You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get your students (or yourself) equipped to adjust reeds. This is not a post on how to adjust reeds, rather it’s a list of the specific things to collect so the adjustments can happen. The following is a list of the materials I recommend and […]
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The how-to, why, and rewards of group lessons
Breathing & Support
Teaching students to breathe properly is difficult. Teaching them to support is even more difficult. An approach that works for some students won’t work for others. I’ve collected advice from around the web (and the library) to help you as you teach your students proper breathing/support techniques. All students struggle to understand what the diaphragm […]
Continue readingMore TagInnovative Weekly Group Bassoon Lessons – Part 2
In part 1 of this post, I told you about my innovative way to teach more students in a shorter amount of time. Now let me tell you how it went down. Of the four students originally scheduled for the group class, one never showed up and another dropped out after two months. I had to […]
Continue readingMore TagGroup Reed Finishing Class (and Christmas Party!)
This post is not about leading a group of novice reed makers through the difficult reed finishing process. It is a follow-up to this post where my students formed their own reeds using thin cane* that almost always crows right after you clip the tip. I want my students to have success on their first reed […]
Continue readingMore TagGroup Reed Forming Classes
I like my students to start making reeds as soon as possible. I find that most don’t really take to it right away, but once in a while a student will fall in love with reed making. I currently have a ninth grade student who makes all of her own reeds. I rarely have to […]
Continue readingMore TagInnovative Weekly Group Bassoon Lessons – Part 1
I live in an area where there are usually one or two bassoonists per high school and one or two high schools per town. Most of my students have to travel at least 30 minutes one way to get to bassoon lessons. Combine the driving distance (and associated cost) with the cost of lessons, and […]
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