- Theresa Koenig gives a brief history of the bassoon.
- Flutist Terri Sánchez shares an interesting idea for making long tones fun. (No reason these couldn’t be adapted for other instruments.)
- Jenny Maclay outlines some factors in clarinet tuning.
Students and paying gigs
Sometimes I get phone calls from people hoping to hire my students for gigs. I’m delighted when I can pass a professional opportunity on to a hardworking, high-achieving student, but often these calls are troubling. Obviously, the callers want students because they assume students will work cheaply. Lots of college students work for not much money, … Read more
Teaching multiple instruments: IDRS 2016 presentation
Lecture notes from a presentation on teaching multiple instruments, especially double reeds in a higher education setting, from the 2016 International Double Reed Society conference.
Report: 2016 International Double Reed Society conference
I had a blast at the 2016 International Double Reed Society conference, hosted by Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia. As I have said before, the IDRS puts on an outstanding conference, maybe my favorite of the various woodwind conferences I attend. Very well organized, with lots of outstanding talent, varied events, and presences from … Read more
Favorite blog posts, June 2016
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, June 2016 edition.
Tonguing and language sounds
Be wary of pedagogical approaches to woodwind articulation that depend on analogies to speech sounds. The most common, at least in the English-speaking world, is the idea that tonguing is like saying “too” or “doo.” And certainly there are significant mechanical similarities, especially with “too.” “Doo” doesn’t work as well because it is a voiced consonant, … Read more
Woodwind instrument “care kits” are bad news
Congratulations on your new student-level flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, or saxophone! Your music store’s friendly sales associate is probably insisting that you purchase a “care kit” as well. I recommend that you do not buy it, because it is, at best, a waste of your money, and, at worst, a hazard to the instrument’s wellbeing.
Stuff bad music teachers say
Have the courage, conscience, and dedication to pursue deeper, broader, and more accurate knowledge of the concepts you are teaching.
Favorite blog posts, May 2016
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, May 2016 edition.
Please stop telling your clarinet students to tighten their embouchures
Good clarinet playing requires a high voicing. That’s why your clarinet section is flat and tubby-sounding.