Sleeping beauty

Today I had the pleasure of a totally lazy Sunday. I spent it with my friend Amanda and her two little ones, Kaycee and Connor- they are huge fans of Disney, as am I and I thought it would be a big hit to bring over some of my DVDs (yes! I own Disney movies... questionable huh?) The chosen one for this afternoon was Sleeping Beauty.

Even as a kid, I always noticed the music in the movies I would watch and especially loved the music from this movie (I should not wonder why Tchaikovsky is one of my favorite composers today!) I explained to my friends that the music in the movie comprised of bits and pieces from the Tchaikovsky ballet, they thought this was really cool!

This point in the movie always scared me the most- it is creepy! It is also totally enhanced by the music, which features a little bit of oboe. Now, I don't usually make it a point to get too in depth with my career and the details of the oboe life with friends (unless they are an oboe-er too!) However, this was a good opportunity to say; "Hey! Hear that? THAT is the instrument I play... yea the creepy sounding one!"

To be honest with you....

One of my first MAJOR draws to the oboe... (and still brings a pretty big smile to my face)

Ebay Deals

I am not ashamed to admit that I am a pretty avid ebay-er. I find it a great way to save tons of money on many of the things need\want- even OBOE things!

I never recommend buying an oboe on ebay, it is just too much of a risk and you have no idea what you're getting. Though once in awhile there seems to be a diamond in the rough the pops up out of nowhere like the pristine rosewood AK Loree Royale a couple of months ago that I lusted after for a minute or two ;)

However, I really do recommend scouring ebay for reed making tools, reed cases, instrument cases, and of course all of the fun oboe gift items like stickers, etc.- you can find some GREAT deals.

All of this being said, I am going to feature an ebay item from time to time on here that is either a great deal, or a great find.

This LOT of items may not seem "cheap", but believe me- it is a great package of items and a really excellent price!

Tik...Tik...Tik...Tik...

Tempo, Pulse, Beat... whichever one you choose, this is a really important concept to a musician. In lessons this week we talked a lot about the importance of keeping conscious of it during our practice, rehearsals, and performances.

This is different from person to person, and often depends upon the complexity of the music, and the level of the player. One student in particular was having trouble mapping this process out this week, it brought to my attention how important this concept is.

I first asked the student what is going on in is mind and body as he attempted a short tune in terms of steady pulse. Not suprisingly, he didn't have a plan- so we created one. The first step is choosing a tempo, and it doesn't have to be fast- in fact, it shouldn't be. The most important thing is to decide upson a pulse- and commit to it.

1. I asked the student to tap the pulse he desired, I feel like this really helps with that whole idea of commitment to the beat

2. The next step is to sing, or number count through with a metronome going

3. If a student is OK with it, it can actually be helpful to have a physical tap on them while playing, such as on their shoulder

4. I am not at all against foot tapping, but the goal is to tame it down to "toe tapping" and finally just feeling the pulse internally- I think this is definitely a kinesthetic issue and it helps to feel the pulse in your body somehow

Another thing we tried was actually conducting a simple 4\4 beat pattern so that the student could thing about things from that point of view, sometimes even visualizing a conductor can help.

As with many issues that my oboe students encounter, however, it can easily enough be tackled with some serious practice time with a metronome :)

Pretty fun stuff...

A little end of the year fun...

When I went to my first IDRS conference in 2007 at Ithaca College, I was thrilled to find THESE at the Nielsen woodwinds booth.

I am making my students' end-of-the-school year certificates and giving them a sprinkling of oboe here and there :)

Bruce Haynes: The Eloquent Oboe: A History of the Hautboy from 1640 - Oxford University Press

OUP: Haynes: The Eloquent Oboe: A History of the Hautboy from 1640



- Oxford University Press

Newest book that I am looking forward to tackling!!!