Favorite blog posts, April 2019

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See the woodwind blogs I’m following, and suggest others!

Why my college band chair placements ended up not mattering a bit

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Looking back now, having those particular chairs in those particular semesters seems very unimportant, but my growth during those years laid the groundwork for two graduate degrees and a life in playing and teaching music.

Fix fixable problems now

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Just about every day I have a student show up for a lesson with an etude or repertoire movement they have been working on for a week or more, and there are little, silly problems that haven’t been fixed: A spot where a fingering choice needs to be made, but hasn’t. A page turn in … Read more

What does it mean to “interpret” music?

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When performing a musical work, a performer interprets the piece to help the audience understand what’s happening.

Favorite blog posts, March 2019

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Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, March 2019 edition.

Thinking through scales

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My university woodwind students have to pass a scale exam as one of the requirements to progress in their degree program. They have to be able to play major scales and three forms of minor scales, plus arpeggios, through the “full range” of the instrument, from memory. Many of my students learned their major scales … Read more

Does woodwind doubling prevent you from being the “best?”

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My recent post about woodwind doubling has been cited lately on various social media sites to fuel discussions over whether doubling is a good or acceptable pursuit. Many of those arguing that woodwind doubling is a bad idea raise the issue that the “best” players of such-and-such instrument don’t double, and you can’t be the … Read more

Does woodwind doubling ruin your embouchure?

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Nope. We use our embouchure muscles for all kinds of things: facial expressions, speech, eating, kissing. Do any of those things “ruin” your embouchure? Of course not. The embouchure is made up of very flexible, agile muscles that are very capable of carrying out multiple tasks. When people (almost always non-doublers) express concern about embouchure … Read more

What I’ve learned from playing different musical styles

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One of my favorite things about being a performing musician is moving in and out of different styles. Recently I’ve performed as a classical, jazz, rock, and blues musician. I’ve been thinking a little about the skills that I associate with each, especially skills that have expanded my musicianship and carried over into playing other … Read more

Favorite blog posts, February 2019

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Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, February 2019 edition.