Lessons

LESSONS

This page is primarily intended to answer questions for prospective oboe students and parents. My pedagogy focuses on establishing a traditional Western classical foundation; well-rounded musicianship, however, requires open ears, an open mind, and a breadth of experience. I draw upon the creativity and flexibility I’ve required in the wide span of my own work to fine-tune lessons to each individual student’s needs and interests, and above all to make the process rewarding and fun.

(I would also be delighted to teach private lessons specifically in improvisation to instrumentalists of any stripe. I have taught new music workshops to students at grade school, high school, and college levels. Structures and curricula are entirely flexible, and fees are negotiable; please contact me if interested.)

 

experience | scheduling | payment | preparation | materials | contact | resources

Experience

I’ve been a full-time professional oboist for around twelve years now; I’ve been playing the instrument for more than twenty-five. I hold a B.A. in music and psychology from Rice University in Houston and an M.M. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. After finishing school, I moved to Chicago and worked extensively as a free-lancer, performing with many and varied orchestras, chamber groups, theater companies and contemporary music ensembles. My wife and I relocated to San Francisco in late 2003; since then, I’ve played off and on with groups throughout the region, including the San Francisco, Berkeley, Santa Rosa, Napa Valley, Calfiornia, Marin, Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Jose Chamber and Silicon Valley Symphonies. I’m currently a member of the Stockton Symphony and two woodwind quintets, and on the faculty of Berkeley’s Young Musicians Program. I love teaching, and I have loads of experience – by the time I left Chicago, I’d amassed a studio of 60 students, from 4th-grade beginners to college level.

résumé/C.V. | letter of recommendation (PDF)

Scheduling

I’m always happy to offer private lessons at my home studio, in North Oakland just a short walk south of the Ashby BART station. I’m willing to consider house calls, but I’ll request a slightly higher fee depending on scheduling and travel. I may be able to arrange coming to a student’s school (during study periods, lunches, or band), especially if at least a couple of classmates are interested – put me in touch with the band director. Lessons would ideally be weekly, and as consistent as possible; my performing and touring schedule may require occasional adjustments, but I assure you I’ll change times as rarely as possible and never without ample warning.

Payment

The rate is $45/half hour, $60/hour. (For beginners, I don’t recommend longer than a half hour – physical endurance will be an issue). Payment is fine either weekly or at the end of the month, cash or check. I’m also more than willing to consider bartering options to reduce or eliminate monetary payments. If you do not provide 24 hours notice for a lesson you are going to miss, PAYMENT IS STILL REQUIRED. This rather standard policy is intended to protect my time, and to ensure that you’re fully committed to our work together. If this seems unduly harsh, please keep in mind that I’m juggling multiple, tightly-scheduled commitments with students and ensembles throughout the Bay Area. The phone call you make a day or two beforehand can potentially allow me to re-schedule or avoid burning gas unnecessarily. Obviously, I’ll be reasonable about emergencies and certain unforeseen circumstances, and we’ll schedule make-up lessons whenever possible.

Preparation

I fully realize that the oboe isn’t (nor should it be) the first priority in everyone’s life. However, for lessons to be even remotely worth the time and money, YOU HAVE TO PRACTICE. Like any sport, there is simply a minimum of daily physical conditioning required to be able to function at all, much less improve. Beginning students should shoot for at least 20-30 minutes a day; for those more advanced, a half an hour to an hour isn’t so much to ask. Sorry, the time you spend in band doesn’t count – you may be working your chops, but you can hardly hear yourself, and you certainly can’t stop and examine trouble spots. Look closely at your schedule, and be creative. A few short bursts of practicing are just as good as the single long session you can’t seem to fit in, and they can provide great study breaks between subjects of homework.

I find that guilt doesn’t work particularly well for ensuring dedication, and I have no grades or punishment to hold over anyone’s head – nothing I can do will make up for a student’s lack of internal motivation. But I’m happy to appropriately tailor my approach to structure and reinforce whatever level of commitment is there, working from the premise that a student is taking lessons because s/he actually wants to.

Materials

While some of this advice may seem obvious to you, experience has taught me that certain issues are well worth pointing out, especially to those entirely new to the instrument.

You may have noticed by now that one of the most nightmarish aspects of oboe playing is the reeds. Showing up at a lesson without at least one functioning reed is like showing up in class without a pencil, except you can’t borrow one from anyone else. Showing up for a concert without at least two good reeds is asking for trouble – don’t wait for a flute player to knock your only reed off your stand to learn this lesson. The reed is a major determinant of your quality of tone and ease of playing; it is not, therefore, the place to cut costs. In general, you get what you pay for, with the exception of Fibercane reeds, which cost way more than they’re worth (avoid these like the plague – they’re relatively indestructible, but they sound like party favors). There are lots of different kinds of reeds commercially available, and unfortunately, none are incredibly reliable or consistent. I can always try to help adjust them for you, so don’t give up on a reed unless it’s cracked. Be prepared to try a few brands so we can see what works for you. Beginners should be OK with medium soft strength; otherwise, I recommend at least medium. I make my own reeds (all professionals do – if you envision playing seriously in the long run, the sooner you start to learn reed-making, the better) and can gladly supply them to students. They cost $10, and require a week’s notice. I should not be your only source, however – my schedule often makes it hard enough for me to keep myself supplied.

You need to swab your oboe out. Every time you play. Really. I can’t believe I have to convince some students of this, and I can’t count the number of times I’ve had to dredge mold and fuzzy gunk out of somebody’s instrument. If you’re playing on a school instrument that doesn’t have a swab in the case, go get one. Pull-through swabs (cloth attached to a string with a weight on the end) are generally the best, but be careful with ones that pull ALL the way through – if they get kinked or knotted, they can get hopelessly stuck in the top joint of the instrument.

For most students, the method books I will recommend come from three basic series: the Rubank (beginner, intermediate, or advanced), the Blaine Edelfson (again, three levels, but each level has three complementary books), and the Gekeler (volumes 1 and 2). For particularly advanced students, the Ferling 48 Studies may be required. There is a lot of wonderful solo literature out there; a good place to start is a book titled, strangely enough, Oboe Solos, edited by Jay Arnold and published by Amsco.

All of these basics can usually be found at your local band shop; but if you have trouble finding things, there are many mail-order alternatives. We are blessed in the Bay Area with a couple of shops well-known to double reed players throughout the country. For higher quality reeds, reed making supplies, or even instruments, I recommend Forrests in Berkeley and Mark Chudnow Woodwinds in Napa. Other good double reed suppliers, if you want to shop around, are RDG (in L.A.) and Midwest Musical Imports (in Minneapolis). The MMI website is also an excellent source for answers to questions about the different types of oboes available on the market – click on the Oboe Guide. (Definitely let me help with the process if you are considering buying an instrument). I strongly recommend going to these specialists (or to Daniel Dietch, another great repairman in San Francisco) for repairs and maintenance work – they will know how to deal with oboes far more so than the average band store employee.

Contact

Feel free to email me with any questions and concerns. Once we’re in touch, never worry about calling too late at night or early in the morning. Email sometimes works best, because I can respond at any hour, no matter how absurdly late I get back from playing a concert.

Thanks for taking the time to read through this; it will help things run more smoothly for all of us. I’m looking forward to our work together!

 

Additional Resources

Contact Kyle Bruckmann