Favorite blog posts, October 2020

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

Giving feedback in masterclasses and competitions

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As a graduate student and younger professional I started to get opportunities to teach in masterclass/workshop settings and to adjudicate competitions. I had taught private lessons for many years. But sometimes I found it challenging to give effective feedback in these newer situations, where I was hearing someone play for the first time and needed … Read more

Advice on multiple-woodwinds graduate degrees and teaching careers

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I often have university students bring up the idea of graduate school and a university teaching career, and I have previously given general advice about that. Perhaps since my graduate degrees and a teaching career are in multiple woodwinds, my students sometimes wonder if that’s a path they should take. Here are a few thoughts: … Read more

Fingering Diagram Builder, version 0.82

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Here’s a new minor release of the Fingering Diagram Builder with a few small improvements: Bug fixes and other minor tweaks The French bassoon diagram now supports the Ducasse bassoon. Set “Instrument” to “Bassoon (French)” and “Key set” to “Ducasse.” Thanks to Daryn Zubke for assistance with this.

Favorite blog posts, September 2020

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Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, September 2020 edition.

Stop teaching clarinet and saxophone embouchures like this

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As a ten-year-old beginning saxophonist, I was taught to form an embouchure like this: Put your top teeth on the mouthpiece Let your lower lip sort of roll or squish over your lower teeth Close your mouth That’s how I played for years. As I advanced and started to practice more, I would sometimes hurt … Read more

“More air”

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When I use the term “breath support,” students and colleagues often echo back something like “oh, right, more air.” But is breath support the same thing as “more air?” Measuring quantities of air isn’t completely straightforward—when we say “more air,” we might rightfully wonder whether that means a greater volume filled with air, or a … Read more

Recital videos, August 2020

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I’m pleased to share videos from my recent Delta State University faculty recital. I performed for a very small in-person audience due to COVID-19 precautions. All the repertoire is unaccompanied. The program begins with multiple-woodwinds repertoire by Samuel Adler, Kyle Tieman-Strauss, and Nicole Chamberlain (a world premiere of a commissioned piece), followed by some odds … Read more

Favorite blog posts, August 2020

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Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, August 2020 edition.

Keeping your fingers “close”

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There’s a common idea with woodwind players and teachers that it’s important to keep your fingers close to the keys. Keeping the fingers within a certain reasonable distance does have benefits: It’s easier to keep track of where the keys are and not “miss,” especially for beginners Allowing the fingers to rise too far can … Read more