Texas Bandmasters Association

Convention/Clinic July 26-28, 2018

Beginning Oboe: Fundamentals for

Your Future Oboists

CLINICIANS:
Serena Finnigan, Jessica Maus

HENRY B. GONZALEZ CONVENTION CENTER

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
 Beginning Oboe: Fundamentals for Your Future Oboists
Clinicians: Jessica Maus and Serena Finnigan
The Texas Bandmasters Association Convention on Thursday July 26, 2018 at 3 p.m.

Teach with the End Goal in Mind!

Shape students to be soloists in your Band

● Grade 4 and 5 literature often requires oboe soloists, literature is limited if you do not
have an oboe soloist.

Instrument Selection
Look for students with the following “personality traits”:
● Looks you in the eye and follows instructions well
● Enjoys homework
● Likes being the center of attention
● Wants to practice an instrument
● Possible piano background
● Patience to handle longer learning curve
Physical Factors:
● Detrimental physical factors (i.e. double joints, hand size, pronounced underbite, short
upper lip, cannot match sung pitches).
● Non-detrimental (i.e. braces, facial structure).

Equipment
School Owned Oboes
● Have lesson teacher play/test instruments prior to each school year
● If available, find an oboe specialist for repair

When purchasing instruments for your school, we recommend:

● FOX Renard 333 - plastic, beginner model
● FOX 300- plastic, full conservatory
● FOX 450- option of plastic top joint, bottom joint grenadilla wood
● Loree AK- professional

Reeds
● Students should play on homemade reeds right from the start. If you have a private
teacher that makes reeds, have students start using the teacher reeds right away.
● “Always have 3 good reeds in your reed case”
● Other reed sources:
■ Bocalmajoritystore.com
■ Wildflowerreeds.com
■ oboenik.com
● Reed Cases (Pro Tec Oboe reed case, holds 8 reeds, $15 on amazon)
● Rotate Reeds to increase life span
Private Lesson Instruction

You want this person to be a resource for you!

If a private lesson teacher is not available for your oboists, we recommend that the band director build
time in sectional schedule to meet with oboe students individually on a weekly basis.

Suggested Interview Questions for hiring a private oboe teacher:

● Tell us your methodology for starting a beginner oboe student
○ Embouchure
○ Air
○ Articulation
○ Hand Position
○ Technique
● Do you make reeds for students?
Cost per reed?
● Will you have enough room in your schedule for all the oboe students in the program?
Do you intend to teach in the area long term?
● What is an outline of your curriculum for students?
What method book do students work from?
What skills should a beginner have at the end of the first year of playing?
What skills would an oboist have at the end of middle school?
(Make sure their goals align with yours)
● Have your potential teacher play for you. Do you like their tone?
● Does the teacher communicate well through email and phone?
Communicate both ways prior to the interview to make sure they respond to both and
seem professional.
● Watch them teach a lesson, either live or via video.

Class Environment

Clear Expectations
● Have a parent meeting and/or make a contract for parents with written expectations
regarding reeds and private lessons.

Class Dynamic
● Tell students what they are doing correct or well. Positive reinforcement will help every
student feel they are achieving- in a class of overachievers this is important!
● Have the kids play individually and give them feedback. Tell them what they need to
work on to improve. Praise them for improvements.
● Goal is that each child feels like they are an Oboe Player- start talking early about
making reeds, summer camps to learn reed making and playing with other band kids
The First Two Weeks

Before you Start Playing!

● Learn Parts of Instrument
● Instrument Assembly, including soaking reed in reed cup
● Basic Music Theory: musical alphabet, reading notes on a staff
● How to assemble music stand, How to work metronome
● Name on reed case and instrument case

First Sounds!
● Embouchure
○ Have mirrors that attach to stands so students can see embouchure
○ Syllable “oo”; teeth are apart
○ Should see some of top lip and some of bottom lip on the reed
○ Dry part of the lip touches the reed
○ Lips around reed like a draw string- equal pressure all the way around
○ Common embouchure pitfalls-bunching chin, squeezing top and bottom lip
together and not using corners in, teeth too closed
● Breathing/Air
○ Imitate the feeling of back pressure using a balloon and a straw
○ Breath through the mouth, reed stays on bottom lip for the breath
○ Deep breath in, Fast air out
● First Notes
○ B A G F# E D
○ F (banana key)
○ C Scale
● Articulation
○ You can start teaching as soon as students can make a steady sound with
correct embouchure
○ Syllable “Tu” interrupts the air stream
○ Tip of Tongue touches the tip of the reed lightly

Recommended Method Book and Resource for Beginner Class Instruction:

● Beginner Class Boot Camp by Sally Bohls and Jennifer Auerbach
○ Method book you can use to teach oboe and bassoons separately or together,
sequence written for oboe and bassoons not full band instruction.
○ Find online at bocalmajoritystore.com

Beginner Year- 2nd Semester

Vibrato
● Once students can play with a good tone, with good air support you can start teaching
vibrato
● Teach students to make pulses of air, start by practicing without the oboe
● Common pitfalls of vibrato are not using enough air or letting embouchure move
● Have students practice metered vibrato: quarters, eighths, then triplets
● Build a habit of adding vibrato to all long notes, start incorporating it into your music
● Listen to examples of oboists using vibrato on CD or your private teacher
 Building Range
● Use scales to learn new notes and extend the range
● Do long tones on the chromatic scale at the beginning of class and each week add a
new note
● Often Band Method Books have incorrect or poor choices for fingerings; get a finger
chart from your private teacher or reliable source

Alternate Fingerings/ Oboe Specific Technique

Hierarchy of The Three F’s - Teach in this order!

● #1 - Left F (teach early - even before Regular F)
○ Most commonly used in band due to method books and key signatures/scales
(Bb, Eb)
○ Use when preceded or followed by a C#/Db, D, or Eb

● #2 - Regular F (Banana key-most commonly nicknamed)

● Use in Chromatic, F and C scales

● #3 - Forked F (worst tone and tuning on most oboes)

○ Use in Ab, Db key signatures/scales
○ Use in patterns that obligate both pinkies before or after the F
Half Hole Technique
● Roll 1st finger to uncover hole of B key
● Only roll enough to uncover, common for students to roll too much
● Practice playing Low D to Half Hole D, moving only first finger in rolling motion
● Practice playing Low Eb to Half Hole Eb, moving only first finger in rolling motion

Chromatic Scale Technique

● Low C to C# Chromatic- rocking motion. Use second knuckle for the C and tip of pinkie for C#
● Low B to Bb- rocking motion. When playing low Bb you can also hold down the B key; Press
pinkie between Bb and B key pressing both at once, rock pickie to B key and let off the Bb key
to play B

High Note Fingerings

All subject to tuning for your specific instrument and private lesson teacher preference!

High C#/Db, often not played correctly! (LH - Index finger UP!)

High D has several options, as a beginner it is best to stick with one. As the player advances
switching to a fingering that is more stable with accurate tuning is best.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

1. General Pedagogy Book Fingering - tendency is quite sharp

2. Full High D
3. Full High D Opt. 1
4. Full High D Opt. 2
5. Full High D NO Half-Hole
High D#/Eb and E

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

1. High D#/Eb - LH Pinky is most commonly on the wrong key!!! Attributes to pitch issues.
2. High E LH
a. Use in the F Major scale
b. Use when approaching or descending to a C#/Db
3. High E RH
a. Use in Chromatic Scale
b. Use when approaching or descending to a D#/Eb
4. High E Combo - Not often utilized! Use as a last resort!
5. High E Short - Used in fast passages and pinky changes

Solo Recommendations
Solo chosen should be based on student ability, work ethic, drive/motivation, and amount of time to
learn the solo.

Beginners 6th Grade:

Texas PML Grade 3 are great for this age and ability! http://wwwdev.uiltexas.org

Title Composer Publisher [Collection] Specification

Standard of Excellence Festival
Solo Book 1 Pearson/Elledge Neil A Kjos Music Co CD Accompaniment
Standard of Excellence Festival
Solo Book 2 Pearson/Elledge Neil A Kjos Music Co CD Accompaniment
1st Recital Series for Oboe Various Curnow Music Distrbution No Dotted Rhythmic Patterns
Belwin-Mills Publishing
Oboe Solos Level 1 Various Corp.
Belwin-Mills Publishing High C and Dotted 8th/16th
Oboe Solos Level 2 Various Corp. Rhythms
Belwin Mills Publishing
Classic Festival Solos 1 Various Corp.
Belwin Mills Publishing
Classic Festival Solos 2 Various Corp.
Time for Solos-First Division Belwin-Mills Publishing No higher level rhythmic
Band Course Edelfsen/Best Corp. patterns
First Repertoire Pieces For
Oboe Various Boosey & Hawkes Inc.
Middle School 7th/8th Grade:
Texas PML Grade 2 is a great starting point. These are some of our personal favorites!

Title Composer Arranger Publisher [Collection] Grade Specification

Elegaic Dance Head Boosey & Hawkes, Inc. 2
Presto Head Boosey & Hawkes, Inc. 2
Largo e
Allegretto Marcello Rothwell J&W Chester, Ltd. 2
Adagio Bach Rothwell J&W Chester, Ltd.
Rubank, Inc. [Concert and Contest
Sinfonia Bach Voxman Collection]
Rubank, Inc. [Concert and Contest
Two Menuettos Bach Voxman Collection]
Rubank, Inc. [Concert and Contest
Gavotta Goedicke Voxman Collection] 2
Gavotte Gossec Johnson Rubank, Inc. 2
Menuetto and Rubank, Inc. [Concert and Contest
Presto Haydn Voxman Collection] 2 (play both)
Gavotte Head Boosey & Hawkes, Inc. 2
Andante and Rubank, Inc. [Concert and Contest
Allegro Loeillet Voxman Collection] 2 (play both)
Sonata in C (play one
Major Loeillet Rothwell J&W Chester, Ltd. 2 mvt)
Allegretto Mozart Scarmolin Ludwig Music Publishing Company 2
Rubank, Inc. [Concert and Contest (play one
Sonatina Mozart Voxman Collection] 2 mvt)
Siciliana Pergolesi Johnson Rubank, Inc. 2
Hal Leonard Music, Inc. [Master Solos
Aria Vivaldi Jaeger Intermediate Level] 2

High School:
Texas PML Grade 1 and 2
Choosing a solo should be a conversation between student and lesson teacher

Clinician Contact Information

We are happy to answer any questions!

Jessica Maus, Central High School, Keller ISD Jessica.Maus@kellerisd.net

Serena Finnigan, Wiley Middle School, Leander ISD Serena.Finnigan@leanderisd.org