Bassoon Pedagogy
My teaching philosophy
Music is one of the most profound modes of expression. I strive to educate students to be complete, thoughtful musicians and to awaken their passion for exploring music and harnessing its expressive qualities. Students must develop mastery over the bassoon while honing their innate musicality. Core aspects of my teaching include establishing strong fundamentals, making reliable reeds, incorporating music theory and history to form cohesive interpretations, treating students as individuals, teaching them to practice effectively, and encouraging independence.
How we accomplish that
I build a solid foundation so students can express themselves clearly through the music. Their instrument should not be a hindrance, but an ally. To that end, I ingrain fundamental skills into the core of their playing with a structured, progressive curriculum that has proven effective. Believing that the most important aspect of playing a wind instrument is controlling the air stream, I teach a daily fundamentals routine that begins from a long-tone (allowing complete attention to the air stream and support systems), then slowly adds layers of note-changes, articulation, and vibrato. This approach teaches students to make sure their air stream and support systems are not influenced by any other aspect of their playing.
The exercises
I've created many resources to help my students in their bassoon journey! For my college students, these are collected into my Studio Handbook which serve as their "textbook" for bassoon lessons. Because it can be challenging to find resources for beginning bassoonists, I have many of these available for free to everyone.
In this folder you'll find: explanations on fundamentals and exercises, reed making information, a fingering chart, and Texas All-State resources.
If you're a younger player, start with Meet Your Bassoon and the Bassoon Fingering Chart. Then build on that with Elements of a Daily Routine and the Technical Exercises.