Update: Joins us for the Oboe Reed Making Bootcamp, June 24-28th

For those of you who are interested in the Reed Making Bootcamp June 24th-28th in Eau Claire, WI,  here are some more details.

1. The camp is perfect for beginning oboe and English horn reed makers,  experienced reed makers wishing to refine their reed making skills,  or anyone wanting to join in with fun people to stockpile great reeds for the summer and fall.

2.The reed making sessions will be from June 24-28th and consist 2,  2.5 hour sessions each day (one from 10-12:30 and another from 3-5:30). The sessions will take place in my office at UW-Eau Claire. In-between those times I be available to teach 30 min oboe lessons to anyone interested (3 lessons for each student over the course of the week are available). 

3. If there are enough reed makers,  we could have some ad-hoc duo, trio, or oboe ensemble sight-reading sessions for fun.  There will be ALL levels at the reed table,  from several beginners to professionals, high-school, college,  adults. The aim is to welcome a diverse community of oboe lovers who simply want to learn more about reed making, playing oboe, and learn from each other in good company.

4. There will be no fees for the reed sessions,  just come as you can. However,  I will have quite a bit of gouged/shaped/folded cane available,  and I ask that anyone using the cane makes a donation to help cover those costs.    

5. If you are under 18 years of age,  please have your parents contact me.  Please note that I am not able to provide supervision outside of reed sessions, transportation, or housing. Hopefully in years to come if there is sufficient interest we can organize this into a more formal event with housing, supervised activities for minors outside of reed sessions, etc!

6. Do you need tools for reed making? Contact me for a list of tools you'll need and places to get them.

Contact: OboeForEveryone@gmail.com  Hope to see you there!

Oboe and out,

Dr. G

Join us for an Oboe Reed Maker's Bootcamp June 24th-28th

Oboe Reed Maker's Bootcamp June 24th-28th

Want to learn how to make reeds for the first time? Just looking to learn how to adjust the commercial reeds that you buy? Already know how to make reeds but want to refine your reed skills? Or, want to join a group of fun people to simply focus on reed making for a week and stockpile some great reeds for the summer and fall?

If so,  here's your opportunity! I'll be leading an 

Oboe Reedmaker's Bootcamp

June 24-28th 2013

 Eau Claire, WI

We'll be working on tying fundamentals, knife technique, understanding the parts of the reed, troubleshooting guidance for reed refining and adjustment, and everything else under the sun that pertains to reed making. The sessions will be half-day,  leaving you time to take an optional oboe lesson, practice your oboe, possibly play in ad hoc chamber groups, and to explore the lovely Eau Claire area (float down the Chippewa River on a raft, enjoy an outdoor concert, miles of bike/running/skating trails, fishing, boating, the Eau Claire Downtown Farmer's Market, mild Wisconsin summers, etc, etc!)

I'm here to help you become a better reed maker. Come join us at the reed table for a week of great learning in an informal setting. College students and amateurs are welcome! Since this is a part of OboeForEveryone, there is no cost to participate, but I am suggesting a donation to cover the cost of cane, etc. which will be supplied for beginning reed makers. 

Are you in? Contact me at: OboeForEveryone@gmail.com

My reed making background:  I've been making reeds for over 20 years, having studied the art of reed making with greats such as James Brody (Oboe Professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder), Elaine Douvas (Oboe Professor at the Juilliard School and the person who taught me how to make the "5-minute reed"), and David Weber (owner of Weber Reeds and co-author of The Reed Maker's Manual) and inspired by the oboe teachings of Marc Lifschey. I have a thorough understanding of WHY reeds work and take the mystery out of reed making for my students to make reeds quickly and consistently.

I look forward to seeing you there,

Dr. G

Attend Oboist Kathryn Greenbank's Masterclass at UW-Eau Claire on April 1st!

Here ye, hear ye!

All oboists in the Eau Claire, Wisconsin region take note!

 Kathryn Greenbank, the amazing principal oboist of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra will be giving a masterclass at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire on April 1st from 2-4 pm in Phillips Recital Hall. The public is welcome to attend this FREE event.  This is NOT an April Fool's Day joke!  

Mark your calendars and email me: OboeForEveryone@gmail.com for more information.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Oboe and out,

Dr. G

If you've never heard Kathy Greenbank's exquisite playing,  try this out:

Congratulations to Jonathan Conjurske and Stuart Sutter

Congratulations to Jonathan Conjurske and Stuart Sutter on a FANTASTIC student recital yesterday! WOW!  Fantastic performances by all!!!

Jonathan, Stuart, and the rest of the great UWEC oboe crew

Captured on video!

Greetings all!

I've been busy making short videos and loading them on YouTube for you to watch. Each  video is only a few minutes long,  but is full of essential information for playing the oboe. Topics covered include forming a basic embouchure, characteristics of a good oboe embouchure, embouchure flexibility exercises, troubleshooting advice for embouchure problems, and hand position.  Soon to come are more videos on how to play dynamics, articulation and the oboe, good body use, etc, etc. Think of each video as a  mini lesson on an important element of oboe playing. The concepts are useful to beginners, advanced players in need of a "refresher" lesson on basic elements of playing, or for those who want to improve their understanding of how to teach foundational elements to students. Here's a sample video below on forming a basic oboe embouchure.

 If you'd like to catch all of the videos and listen to some of my playing from live concerts, go to www.youtube.com and become a "subscriber" to my channel: "Christa Garvey"
That way you'll instantly receive notification when new videos are added. Or,  you can find them in the list of teaching videos on the OboeForEveryone site.

Enjoy and let me know what you think of the videos--are they helpful? What other videos about oboe playing topics would you like to see on Youtube? I look forward to hearing from you!

Oboe and out,

Dr. G

In Memoriam--William Bennett

This is a re-post from my other blog,  theoboist.blogspot.com

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By now many of you have heard the tragic news of San Francisco Symphony principal oboist William Bennet's brain hemorrhage and subsequent death on February 28th.  Bennet was performing the Strauss Oboe Concert at the time of his collapse.
you can read more here

The world has lost a consummate artist and wonderful person.

I think the first time I heard Bill Bennet's playing was way back when I was in high school.  Each week our local public radio station in Evansville, IN, would broadcast a show called SymphonyCast (or something like that, as memory serves) that featured full length, live performances of major symphonies.  For this small-town girl, the broadcasts were an incredible window into the repertoire and artistry of the world's finest orchestras. One week they featured the San Francisco Symphony performing Mozart's Oboe Concerto with William Bennett performing as soloist.  I was captivated by the performance--such sensitive playing, lovely sound, immaculate technique. Then the most memorable even occurred during the cadenza. He somehow wove in a short bit of La Marseillaise into a cadenza. To me that showed such playful daring! I was so impressed that he took that risk and the audience absolutely adored the moment as well since I could audibly hear their amusement. His risk payed off and produced an absolutely unforgettable performance and I immediately became a fan of his artistry and wit.


My Facebook account is FILLED with friends and colleagues posting and re-posting news articles of Bennett's passing and each post including a few words of their own about him.   A brief summary of descriptors includes,  "masterful musician," "profoundly beautiful playing," "exquisite oboist," "possessed blazing technique," "wonderful person," and the list goes on and on.  They're all true.


So many of us revered his playing deeply. We admired him as an artist musician, oboist, teacher, and human being.  But how many of us took the time to tell him this while he was living?

How often to do share your reactions with the performers who inspire you?  Do you let them know if you've enjoyed a performance? Except for applause,  the performers HAVE NO IDEA anyone enjoyed it. Audiences have been conditioned to applaud after a piece is finished much like Pavlov's dogs salivated in anticipation of food, so clapping doesn't really tell us much (unless it's REALLY LONG applause,  or INCREDIBLY LOUD and interspersed with CHEERS and STANDING OVATIONS--then we GET that the performance really meant something to the audience! :))

As performers we our buttressed by our own resolve to hone our craft in order to create/express music, and we work hard to share something special with our audiences, so WE NEVER TIRE to personally hear that someone has enjoyed what we do.  It confirms that what we do is relevant and has meaning to others outside ourselves/ colleagues and propels us to work harder, dig deeper,  bring more to an audience.

I encourage you to always GO backstage to tell a performer you enjoyed their performance (you might have to wait in line,  so be patient!). You'll probably leave the concert happy to have made a new connection with another human being.  My students usually comment,  "It was so great to meet performer "X!"  She was a nice PERSON."   Or send the performer a short email telling them what you most enjoyed,  or even (gasp) SNAIL MAIL the performer a short postcard or card mentioning that you enjoyed the performance. I'm not implying that you should  become a creepy, stalking fan; a simple bravo or recognition, or "thanks" is enough. If you're not sure what to say to a performer,  saying "thank for your performance,  I really enjoyed it" is a great start.  Or,  tell the performer which piece you enjoyed the most.  Or try to mention that you most enjoyed their expressive playing in a slow movement,  or that you were impressed with their technique in fast passages, or that you found their sound to be lovely. It doesn't need to be much,  and you don't need to be an "expert" at musical terms to say something. In fact,  one of the most memorable remarks I ever received was from a high school student who,  after my performance of the Mozart Oboe Concerto exclaimed,  "Wow!  You're like a NINJA on that oboe!"  I cherished what she meant,  and enjoyed the colorful simile immensely.

If you're not a performer,  know that your words DO MATTER. If you're a performer,  you understand how meaningful post-concert comments can be,  so pass on the goodwill and train your students to meet and TALK to performers too.  I once encouraged a student to talk to a "famous" performer after a concert and the student said to me,  "why should I tell them I liked the performance?  They must KNOW they're AWESOME."  What the student didn't understand is that some of the self-doubt and  and inner dialogue that happens when you are a beginner doesn't ever go away. The "I SUCK" moments happen for even the best musicians, it's just that the level of playing is higher.  The performer's ears become trained to listen for and correct minute deviations from  carefully honed technique, precision,  expressive nuances.  When practicing and in times of self doubt,  remembering words of praise and kindness can be a chorus of support giving life and reassurance to propel a performer back to trying new things, taking risks, and maybe even adding La Marseillaise into a cadenza.

If we take nothing from Bill Bennett's tragic and untimely death,  it is this:

Never miss an opportunity to tell someone you enjoyed their performance;  you never know when it will be their last. 

R.I.P Mr. Bennet. The world is better because of you.

Oboe and out,

The Oboist

Oboe for Everyone--Oboe lessons and resources for all

FYI, this post is duplicated from my other blog,  www.theoboist.blogspot.com

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"But history will judge you, and as the years pass, you will ultimately judge yourself, in the extent to which you have used your gifts and talents to lighten and enrich the lives of your fellow men. In your hands lies the future of your world and the fulfillment of the best qualities of your own spirit"

-Robert F. Kennedy (speech at Berkeley, 1966)

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Oboists,  let's make our world a little better (and smaller) starting today.

Service to our communities and the world can come in so many beautiful forms.  Over the years I have volunteered at the local homeless shelter, given as generously to the food banks as my professor salary allows, support environmental causes, etc, etc.  These are things that most people in my community have the skill set to do as time and generosity allows. But when I considered how I might use my specialized skill set (including a doctorate in oboe performance and pedagogy and 12 years teaching at the college level) to serve others in the world, my brain started spinning with this question:

What if EVERY OBOIST who wanted to take oboe lessons with an oboe specialist had the opportunity to do so,  regardless of location in the world or ability to pay ?

I often take on students for reduced rates to serve my community. It's a small action on my part but I believe it is really important to the students and families I can serve. Currently this blog reaches readers from over 60 different countries, many of whom do not have access to oboe lessons in their communities. But proximity to a teacher is no longer an issue with the use of free online video communication tools such as Skype ,  ooVoo , or Google Chat , for online lessons.

So my question to you is this:

Would you like to take oboe lessons but either don't know how to find a teacher or can't afford the usual lesson fees?  Or can you think of someone who might be able to benefit from this service? Or maybe you'd like a lesson or two to work with a topic I've written about? 

If so,  I am here to help.  I am willing to provide 2 online lessons (30 minutes each) to you on a "pay as you are able scale."  My usual rate is $30 per lesson, but please know that I am willing to teach you at a price that accommodates your budget, including free lessons.  After those two lessons,  we will either continue lessons or find a teacher (either near where you live or online) who can best match your needs.  For those interested in virtual lessons who are able to pay a fair rate for lessons, I ask that you please do so--this will provide the resources to support teaching those who cannot.

contact me at: OboeForEveryone@gmail.com for more information

This brings me to the second question:

Can I facilitate a network of oboe teachers, reed makers,  repair specialists, etc. who might be interested in sharing their specialized skill set to those with limited financial resources?

Oboe teachers--would you be willing to take on a student either in person or online for a reduced rate in order to serve your community and profession? If so, I'd love to meet you!

contact me at OboeForEveryone@gmail.com for more information

College oboe majors--would you like to gain experience teaching beginning players? Fantastic!  Let's connect:

contact me at OboeForEveryone@gmail.com for more information

Reedmakers--can I use your name/contact information to give to oboists looking for reeds? Or a link to your website? What are your rates? Would be be willing to occasionally produce reeds for a reduced rate for those who cannot afford your full price reeds? Let's begin a conversation:

contact me at OboeForEveryone@gmail.com for more information

To current oboe instructors:

First and foremost,  please know I have no intention of taking students away from their current teachers by undercutting the price of lessons. Many musicians make their living by the amazing work they do as lesson teachers, and in no way do I want to steal students away from their teachers.  It is my desire to provide the opportunity for lessons to those who, because of financial resources or current location, are unable to do so.  For those interested in lessons who are able to pay a fair rate for lessons, I ask that you please do so. It is my hope that this network will assist in pairing qualified teachers with students either in their communities or online.  

Let's do all that we can to connect with others to share our love of music and our oboe skills. And please forward this post to anyone else you think might be interested. Who's game?

"How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment; we can start now, start slowly changing the world!"    --Anne Frank (diary entry, 1944)

Oboe and out,

Dr. G