After a long hiatus, it is time to start talking about cane again! Sometimes cane selection feels like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. No one wants to throw away cane, so we try every way possible to find redeeming qualities in each piece of cane. No one really wants to admit to that either! How many different ways have you tried to finagle a good curve or a flat section out of a piece of cane that you should have just tossed aside for firewood. You’ll have a nice collection the next time you want to have a bonfire!
So how flat is flat enough and how do you know if a curve is good enough? Wouldn’t it be nice to have an easy answer? It’s simple enough to say throw out everything that isn’t perfectly flat or perfectly round, but most of us can’t afford to do that. That’s the answer for people who have unlimited resources. There is a little more gray area for the rest of us. Sure, you won’t always use the most optimal cane, but adjusting your scrape to the needs of the individual piece of cane can solve a lot of problems. For example, if the curve is more flat in the middle, don’t scrape as much out of the middle!
Double or Nothing’s reed-makers have a lot of experience selecting and processing cane, so we have prepared a case study of sorts to illustrate the pieces of cane we would trash and the pieces we would keep. Before we proceed, it is time for a blanket disclaimer: These are not steadfast rules. The only rule is that you have to find what works for you! The size of the cane you should use depends on an unbelievable amount of factors including the type of staples, shape, tie length, scrape, embouchure, altitude, humidity, temperature, instrument, etc. There are probably several more factors that can be added to this list. Feel free to comment and tell us about them!
Below are three images of different pieces of cane in the 10.5 slot of the radius gauge. Everyone has a different preference, but for my personal taste, I prefer cane that fits between 10.25 and 10.5. If the cane is larger, then the opening of the reed tends to be too small. If the cane is under 10.25, then the opening of the cane tends to be too wide, resulting in flat reeds.
Case No. 1 This piece of cane shown above does not work the way it is currently positioned on the radius gauge. The side in question is too pointed to fit in the 10.5 slot, but the other side might be perfect! Just because one part of the curve does not fit in the radius gauge does not mean that the whole tube should be trashed. Rotate the tube a little, and you might be surprised that another part of the tube is a good fit!
Case No. 2 Don’t be fooled by the nice curve on this piece of cane. The space between the tube and the radius gauge tells me that this outer curve of this tube is larger than 10.5. If a wider curve works for you, than this could be a winner, but make a mental note that cane relaxes over the course of being processed. The split tube and final product will be slightly larger than during the initial measurement.
Case No. 3 This is an example of a tube that I would split for two reasons. Firstly, the tube fits snuggly in the radius gauge which means that I won’t have to scrape to accommodate an asymmetrical curve. Secondly, the distance between the outer and inner curves is thicker than the tube in Case No. 2. This means that the cane that will be left after splitting and gouging will be more dense. This will result in more compact veins and more focused vibrations.
Below is a close up view of a snug fit. Only round pegs have a snug fit in round holes.
Our next adventure in cane selection will cover the other issue we mentioned above: how flat does a piece of cane have to be for it to be considered flat enough?
Musicians of all ages can fall into a bad habit of just learning their part. Anyone can learn their part for the next band concert, their solo for the next orchestra concert, or their technical passages in their chamber ensemble, but learning an individual part is only one piece of the puzzle. Yes, it is the job of the conductor to keep all of the individual parts organized, but how much more could be achieved merely by increasing individual awareness? Have you ever had a chamber piece crash and burn, and your group just didn’t know what happened? Awareness and preparation are the answers.
The key element to this discussion is context. The word context refers to an autonomous whole, but the word content refers to smaller parts. According to Webster, the two definitions of context are:
1. The parts of a discourse that surround a word or passage and can throw light on its meaning. 2. The interrelated conditions in which something exists or occurs.
Below are a couple of examples of how important context is:
Context is more powerful than you might think. The pizza slice above takes on a whole new identity based on its environment. It’s not so appealing when it is lying on a sewer drain! Similarly, that excerpt you are practicing over and over again for your next audition is much more appealing in its intended context as well.
It’s amazing how a simple thought can change depending upon the… context! We expect our pets to curl up and take a nap in odd places but not airline pilots! Consider this the next time you find your cat napping in the fruit bowl or your dog asleep behind the sofa.
For a musician, there are two key ideas here:
1. The varying parts of a composition are interrelated! 2. Someone else’s part can shed light on what you are doing!
Sometimes the difficulty in music has nothing to do with the notes and the fingerings; it has much more to do with how you treat them, and the relationship that you create between your part and the larger ensemble. For example, expressive playing is a beautiful skill within reason—and within the boundaries of the composer’s work. Some liberties are acceptable and some liberties are expressive, but there are other liberties that are considered overboard, gaudy, ineffective, or inappropriate.
There are innumerable examples of how the context of an excerpt changes the performance of it, but the Overture to Rossini’s La Scala di Seta is a perfect example to point out. The oboe part below was excerpted directly from the orchestral score and includes all of the dynamic and articulation markings in the score.
There are some liberties that can be taken with changing slurs and dynamics that would be encouraged, but there is a strong tendency to take liberties with the rhythms and the tempo that can get an oboe player in trouble with the orchestra. Some people see that they have a lyrical solo, and they get a little too excited. In a prominent solo like La Scala, other people have to be able to play with you, phrase with you, arrive at cadences with you, and join you in the affect that you are trying to achieve! There are expressive tools that can enhance this experience, but there are also expressive tools that can undermine your intentions.
The bottom line is: Don’t play like you are in a vacuum! Be expressive and play beautifully, but make informed decisions about phrasing!
Part 1 started a conversation about teachers contextualizing themselves and understanding their relationship with their student(s). Part 2 is a break from cane sorting and double reed topics in order to spend a little more time thinking about how teachers and students work together and how to navigate those relationships:
“The constructs of those participating frame all conversations, all acts of teaching. As teachers we cannot, do not, transmit information directly; rather, we perform the teaching act when we help others negotiate passages between their constructs and ours, between ours and others… teaching is an interactive process with learning a by-product of that interaction” (Doll, p. 271, 2009).
As an oboe teacher, I can not expect my students to understand and apply a concept through a simple statement or explanation. How can that be expected from them? What seems like a basic idea usually consists of a complex set if ideas. Asking a student to play more “musically” is one example of a simple request that requires something more. It places a demand on the student to understand what I think it means to play musically and what tools or skills they have to help them achieve it. The act of teaching is not to say, “play more musically,” but to teach them how to think about playing music–both understanding what you mean and what they prefer.
Going back to the metaphor from Part 1, the dinner party host does something similar. They can’t teleport food from their oven to their guests’ stomach. It doesn’t work that way. There are a lot more steps involved. The host has to have something to feed them like the teacher has to have some knowledge to share. The host sets the table/serves the food like the teacher demonstrates concepts or knowledge. Then, the guests finally eat what their host has prepared, which can be thought of as the student playing an assigned etude or exercise. Contextualization makes the meal more meaningful–the details and the preparation. The same is true in a music lesson. Creating a new context for an etude or exercise makes it more meaningful to the student and helps them navigate those passages between their constructs and those of their teacher.
The host prepares by shopping for ingredients, and they schedule the event around the needs of the student or travel restrictions such as winter weather or rush hour traffic. A good host does not put their guest in peril or make them sit in traffic for at least an hour to get to the other side of the city. The host also has to consider their accommodations and know that the people they have invited will be comfortable in the space they will be in. The situation is as important as the meal. The meal could be the best in the history of mankind, but if the conditions are not conducive to a positive experience, then it is a fruitless endeavor.
Like the preparations for a dinner party, another aspect of this conversation is planning ways for students to “negotiate” those passages. Good teaching doesn’t happen by accident and neither does a great dinner party. The host plans a menu based on the tastes and needs of their guests, and they probably won’t attempt a new recipe for the first time. They also won’t serve spoiled food or something that they know their guest can’t eat or won’t enjoy. The dishes selected are probably tried and true and are appropriate for the guest. In private teaching, menu selection translates into appropriate exercises and repertoire that will interest and engage the student without frustrating or boring them.
There are two huge problems in the realm of private teaching: Giving students spoiled food (knowledge) and unappetizing dishes (repertoire). The second problem is easier to fix than the first. Either present the material in a way that makes it more relevant or choose something different! A bigger problem is the number of teachers that don’t know how or what to teach.
There are many great players who struggle to articulate how they can do what they do so well. Some teachers feed students exercises that are sour or repertoire that is too difficult, and they lose sight of teaching their students to grow based on the music they have consumed.
The dinner party metaphor is an ideal aim, but it isn’t always an option for the private instructor. When the stars align, the metaphor of a dinner party is a reality and both teacher and student have rewarding experiences. When either side comes to the dinner table unprepared or with different expectations, the student-teacher relationship is reduced to that of a patient and a dentist traversing the pain of a root canal together. The real question is how do private teachers resolve the differences between memorable experience and “pulling” focus and creativity out of their students like a dental procedure. Part 2 of this series will leave us with one question to consider: What can private teachers do pedagogically to increase their effectiveness inside and outside of their students’ lessons?
Doll Jr., W. E. (2009). The four r’s–An alternative to the tyler rationale. In D. J. Flinders & S. J. Thornton (Eds.), The curriculum studies reader (pp. 267-274). New York, NY: Routledge.
In a recent conversation with one of my neighbors, I mentioned that I just returned from a week of working with students at Midwest Oboe Camp in Gambier, Ohio. As an oboist and private teacher, the idea of oboe camp never seemed odd or unusual, but my neighbors made it clear that oboe camp is not something that everyone is familiar with.
So what is oboe camp and why should your student go to oboe camp? Those are both great questions! Many students go to some form of camp during the summer, but oboe camp stands apart from any other type of camp. Midwest Oboe Camp is geared towards students of all ages and experience levels. The only requirement is one year of study in the oboe through school music programs or private instruction. Oboe camp is a unique experience for young oboists to be immersed in all aspects of the oboe including performance, private instruction, maintenance and repair, reed-making, chamber music, and technique specific to the oboe.
Our Environment: The Campus of Kenyon College
In the small town of Gambier, Ohio, Kenyon College is the home of the Midwest Oboe Camp. The beautiful campus creates the impression of a vacation for students and faculty, but both students and faculty work diligently over the course of the week in masterclasses, rehearsals, and private lessons.
The Midwest Oboe Camp faculty includes Camp Director Julie Grasso as well as Professors Robert Sorton, Bailey Sorton, and Lisa Sayre. Midwest Oboe Camp Director, Julie Grasso, is a Yamaha Performing Artist and has been performing and teaching as a professional oboist for twenty five years. She is a founding member of a reed business, Double or Nothing Reeds, as well as a double reed quartet, Double or Nothing Ensemble, in residence at Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH.
Midwest Oboe Camp Faculty!
Robert Sorton is Professor of Oboe at The Ohio State University, where he founded OBOHIO, The Double Reed Consort. Following a position with the Miami Philharmonic, he was Assistant Principal Oboe of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for fourteen years. He has also performed with orchestras such as Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony, the Columbus Symphony and the Charlotte Symphony.
Also a founding member of OBOHIO, Bailey Sorton has performed extensively in North America and Europe. Mrs. Sorton is an active educator in Ohio, teaching applied oboe at Kenyon College and Mount Vernon Nazarene University. At Kenyon, she also teaches bassoon and recorder and coaches the woodwind chamber ensembles.
Lisa Sayre is Adjunct Professor of Oboe at Reinhardt University as well as the University of West Georgia. Lisa was a member of the U.S. Air Force Band of Flight and is also a founding member of the Oxford Oboes Camp in Georgia.
We had a lot of fun working with students and watching them mature as musicians. While you can expect some level of general silliness when young oboists live and work together for one week, students are also engaged in cooperative learning activities during which they learn leadership skills as well as how to work as a team. Campers are also challenged with unique opportunities for rich musical development and personal growth.
Campers have the opportunity to work with our renowned teachers in masterclasses, lessons, and rehearsals, but they also develop critical-thinking, problem-solving, and leadership skills through performances and chamber music rehearsals. Students are divided into trios and quartets and given the opportunity to pick music and rehearse for a student chamber recital.
Midwest Chamber Music Rehearsals
Chamber music experience can be gained in a variety of settings including school music programs and other fine arts camps, but chamber music at Midwest Oboe Camp involves working with other oboe players! A lot of the conversation that takes place between campers within the first couple days of camp is about their schools. Many of our campers admit that they are the only oboe player in their grade level, school music program, or even the only oboe player in their school district. Through chamber music, campers work with other oboe players that have similar levels of ability and experience. This is an invaluable opportunity for students who may not see or work with other oboe players on a regular basis.
Campers spend two hours daily preparing a variety of trios for three oboes or for two oboes and English horn, but they also have an opportunity to play in a large double reed ensemble with both oboes and English horns. On the final morning of camp, students give a recital for the faculty and parents. The program includes the small chamber music ensembles as well as a large ensemble performance. For this year’s culminating recital, our campers, along with their counselors, performed Doug Harville’s arrangement of the first movement from Dvorak’s New World Symphony followed by New York Girls by Charles Sayre.
While our students study formally with our faculty, they spend the entire day interacting with our camp counselors, who bring their own unique experiences and perspectives to the table. Doug Harville, our boys’ counselor, is originally from Louisville, KY and is currently working on a Bachelor in Music Education at Furman University where he studies oboe with Professor Petrea Warneck. Our girls’ counselor is Julie Collins. Originally from Marietta, GA, Julie is currently working on her Doctorate of Musical Arts with Dr. Mark Ostoich at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. From seeking shelter during tornado warnings to organizing parties and movie nights for campers, Midwest Counselors do a lot more than make sure that students arrive at their classes on time. Doug and Julie also coach chamber rehearsals, teach reed-making and lessons, and they are always there with a smile on their face to lend a helping hand.
Midwest Oboe Camp Counselors Doug Harville and Julie Collins
Another unique learning opportunity for our campers includes two hours of hands on experience with reed-making every day! We don’t just demonstrate reed-making techniques. Our camp boasts instructors who make and sell reeds for a living, so our campers are getting instruction from skilled reed-makers. Reed-making is another activity for students of all levels! Experienced students have an opportunity to refine their knife technique. At the same time, students with no prior experience receive their first reed-making kit and go home with something that makes a sound in their instrument. While we cannot guarantee that all students will become master reed-makers in the course of a one week camp, we can promise that willing students will go home with a deeper understanding of reed-making.
Reed-making at Midwest Oboe Camp
Oboe campers meet and work with guests like Sarah Thelen, an oboe maker with Fox, as well as Professor Robert Sorton from The Ohio State University and Bailey Sorton from Kenyon College. Campers learn about topics usually reserved for college students and professionals. They discuss instrument building and repair as well as oboe related topics that their band directors have little experience with: harmonic fingerings, high note fingerings, double tonguing, oboe technique, trill fingerings, adjustments, and repertoire.
Masterclass with the Sorton’s and Sarah Thelen
Masterclass is occasionally interrupted by celebrity guests too! (Hint: He’s fuzzy, red, and giggles more than a middle school girl!)
Midwest Oboe Camp’s Guest Celebrity
Midwest campers spend an entire week in a different form of cultural immersion. They learn from and live with professional oboe players, college students and graduate students as well as oboe players their own age. Usually just being an oboe player qualifies as a unique bond between two people, but our campers grow much closer to each other through playing chamber music, rooming together, playing vicious card games, and spending quality time in severe weather shelters during tornado warnings.
Oboe Players Only!
Campers attend a faculty recital, but on the last morning of camp, students perform their own recital for each other and for their parents. Then, they return to their homes and school music programs with new friends, new mentors, new challenges, and a strong desire to make more music and to have more fun doing it.
Midwest Oboe Camp Student Recital 2013
Make plans now to join us for Midwest Oboe Camp in 2014!
Before cane processing can begin, careful and discriminatory cane selection must take place. There are a few areas in life where “discrimination” carries a less derogatory connotation. It’s okay to be prejudicial in terms of cane selection. In fact, it is important! The more you can discern between different pieces of cane, the more consistent your reeds will be.
How many oboists have exclaimed, “I love playing the oboe, but I hate making reeds!” Cane selection is one way to reduce the frustration of reed-making.
Good reeds don’t magically happen because you have sharp knives, a particular brand of staples, or the latest and greatest shaper tip. The foundation of a great reed is a good piece of cane.
There are a several reasons to practice cane discrimination:
Inconsistent reeds and possibly inconsistent performance (This should be reason enough!)
Frustration with the reed-making process
Self-confidence issues: Inconsistent reeds will make you call in to question your materials, your technique, or your potential as an oboist.
Time!!! Cane processing takes too much time to waste it on cane that won’t become a good reed. Why spend more time at the reed desk than you have to?
The most important reason is that cane discrimination will allow you more opportunities for success and will decrease your chances for failure.
One of the most important tools necessary for cane selection is a radius gauge.
I have three radius gauges. I only use one of them to do any actual measuring. Another is the tool I’ve adopted to determine how flat a piece of cane is, and I don’t use the third at all. It’s just taking up space on my shelf.
The two shown in the picture below are the two that I use regularly. I like the Covey gauge because the curves are shallow and actually reflect the portion of the cane that I’m going to gouge. I also prefer the Covey gauge because it has increments of .25, and the one below only shows increments of .5.
I use the silver radius gauge as a flat edge to see where the cane bows or bends and that’s the only time I use it!
That’s enough radius gauge nerdiness for now! I’ve randomly selected a handful of tube cane from my bag. You can already see how different each tube is! Some are circular, some are shaped more like an oval, and there are a few with asymmetrical/pointed sides. More importantly, some of these tubes are much thicker than others, therefore, the cane is much more dense. When the veins are more compact, you are more likely to get better results. When the cane is gouged, the blade will remove cane from the inner curve. The thicker the piece of cane is, the more dense the cane will be as you approach the bark with the gouger.
The picture below shows two pieces of cane from the same bag, and there are distinct differences between the two. While neither piece is “wrong,” one of the two could be slightly more advantageous. Don’t judge the tube on the left by the gunk in the middle. The pregouger or the first few passes with the gouger will take care of the “extra” material, also known as the pulp. Notice, however, how much of a difference there is between the thickness of the two tubes. If you are good with your knives, you could probably make a decent reed from either piece of cane, but the thicker tube might give you a warmer and more focused sound because of the difference in how the veins are packed and organized.
If you want to track different pieces of cane based on their thickness, try marking the edge with a colored marker or Sharpie after you split and guillotine the cane. Mark the thicker pieces with the same color so you can objectively see whether or not there is a difference in how the reed vibrates. That’s what it ‘s all about anyway: Organizing and focusing the vibrations!
I mentioned earlier that the gouger removes cane from the inside out. Processing cane (splitting, guillotining, pre-gouging, gouging, etc.) does not change the outer curve, or the curve of the bark, so it is imperative to consider the the shape of the outer curve during the selection process. The outer curve determines how the cane will fit in the bed of the gouger. An ill-fitting piece of cane is going to leave you at the mercy of some very interesting reeds.
There are two issues to consider here: The size of the curve of a piece of cane relative to the to the size of the bed of the gouger. The shape of the curve of a piece of cane relative to the shape of the bed of the gouger.
A piece of cane can’t be judged based on one criteria or the other. It has to pass both tests. A beautiful curve that is too large for the bed of the gouger is going to result in a piece of cane that is too thin, and the resulting reed is predisposed to being unstable and vibrating too much. (Yes, there is such a thing as too much vibration!!!)
After identifying some potential pieces of cane with a radius gauge, the tube has to be measured and split into pieces so you can get to the optimal part of the cane. We will cover measuring and judging tubes in another installment of our cane sorting series. There’s no “correct” way to do this. Some people use a razor blade so they can be very specific in their selection, but I usually end up stabbing myself with sharp pieces of cane. Another option is shown below: a cane splitter!
A cane splitter is a fancy form of a hunting broad head on a dowel with some safety precautions, but don’t go steal the arrow out of your dad’s deer hunting equipment. That’s not sanitary, and he won’t thank you!
Oboists have put a plastic cap over the broad head to avoid injury. Insert the broad head so that the portion of the cane you want to gouge falls in between the blades.
We’ve discussed separating and storing cane in previous blog posts. This is the point where things get rough: not every piece of cane will work and not every tube will suit your needs. Most of the bag of cane will only be good for firewood. It will either be warped or end up being the wrong shape.
Check back for more thoughts on cane selection including what a good piece of cane looks like according to the radius gauge.
I have always loved getting the opportunity to substitute in different ensembles. I enjoy working with new conductors and getting to meet new woodwind players as well. Every orchestra is different. They function differently, and each ensemble offers a new set of experiences and challenges.
The woodwind substitute is either filling an occupied chair or helping fill out the ensemble for a work that requires an extended wind section. One of the challenges is that you are temporarily in someone else’s job. You are temporarily someone else, especially if you are hired at the last minute. Sometimes it means that person got a better opportunity or had some sort of conflict, but the job of the sub becomes more difficult when you are filling in for someone who is ill or had a family emergency. It can feel rude to be enthusiastic when someone is going to a funeral for a family member.
Subbing can be an exhilarating and rewarding opportunity, but if you don’t know how to do it, it can quickly turn into something much more horrific. That being said, there are a few things that the freelancing musician can do to increase their odds for success.
For the double reed player:
Make a lot of reeds. While it may only take one reed to get through a gig if they only hire you for the last rehearsal and the performance, you don’t want to get caught with your pants down. If you make a lot of reeds, then you are more likely to have a variety of reeds for a variety of circumstances. You won’t have to try to come up with a Wagner reed or a Mozart reed at the last minute. You might already have one!
In addition to keeping reeds in different stages, try to keep cane in different stages of production as well. If you do have to make a reed at the last minute, it will be a lot easier to grab some shaped or gouged cane than it would be to go back to your bag of tube cane.
Preparing for the Emergency:
It sounds like an oxymoron, and you might think that other musicians and the conductor should give you some leeway because you are an emergency sub, but you still have to perform as if you had advance notice and time with the music to prepare your part. The best thing you can do for yourself is to exceed your colleagues’ expectations.
What can you do to prepare?
Get a recording! When you accept the gig, find out what the repertoire is, and then go find a recording… A good recording. You would be surprised how many people get to a gig that wish that they had either listened to a better recording or listened more carefully to the recording they used. In many cases, listening and studying a score can decrease the amount of time needed to learn the part.
Get your parts as quickly as possible! Sometimes you can pick it up from someone a couple of miles away, but it isn’t always so easy. Find out what parts you are playing and if someone can scan them for you or meet you at a place that is convenient for them. If you really can’t pick up the folder of music until the rehearsal, check with your teacher or former teachers, they usually have a wealth of orchestral music. Check with your colleagues, and check the internet! You might find it on IMSLP or just floating around on a random site.
Find a score! Depending on how complex the music is, a score may be an invaluable tool for preparing your part. Sure you can listen and study the solos, but what about the rest of the piece? If you have a lot of rests, it’s helpful to look up “landmarks” in the score of recognizable themes, melodies, or textural changes that will help you know where you are in rehearsal. What about taking notes on who you have to play certain passages with? It could help to know that you pick up a melody from the harp or from the second flute. You don’t want to miss something just because you aren’t aware of the context. It will also help in knowing when you have unison pitches to match with someone on the other side of the orchestra, or even worse, the tricky major third! You can look in a library or look on IMSLP for a score. Get a print copy or download one to your tablet just in case you need to refer to it during rehearsal.
If you are working with a piece that is really intricate or technical, you can practice with that good quality recording that you found earlier. It will give you a good idea of transitions, meter changes, and aural cues.
Before you get there:
Get directions! This seems self-explanatory, but you would be surprised how many people only think they know how to get where they are going. Confirm the location, look it up on a map, and write down directions even if you are using a GPS system. Things go wrong with technology! You don’t want to be late because your GPS died or you lost the satellite right after you got off the interstate.
Be prepared with snacks, water, or coffee. My experiences have involved a lot of time in the car – anywhere from one to three hours. You don’t want to be cranky or sleepy before rehearsal starts, and you don’t always know what kind of area you are driving to. Starbucks is not universal. There are whole cities that exist without them… Picking up a quick snack might not be an option either.
Be prepared to go into an auditorium with no heat in the winter or no air in the summer. If it isn’t a union orchestra, you might still be playing in an auditorium with no heat when it is snowing outside. Similarly, keep a blanket or something warm in your car. you don’t want to freeze if you have car trouble.
If you have a long drive, you might want to make a checklist to make sure you don’t forget anything. While it’s never happened to me (knock on wood), I have had colleagues drive hours away and forget their reeds, their instrument, or their dress shoes. Oops! I have forgotten my music before. There’s nothing more terrifying than that moment when you think you might have forgotten something. Save yourself the trouble. Make a list.
The biggest thing to make note of during the gig is to be a good colleague. I can’t emphasize this enough. Talk to people and smile even if you are stressed out or tired. Leave your anxiety and your stress in the parking lot. As a sub, know when to be a leader, and know when to follow the regular players. Play with people, not against them. You don’t want to butt heads with someone musically. Be the kind of colleague you would want to work with. Be the kind of player that you would want to play with. Be prepared and play like it is your job instead of a temporary assignment.
A challenge issued by former CCM Music Education Professor, Dr. Liz Wing:
“The images that we hold as teachers influence not only how we see ourselves and our roles but how we frame the classroom environment, treat students and subject matter, and how students, in turn view us and themselves. The implications of these images permeate our daily lives and have the potential to affect profoundly the academic and personal growth of our students.”
Dr. Wing’s challenge is specifically for classroom music educators, but it is equally appropriate for anyone who interacts with students in a one-to-one or private studio setting. There is always a possibility for broader implications, but we are going to focus on the private music teacher for a few minutes.
Take a minute and think about yourself as a teacher. What does it feel like to work with students? What is your attitude and behavior like, and how do they change based on the situation? What metaphor or metaphors seem most appropriate for you? Here are a few examples to get you rolling:
Air traffic controller
Gardener
Paramedic
Bird watcher
Judge & jury
Circus master
Traffic cop
Coach
Counselor
Mother hen
Drill instructor
Pinch hitter
Out in left field
Diva
Some of these metaphors are more of an idealistic and others are more of an unfortunate reality. If we are brutally honest with ourselves, we have probably experienced more than one of these metaphors at some point in our teaching. Maybe it was strategic, or maybe it was an accident. Either way, awareness is the key.
Let’s pick an ideal scenario and delve into it. Let’s compare the private teacher to a host who is inviting a student (or a friend) to dinner. The educator as the dinner host is involved in fervent planning, shopping, cleaning, and organizing. The host has to considering dietary restrictions, organize the time to prepare the food, and have back up plans ready in the event of a surprise power outage or some other unforeseen obstacle.
This is a challenge I’m prepared to accept only as a metaphor and not as a reality. I won’t be inviting anyone over for a dinner party any time soon, but a dinner that goes off without a hitch is a carefully and methodically planned and organized series of events. Rarely, is it the result of a whim or spontaneity; even acting on a whim requires some sort of preparation. How is teaching a student any different? There is a certain level of preparation and planning that is imperative. The host prepares by shopping for ingredients—you can’t invite someone over for dinner if you have nothing to cook. This preparation and planning is paralleled in private music instruction. Being able to wiggle your fingers quickly does not mean that you are prepared to teach someone else effectively any more than knowing how to boil water or use the oven provides enough evidence that someone is ready to host a nice dinner. A host can’t cook with equipment that they don’t have or with skills that they have not acquired. It does not require great skill to put something on the table, but more skill is required to serve something that is enjoyable and suited to the tastes of the guests. Producing something memorable, rewarding, satisfactory, enjoyable, or meaningful requires something more in both cooking and in teaching.
Take a minute today to consider how you perceive yourself as a teacher and how you think your students perceive you as a teacher. We will be back soon with Part 2 and more ideas on the teacher as a dinner party host.
Is the weather affecting your reeds? Consider keeping your reed case in a Humidor Bag (made for cigars), I prefer the medium sized bag, available at your local tobacconist shop or online. Just put a Rico Reed Vitalizer two-way humidity control pack (approx. $4-6ea.), I prefer the 58% humidity pack, in your Humidor Bag… and voila! Your reeds are now stored in a humidity consistent environment.
By storing your reed cases inside of a Humidor Bag with a Rico Reed Vitalizer pack, you will notice that from day to day, season to season, your reeds will feel more consistent. I notice that my reeds are not as dry and brittle straight out of the reed case in the winter, and that my reeds have properly dried in the summer. The Reed Vitalizer pack controls the rate at which your reeds dry, which is a more gentle way for the reed to be stored between playings and prevents warping in the winter and sogginess in the summer.
You may need to replace your humidor bag (approx. $7-10ea.) every 6 months or so, depending on the condition of the bag and zip-seal. If there are any tears or holes in your bag, or if it doesn’t seal correctly, replace it. The Humidor Bag cannot keep a consistent humidity level if not properly sealed.
When taking such good care of your reeds, you will notice that they last much longer than reeds susceptible to daily changes in temperature and humidity.
Recently, a student asked me how to increase his motivation. While it’s a good question, I couldn’t decide whether to take much time on answering it or not. The bottom line: Motivation has to come from within. If you’re having problems staying motivated, there’s not much anyone can do to help you.
Sure, I could spout off a million inspirational quotes and/or give a huge pep talk- but the results of that are likely to last a short time. If you think about some of the most accomplished, successful athletes/musicians/etc you will NEVER find that they needed someone else to motivate them.
Do I lack motivation sometimes? Of course- and that’s completely natural. In my own experience, the hardest part of practicing is getting the oboe out of the case. Once I start playing, time flies by very quickly. The same thing goes for reedmaking, exercising, studying, and virtually every other task.
Personally, my motivation comes from several places: the desire to have a successful business and be an independent woman, the desire to make my own hours and the ability to work from home while raising a family, and the desire to give back educationally and musically to the arts community. It doesn’t matter what motivates you– maybe it’s beating a colleague in a competition, making more money, or being first chair in an ensemble. Almost anything is acceptable as long as it gets you working!
My assumption is: if you’re having a hard time motivating yourself, you’re probably not challenging yourself enough. Tough love? Yes- but nobody is going to “baby” your way to the top. Now get moving.
“You can commit no greater folly than to sit by the roadside until some one comes along and invites you to ride with him to wealth or influence.” –John Gough
Do you sort your cane? Well, you should! Learning to sort cane effectively will save you time, energy, and money. This blog series will show you how to classify your cane assortment, separating out the pieces that are most likely to produce vibrant, quality reeds.
In my earlier reedmaking days, I rebelled against cane sorting, believing that I could “make every piece work”. Let’s face it: I was cheap. It astounded me to see people throwing away almost 50% (and sometimes much more!) of a batch of cane that they had just received. Had I paid more attention, I would have realized that these same people spent much less time struggling to make quality reeds than I did. While every reed you make isn’t going to turn out, it’s nice to know that the reason isn’t because the cane is warped, dead, or bug-infested J
The bottom line: time is money. If you find yourself sitting at your reed desk for hours upon hours making reeds that don’t seem “quite” right (maybe they don’t seal, are a funny color or have extremely closed or open tip openings), then you could definitely benefit from being more selective with your cane.
This blog series will start at the very beginning, when cane is in tube form.
Things you will need:
-tube cane
-radius gauge (we like the one listed here, because it measures in increments of .25:
When you first get your cane, dump it all out on your workspace and examine the pieces: look at the coloring, length and general diameter of the tubes. You won’t typically be throwing anything out at this point, unless it is excessively black or green and no part of the tube can be salvaged (this has personally never happened to me). Some people begin to measure the tubes right away with their radius gauge, however I would caution against doing so at this point, as the radius of the cane can change once the cane is split.
2. Splitting your cane
Select a piece of cane and examine the outside. Does it have any markings? (some brown marks are ok and natural. Anything black or grey means the cane has died and should be cut off). Next, examine the ends: anything that is not in the shape of an “O” should be discarded (sometimes your will see “knots” in cane- this is where a shoot has started to grow off of the plant- these can be ok as long as they can be cut off after splitting). If any of the “bad” cane parts are in the same area, position your splitter so that you can cut them all off in one piece.
3. After splitting your cane, you need to determine which pieces are straight enough to keep. Get a VERY flat surface (I like to use the edge of my radius gauge) and place your split cane on it. If you can see any light underneath it, this means the cane is warped and should not be used. BE CAREFUL HERE: Many pieces of cane have ends that can be guillotined off in order to use a straight inner section of the cane. It is more obvious with some pieces than others. When in doubt, err on the side of being picky. It is not unusual to get rid of half of your cane in this stage.
4. Once you have guillotined your cane, you can measure it with the radius gauge. Take every piece and classify it by radius. If you want to be very specific, you can write the radius on each piece of cane—however, I find it easier to group them by range (common groupings are 10-10.5, 10.5-11, etc, although you could narrow them down to 10-10.25, 10.25-10.5, etc).
5. This is a good stopping place after all of your work! When you have sorted the cane by diameter, place it in plastic baggies and label them.
