Favorite blog posts, August 2025
Just one post to share this month:
- earspasm – read. (Michael Lowenstern, bass clarinet): Steve Williamson Can Play a 5. You Can’t.
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Favorite blog posts, November 2024
- oboealli (Alli Gessner): Top 3 tips for doubling English horn
- International Clarinet Association (Julianne Kirk Doyle): Pedagogy Corner: Fostering New Traditions in Programming
Favorite blog posts, January 2015
Interesting and useful woodwindy blog posts from January:
- Saxophonist Connie Frigo discusses fearless performance, and also teaching outside the studio [update: link dead]. (This one is technically from the very end of December.)
- Flutist Rachel Taylor Geier shares a thorough, holistic approach to New Year’s resolutions for musicians (it’s not too late).
- Jennet Ingle bravely shares an experience with forgetting her oboe reeds, and because of this experience questions her usual pre-performance rituals.
- Saxophonist Bill Plake discusses how we sit and stand when we play, and how we could do it better.
- Cate Hummel shares some nice fingering tips for the third octave.
- Woodwind doubler David Erato reminds us to keep our instruments well maintained.
- Flutist Naomi Seidman discusses ways to improve breathing (on the Powell Teach Flute blog).
- Jeff Cunningham gives advice to beginning saxophonists (or other musicians) who are struggling with motivation to practice.
Favorite blog posts, November 2015
Lots of interesting woodwind blog posts this month. Here are some favorites:
- Flutist Roderick Seed is doing a nice series offering commentary on the Andersen Op. 15 etudes.
- Michael Lowenstern addresses the idea of bass clarinet as a college major. (This one is from very late October but I didn’t catch it in time.)
- Saxophonists Sam Newsome and Ben Britton each offer exercises for improving low register tone production.
- College freshman flute major Hannah Haefele shares what she is learning in her transition from high school practicing to college-level practicing.
- Clarinetist Michael Dean shares his pre-performance checklist.
- Oboist Patty Mitchell distinguishes between knowing your music and knowing your music.
- Flutist Rachel Taylor Geier explains the practicing technique of chunking.
- Cate Hummel recommends against the old flute “kiss and roll” trick.
Favorite blog posts, August 2021
- EG-REEDS (Éric González, oboe): The importance of previous postural and respiratory work at the beginning of the study of woodwind instruments.
- Rachel Taylor Geier (flute): The Myth of the Magic Formula
- Bill Plake Music (saxophone): For This “Career Ending Condition”, There Is Hope
- The Flute Examiner (Kelly Wilson): Do You See What I See?
- Jenny Maclay (clarinet): 10 Ways to Create More Musical Phrases
Favorite blog posts, September 2020
- Just Flutes (Roderick Seed): Finding resonance on the flute
- The Clarinet (Berginald Rash): In Discussion: The Clarinetists of Chineke!
- Jenny Maclay clarinet: Clarinet method and étude books written by women
- EWI Musician: EWI Tool Is BACK!
Favorite blog posts, September 2017
- Flutist Jennifer Cluff offers advice on (not) playing with pain.
- Clarinetist Jenny Maclay invites you to enlist for Baermann Boot Camp starting October 1st.
- Cate Hummel shares tips on basic flute care.
- Flutist Jolene Harju discusses breaking the habit of playing “test notes.”
- Rachel Taylor Geier challenges you to test your flute knowledge with a quiz.
- Oboist Jennet Ingle finds inspiration in fancy fountain pens regarding “flourish.”
Each of these fine woodwind bloggers has been featured here repeatedly, so be sure to subscribe to their RSS feeds and/or social media streams. And get in touch to let me know who else I should be following! (You, maybe?)