Needed materials:

  – Small container for water (pill bottle, old film canister, 1-2 oz. Tupperware container)

This Week’s Assignment:

WORKSHEETS

 – Continue to fill out the fingering worksheet as you learn new fingerings.

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS BOOK 1

pp. 4-5

 – Soak your reed thoroughly! It is smart to practice with two reeds, one always soaking so you can switch when it starts to dry out.

 – Warm up with deep breaths while reed is soaking. Start with ‘in for 4 out for 4’ and work your way up to 10 in and 10 out (this will take several weeks!).

 – Practice fingerings only on the body of oboe until you’re comfortable with them. Then add reed and practice playing notes and fingerings together. Take it slowly and aim for smooth finger changes.

 – Do not practice for more than 30 minutes in one session! If you feel pain, stop. You can take a break and come back, but do not play through the pain.

Practice smart!

Successful practice time:
1. Quiet space
2. All materials present
3. Good Posture
4. Warm up with deep breaths for 1-2 minutes (10 seconds in, 10 seconds out)

Successful music practice:
1. Look for time signature, key signature(s), tempo(s), dynamics, and accidentals.
2. Clap, tap, or buzz rhythm before playing.
3. Silently finger/position through the piece in tempo.
4. Play through the exercise.
5. If you can play through it 4x without a mistake you have mastered it.