How good are you at keeping track of your students’ tuition payments? How about their attendance? I haven’t always been good at keeping track of tuition payments and attendance. I always think that I’ll be able to remember if I’ve been paid or not—and then I never can. I ended up teaching more than my […]
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Reviews of method books, etude book, repertoire, and other studio materials
Bassoon Etudes used by Norman Herzberg
Norman Herzberg (a premier bassoon pedagogue of the 20th century) assigned standard bassoon etude books in a specific sequence. He had every student work through every etude—in order. He required his students to use standard fingerings on every note because, “There is no point in trying to avoid a technical difficulty by changing a fingering. After […]
Continue readingMore TagHelp for Moldy Reeds
Reeds that are stored in wet, moist, or humid environments often grow mold (sometimes referred to as mildew). I’ve compiled advice from many bassoonists on how to get rid of the mold once you have it. I’ve also written up advice for preventing mold in the first place. You don’t have to do all of […]
Continue readingMore Tagorchestralbassoon.com – A Review
Once in a while I find a resource that is excellent in every way. Orchestralbassoon.com is one of those resources. It contains performance scores, autograph scores, audio examples, historical notes, harmonic analyses–and the list goes on. It is a clean, thorough, and intuitive website that I return to again and again. I always learn something new. […]
Continue readingMore TagHighlighter Tape – My New Favorite Office Supply
Over the past year I attended a few masterclasses that focused on teaching students how to practice. Most of the techniques I learned involved writing on, highlighting, and basically destroying the student’s music. I saw teachers using everything from sharpies to erasable highlighters. I myself used the erasable highlighters for a year, but now I […]
Continue readingMore TagManaging a Music Lending Library
There is a way to loan music to students without saying goodbye to it forever. I use a combination of a personalized stamp, personalized stickers, and a very handy app (Who Has What 2) to keep track of my stuff. I also have a built-in reimbursement program should my items never return. More about that […]
Continue readingMore TagRhythm Lab – App Review
I am often amazed at how poorly my students count music. I had one student in particular who had been playing the bassoon for three years before he started lessons with me. The rhythms he played came out almost right, but when I asked him to count something out loud, he had no clue! He […]
Continue readingMore TagTeaching Theory to Your Bassoon Students
We can’t leave it up to the piano teachers and public school teachers anymore. We need to be teaching theory to our bassoon students. When students understand the structure and elements of what they are practicing, their practice becomes much more effective. When they can look at a scale and say “Oh, that’s just a […]
Continue readingMore TagReproducible Theory Materials with Tenor Clef!
I’ve been teaching bassoon for over 15 years and have only recently added theory to my curriculum. I am embarrassed to say that I didn’t see teaching theory as my responsibility. I have had a complete change of heart! The following is a review of the theory materials I am using with many of my […]
Continue readingMore TagFree Intro to Music Theory Course at Coursera.org
Update: Since this post was first written, some of the course offerings have changed. The course described below is still available for free, but you may want to use another platform, such as edX. See this page for the most updated listings. I absolutely love the music theory and history courses offered by The Berklee School […]
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