- DoctorFlute (Angela McBrearty): How Not to Crack on Your Middle Register Notes
- Joffe Woodwinds: Orchestral Saxophone Recordings
- The Flute View (Chelsea Tanner): A Mindset Coach’s Perspective on Performance Anxiety
Ed Joffe
Favorite blog posts, August 2022
- International Clarinet Association (Jason Alder): Etude and Method Books for Bass Clarinet
- Jennet Ingle | Oboist: Trust but Pay Attention
- DoctorFlute: Concentration and Stamina in Your Playing and Fixing the D to E Glitch
- Joffe Woodwinds: Clarinet Tone by David Weber
Favorite blog posts, February 2021
- Steve Neff Music Blog (saxophone): An Inside Look into the Joe Allard Approach of Saxophone Playing: Memories of the First Three Lessons
- The Flute View (Paul Edmund-Davies): Why I Left the London Symphony Orchestra
- Joffe Woodwinds: Pedagogical “Doubling”
- The Flute Examiner (Jessica Dunnavant): Silver Linings and a Daily Routine
- Bill Plake Music (saxophone): An Important Thing To Notice The Instant You Prepare To Play
- Jennet Ingle | Oboist: Why Do We Practice?
- oboeinsight (Patty Mitchell): Teaching
Favorite blog posts, August 2020
- International Clarinet Association (Berginald Rash): In Discussion: The Clarinetists of Chineke!
- The Flute Examiner (Kelly Wilson): The Importance of Exercise
- ProneOboe (Jennet Ingle): Micro Rests
- Joffe Woodwinds: The Art of Slurring
Favorite blog posts, January 2020
- Rachel Yoder, clarinet: Clarinet Playing During the Postpartum Period: My Story
- bassoon blog (Betsy Sturdevant): The devil’s in the details (Columbus Symphony Russian Winter Festival II)
- Joffe Woodwinds: How to Approach a Lesson
- Clarinet Divas (Diana Haskell): Short List of Favorite Works for Clarinet by Female Composers
- Peter da Silva Music: At the Repair Shop: A Playtest Checklist for the Saxophone
- The Flute View (Caitlin Rose): Tools to Help Combat Burnout
- Bill Plake Music: When Practicing Is More Than Just “Practicing”
- ProneOboe (Jennet Ingle): Shaq and the Oboe
Favorite blog posts, May 2019
- Sax Spy – Blog: 3 Low-Note Exercises From the Masters [update: link dead]
- Trent Jacobs, bassoonist: On forming blanks and cracking cane
- ProneOboe (Jennet Ingle): Psychology of the Oboist and Transitions
- Jenny Maclay: The Complete Guide to Developing Great Technique
- Sam Newsome’s Blogspot: Soprano Sax Talk: Websites: Relevant or Relic?
And, as always, this is an excellent way to get your blog post selected as a favorite:
- Joffe Woodwinds: Bret Pimentel
Favorite blog posts, January 2019
- Joffe Woodwinds: Practicing on the Gig
- JQ Flute: Rough times happening? Oh look, there you are making gold out of it. Here’s 3 heartfelt observations about your playing to get you through the storm
- Oboemotions: Promising Research
- Kristopher King (bassoon): Low A
- The Flute View: Creating and Refining Better Habits in Your Practice Room by Rena Urso
- Wayne Leechford: Auditioning for All-District
- Jenny Maclay (clarinet): My Winter Warm-Up Routine For Cold Days
Favorite blog posts, June 2018
- Saxophonist Ben Britton explores the connection between tone and intonation. He also gives a nice introduction to the desperately under-taught art of swing articulation.
- Woodwind doubler Ed Joffe compares “part” players and true musical artists.
- John Reeks examines the history surrounding the use of clarinets in the Beatles song “When I’m Sixty-Four.”
- Oboist Stephen Caplan discusses staying comfortable and healthy while sitting for extended periods of playing music.
- Tammy Evans Yonce and Misty Theisen provide suggestions on planning a small flute festival or “flute day.”
- Jenny Maclay gives thorough advice on the clarinet’s altissimo register.
Favorite blog posts, December 2017
- Betsy Sturdevant brainstorms some (tongue-in-cheek) reasons not to sharpen her bassoon reed profiler blade.
- Woodwind doubler Ed Joffe shares some practical advice about subbing on gigs.
- Flutist Nicole Riner explores some lessons about focus learned during an artist retreat.
- Joan Martí-Frasquier lists some repertoire for baritone saxophone.
- Oboist Jennet Ingle considers some ideas about motivation and doing difficult things.
- Clarinetist Michael Dean offers some small but useful performing tips.
- Flutist Jessica Quiñones shares some ways to build a private studio.
- Saxophonist Larry Weintraub recalls a day spent with Michael Brecker.
- Khara Wolf suggests solutions for oboe reeds with too-wide tip openings.
Favorite blog posts, July 2017
- Check out posts by a small army of bloggers documenting ClarinetFest® 2017.
- David Wells is working on collecting the Paris Conservatoire bassoon contest pieces.
- Woodwind doubler Ed Joffe encourages continuing your musical studies beyond school
- Saxophonist Roxy Coss discusses women as an under-represented group in jazz music.
- David Mankin shares a fascinating story about oboists Robert Bloom and Engelbert Brenner in a remarkable recording session.
- Clarinetist Jeremy Wohletz explains the importance of aural training.
- Saxophonist Sam Newsome identifies some issues that lead to rhythm problems (particularly in improvised music).
- Flutist Tammy Evans Yonce explains how she approaches a new repertoire piece.
- Saxophonist Ben Britton catalogs some methods of dealing with sticky G-sharp keys.
- Eryn Oft outlines the history of Heckel bassoons.
- Nicole Riner offers suggestions on making first contact with a potential college flute teacher. (Applicable to other instruments, too.)
- Jenny Maclay dives deep on clarinet resonance fingerings.