Pedagogy

Private Bassoon Lessons in the Austin, TX area

One-hour lesson: $60
Reeds: $25 / each
Additional Engagements & Opportunities: Weekly Studio Class at School
Semesterly Guest Masterclass
Complimentary tickets (as available) to performances; Please see the Lesson Information Sheet, Lesson Agreement / Contract, and Lesson FAQ below for more information.

FAQ

Who should play the bassoon?: Anyone who is interested in it! In particular, the nature of the bassoon is well-suited to those who like a challenge, are fascinated by the end that systems working in cohesion can create, and area eager to create a wide pallete of musical sound-color.
Why play bassoon?: I always tell people that I didn’t pick the bassoon, the bassoon picked me. Before starting bassoon in middle school, I played piano, clarinet, and saxophone first, before finding my truest musical voice! We all have a different path that leads us to the instrument, and the variety of musical and extramusical backgrounds found in the bassoon community make it vibrant and rich.
How would you describe your philosophy?: As a teacher, my job is to help students to cultivate, simultaneously, a mindset of abundance and continuous growth. All students are capable of engaging in meaningful, expressive, communicative music-making from their first day on the instrument! Yet even for professionals at the highest level of performance, the work will never be done, and requires continuous and thoughtful effort in order to fulfill maximum potential. Remember, our standards for ourselves grow at the same rate (and oftentimes faster) than our physical abilities on the instrument. Music is a meeting of the many subjects that students study throughout the school day—Art, Science, Math, Language, History, and most definitely Physical Education! Bassoon lessons are a vehicle to develop holistic musicianship and develop a lifelong curiosity for how all the elements of music-making come together. I incorporate ear-training, music theory, score study, and reed-making (for advanced students) into the work, as well as cultivating further individual curiosity through weekly listening assignments, which we discuss in lessons.
What constitutes success as a bassoon student?: This question has a different answer for anyone who asks it! With any student who comes to me, I work with them to identify and refine goals for lessons and study. Each of us have our own path and our own pace, with many different scopes of success along the way. If you approach your time with the instrument from a place of curiosity, intentionality, open-mindedness, diligence, and gratitude, you are well on your way to fulfilling success—in whatever form it takes for you. Please see the lesson information sheet for more tenets of success with the bassoon!
As a parent of a bassoon student, how can I best support my child’s success?: GREAT QUESTION! Parental support is extremely important to the up and coming musician, in the multitude of forms it takes—financial investment, emotional encouragement, rides to lessons and rehearsals, the list goes on. Parents can foster curiosity and creativity in their musician/bassoonist children by playing music in the car, while making dinner, and while studying the repertoire that we are working on in lessons. Regardless of a musical status or knowledge, some curiosity from the parental side can go a long way for the student—finding and attending concerts happening nearby, connecting with parents and students in the youth music community, staying up-to-date with your childrens’ musical needs, seeing that your child is building consistent and productive practice habits, and engaging in dialogue about their repertoire and how lessons are going, are all great ways for the parents to be active supporters of of their child’s musical journey.