “sir” so much in my life!). In my best students, the respect is evident not only in their language but in their attitudes and actions. They listen and follow instructions when I or their other professors speak, and also show conscientious respect for the university staff, their fellow students, concert audiences and community members, and everyone else.
4. Seek out musical experiences. Like most university music students, mine have a requirement to attend a certain number of recitals and concerts per semester. Some of my students plan carefully in order to get the right number of performances in. But others attend every musical event on campus, and then go looking for more live music in the community. These same students are the ones who can’t wait to find out what next semester’s required recording will be.
5. Diversify. Good music students have the problem of wanting to play (or sing) in all the ensembles. While it’s definitely possible to spread oneself too thin, and it’s not always possible to be in all the ensembles that are of interest, it is healthy to get a taste of lots of musical situations. My best woodwind students play not only in the concert bands, but also in chamber groups, jazz band, or marching band, sing in the choirs or opera troupe, or even seek out opportunities to gain ensemble experience on secondary instruments. Many also play or sing in local bands, church services, and so forth.
6. Keep up with academic work. The students who are getting their practicing done, sitting first chair in the ensembles, putting on successful recitals, and otherwise training to be very fine musicians also seem to be the ones who are excelling in the academic side of their college studies. The ones who will have successful careers as musicians and music educators are gaining musical skills plus an organized, disciplined, and well-rounded approach to life.
7. Self-motivate. With a long fall break weekend around the corner, a few of my top students have approached me to make sure we can reschedule the lessons they stand to miss. They are the same ones who get their practicing done without being bribed or threatened. Some of my other students, I think, are hoping that the break means not having to practice or prepare (or to face my wrath for once again failing to do so).

What kind of student are you?

If you could go back to 1999 and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?

I enjoyed the responses, including one from clarinetist Marion Harrington.

Although I was (*ahem*) not invited to participate, I’ve been thinking about the last ten years of my life and what brought me to where I am now. Over the last few weeks I’ve gotten a number of emails from musicians who are about the age I was ten years ago, who are interested in pursuing graduate school in multiple woodwinds, and so I’ve been in advice-giving mode already.

Since I missed posting at the end of 2009 anyway, I figure I can go ahead and change the format a little, as I think I’ve got more than one piece of advice for 2000 me.

Most of the “Dear 1999″ bloggers are pursuing careers as performers, which I consider to be an important part of what I do, but my newly-begun main gig is as a university music professor. I am fortunate to be doing pretty much exactly what I love and what I’ve been aiming for for the past ten years, although sometimes it was hard to tell if I was headed in the right direction.

So here’s my advice, 2000 Bret:

• So. You’re a saxophone performance major. How many paying classical saxophone gigs do you think you will get in the next ten years? Awfully close to zero. If you keep working on your jazz chops, you’ll get a few more. If you can learn to play decent flute and clarinet, you’ll double your employability; add piccolo, and you’ll double it again. And if you can play the double reeds with confidence, you’ll never wonder if you’re getting hired for the gig—you’ll only wonder which horns you need to bring.
• Speaking of gigs, you’re young, energetic, and inexperienced enough that you can justify taking just about any gig that comes along. Do it. Weddings, parties, Oktoberfests—if they call, you play. Same thing goes for teaching gigs.
• As you add to your arsenal of doubles, don’t forget to be a beginner at them. Some of your teachers, knowing that you are accomplished on other instruments, will feel uncomfortable assigning you beginner-level etudes and such, and you may feel that you don’t need them, either. You are wrong. Insist on building a solid foundation on each instrument.
• Intonation is really, really, really important. Don’t stop working on your tone and technique, but, if you have to scale those back just a little to work on pitch, it will be worth it.
• Realize that, when the time comes to apply for that first faculty position, you will be up against a lot of competition that is at least as qualified and talented as you. Chops and a strong CV are important, but you also have to be the kind of guy that the other faculty want to work with. The people on the hiring committees are your potential future colleagues.
• Oh, and one more thing. You know how you’ve always been able to eat whatever you want without gaining a pound? Enjoy it while you can.

Best regards,

2010 Bret

I had the privilege of visiting the DSU campus last month, and fell in love with the charming campus, the outstanding music faculty, the state-of-the-art performance and recording facilities, and, of course, the bright and friendly students, for whom I got to present a performance and masterclass.

I’m looking forward to getting started at Delta State, where I will teach all of the reed instruments (oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and saxophone), woodwind methods, and other music courses. Classes start August 17th!

Delta State University's Bologna Performing Arts Center

The Fightin' Okra–I kid you not

If you want to enter a multiple woodwinds degree program, you should already have at least a basic technical command of each instrument to be included on the degree. This really should include a background of good private instruction on each instrument. In my experience, self-taught players on any instrument are rarely very well prepared for the rigors of college-level study.

Bachelor’s-level programs are rare, and I think that’s with good reason. For most woodwind players, I think, diving right into college-level study of three or more instruments is ill-advised. You will do much better to spend those years focusing on your strongest instrument, developing your musicianship, learning good practicing techniques, and hopefully racking up some achievements like contest awards or high placement in top university ensembles. All of those things benefited me very much (my bachelor’s degree is in saxophone performance), and it’s likely I wouldn’t have been able to achieve as much if I had been dividing my practice hours between multiple instruments (plus completing music coursework AND general education coursework).

The only circumstances under which I would really recommend multiple woodwinds study at the bachelor’s degree level are cases where young musicians have had several years of excellent instruction on multiple instruments, and enjoyed significant success on each, or perhaps cases where experienced musicians already have professional or semi-pro doubling experience and are entering school a little later in life.

I DO recommend that aspiring doublers at the undergraduate level make good use of their summers, taking private lessons on their doubles, and playing those instruments in less-competitive summer ensemble courses (if available).

Before moving on to graduate degrees, let me point out one thing that doesn’t seem to occur to undergraduate music students until it’s too late: a bachelor’s degree in music performance isn’t good for much. You don’t need a degree to be a professional musician. A BM degree is good for getting an entry-level office-type job that just requires a degree in something—or for applying to graduate music programs. A music education degree, on the other hand, should qualify you to teach music in the public schools. Even if you are planning on graduate study anyway, it might not hurt to have the BME as a plan “B.” If I could go back and do it over, I would give this idea serious consideration.

Master’s-level programs are the most common multiple woodwinds degrees. If you are studying music performance at the master’s level, you most likely are headed for a college teaching career, probably after completion of a doctorate. A multiple woodwinds degree at this level can be a nice CV enhancement for a woodwind player who plans to return to single-instrument study at the doctoral level.

Some multiple woodwinds degree programs are organized in terms of a “primary” instrument and one or more “secondary” instruments, and others take more of a true multi-instrumentalist approach; if your goal is significant achievement on one instrument plus lesser focus on other instruments, then a primary/secondaries program is your best bet.

Doctoral programs are rare but available. I would suggest these programs (even primary/secondaries-oriented progams) only for musicians who are serious about each instrument individually. Here’s why I think so.

Graduates of doctoral-level performance degree programs must, in order to compete in the academic job market, be highly skilled performers. Spreading your focus and your practice hours across several instruments unavoidably results in a lower achievement on each instrument than if that instrument had been studied exclusively. There just aren’t enough hours in a day to learn to play three, four, or five instruments at a doctoral level within the time frame of a DM or DMA program. Graduates of multiple woodwinds programs have a skill set that is broader than single-instrument graduates, but not as deep. There are faculty positions out there that need that broader skill set, especially at smaller schools where the professors wear several hats, but if it’s your goal to be the bassoon teacher at a large and well-known school, then your doctoral work probably ought to be focused on the bassoon.

Some previous posts:

• University/conservatory degree programs in woodwind doubling
• Auditioning for a multiple woodwinds degree program

And, of course, check out the list of multiple woodwinds degree programs:

• College and university degree programs in woodwind doubling

Dr. Bret Pimentel, D. M. A.

The University of Georgia

May 9, 2009

Program:

The University of Georgia
Hugh Hodgson School of Music
presents a graduate recital

Bret Pimentel, woodwinds
Anatoly Sheludyakov, piano
Monday, November 3, 2008 6:30 pm, Edge Recital Hall

Sonate for Flute and Piano
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
I. Allegro malinconico
II. Cantilena
III. Presto giocoso

Six Metamorphoses after Ovid for solo oboe, op. 49
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
I. Pan, who played upon the reed pipe which was Syrinx, his beloved.
II. Phaeton, who rode upon the chariot of the sun for one day and was hurled into the river Padus by a thunderbolt.
III. Niobe, who, lamenting the death of her fourteen children, was turned into a mountain.
IV. Bacchus, at whose feasts is heard the noise of gaggling women’s tattling tongues and shouting out of boys.
V. Narcissus, who fell in love with his own image and became a flower.
VI. Arethusa, who, flying from the love of Alpheus the river god, was turned into a fountain.

Romances for oboe and piano, op. 94
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
I. Nicht schnell
III. Nicht schnell

Élégie for soprano saxophone and piano
Jindrich Feld (1925-2007)

Concertino da Camera for alto saxophone and piano
Jacques Ibert
I. Allegro con moto (1890-1962)
II. Larghetto – Animato molto

This recital is presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Musical Arts in Woodwind Performance. Mr. Pimentel is a student of Dr. Dwight Manning, Ms. Angela Jones-Reus and Dr. Kenneth Fischer.

The capitalization, etc., gets a little inconsistent when you have three different professors proofreading.

Originally there was to be a Bach flute sonata (E-flat) as well, but the program got too long. Dr. Manning was anxious to cut the second of the Schumann Romances, too, since it’s such an endurance problem. I would have preferred to play the complete piece, but it’s already enough of a feat to play flute, oboe, and two saxophones within an hour.

I’m following my usual pattern of flute first (since it has the most fragile embouchure), oboe next (since I’ll need some remaining endurance to keep it under control), and then saxophone (since it’s still, in a way, my comfort zone, and I’ll hopefully be able to finish the recital strong). For a pit gig, of course, I would have to play these instruments and others in whatever order the book required, so it seems a little bit like cheating to organize the recital by embouchure requirements rather than by artistically-motivated programming decisions. But I do need to sound my best on each instrument, and I hope to end up with some good recordings to send out for job applications. Someday I’ll have the flute chops (and the devil-may-care attitude of a tenured professor?) to program it last if I want to.

Once the recital is done, all that remains school-wise is to write my “doctoral document,” which is essentially a little dissertation.

Hi Mr. Pimentel,
My name is Mike ________ from _______ University, and I am an aspiring doubler. I have been doing some looking around at graduate schools and programs, and I have found there still are a few programs that still offer doubling. What I have not found are the requirements or guidelines for auditions. I was wondering how an audition for a doubling program would go. What kind of things should I prepare? Do I audition on all the instruments? Thanks for your insight.
Mike

My reply:

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the message—always nice to hear from a fellow doubler.

If you haven’t already, check this out:
http://bretpimentel.com/woodwinds/doubling/degree-programs
I think this is the closest thing there is to a complete list of doubling programs. If you run across any more in your search, send me another email!

Each school’s requirements will be different. Send an email to the chair of the woodwind department at each school that interests you (or maybe the professor of your major instrument, if you’re not sure), introduce yourself briefly, and inquire about audition requirements. If you are hoping to start a program in fall 2009, the time to start inquiring is NOW, since a few schools have their auditions as early as November or December.

I can tell you what I did at the schools I auditioned at, but be aware that these requirements change.

For masters degree programs in five woodwinds, I auditioned at North Texas and Indiana.

At North Texas, I did three separate auditions, one on my “primary” instrument (saxophone), and two on “secondary” instruments (flute and clarinet). For the primary instrument I had two or three large works prepared, and for the secondaries I had either a small work or a movement of a large work.

At Indiana, I auditioned only on my “primary” instrument, but I believe this has now changed. I prepared 2 or 3 major works. I ended up going to Indiana.

For doctoral programs in five woodwinds, I auditioned at Indiana, Miami, and Georgia. Each required three instruments on the audition.

Indiana wanted my three strongest instruments, which at the time were saxophone, clarinet and flute, each played in a separate audition.

I prepared a slightly different audition for Miami and Georgia. One required flute and one required at least one double reed (I don’t remember which). I think I had two major saxophone works and one major work each on flute and oboe. Georgia also required orchestral excerpts on each instrument. Both schools did a single recital-style audition. I ended up going to Georgia.

Hope that helps! Good luck.

Best,
Bret

Oddly, his area of expertise is given as “bassoon, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, flute and bass clarinet.” Doug certainly does play all of those instruments well, but it seems strange to mention bass clarinet specifically (but not, say, English horn or piccolo). I’ve had the same thing happen to me—for some reason, people are anxious to count bass clarinet as a sixth woodwind separate from the clarinet.

Congratulations, Doug, on your new job and a nice profile in the local press!

In the oral exam, one of my professors asked why woodwind doubling is a well-recognized musical specialty, but doubling on brass instruments is not.  The question was an odd one, especially since brass instruments fall precisely outside my area of expertise. I didn’t have a good answer, except that brass players seem to be particularly protective of their embouchures, and presumably don’t want to risk ruining them by switching instruments. (That seemed to be satisfactory for purposes of the exam.)

I do know of one school that offers a “woodwind specialist” master’s degree, a “string specialist” master’s degree, and, yes, a “brass specialist” master’s degree: Michigan State University. (Degree descriptions here.) The string degree requires one primary instrument and one secondary, the brass degree requires one primary and two secondaries, and the woodwind degree requires one primary and three secondary instruments. I expect if anyone is doing the string degree, they do violin/viola or cello/bass, hoping to get one of the “high strings” or “low strings” teaching jobs. The only combination of three brass instruments that strikes me as marketable is trombone/euphonium/tuba, a “low brass” specialist.