Harder doesn’t mean better. It is not the case that 12-year-olds need a certain EASY kind of reed, that high-schoolers should step up to MEDIUM, that adults all play onContinue readingHarder Isn’t Better
How Do You WISH You Could Describe Your Reeds?
In Reed Club last Monday, we took a moment before we started scraping to set some intentions. We each said one word – an adjective to describe what we WANTED ourContinue readingHow Do You WISH You Could Describe Your Reeds?
Make More Reeds
I recently met with a former student who proudly described THE reed she was working on to me. She’d gotten it to a point where it made a beep, butContinue readingMake More Reeds
Top Six Reasons I Love Teaching Online Lessons
I’ve been seeing so many complaints among my friends and colleagues about the quality of their Skype, FaceTime, and Zoom lessons. I have to say that while I acknowledge theContinue readingTop Six Reasons I Love Teaching Online Lessons
Reed Mindset
In our dress rehearsal Saturday morning I became aware of just how GREAT my reed was. It felt so EASY to play the oboe. I could come in perfectly softly,Continue readingReed Mindset
Reed Habits
How do you change your reed making habits? Even if you feel like a reed beginner, I can promise that you have developed some habits, for good or ill. This isContinue readingReed Habits
What I Did on My Summer Vacation
We took a vacation this summer. This is not news to anyone in my life – anyone who knows me or especially Steve on Facebook followed along with all ofContinue readingWhat I Did on My Summer Vacation
Psychology of the Oboist
Here’s a thing that happens ALL THE TIME. A student misses something – a low attack, a slur, a high D. People miss things, no problem. But then they missContinue readingPsychology of the Oboist
Upcoming Concerts: Siegfried
I haven’t shared anything about my playing work for quite a while. These past two weeks have been overwhelmingly busy, filled with driving and performing – three different organizations, sevenContinue readingUpcoming Concerts: Siegfried
Five Minute Reedmaker: Length of the Windows
My Five Minute Reedmaker Season Two seems to be largely about experiments. People ask me how LONG, how THICK, how SLOPED, etc – and I’m running the experiments for them andContinue readingFive Minute Reedmaker: Length of the Windows