What it’s like to be a Buckeye Oboe
A typical lesson with Dr. Held will have four components:
- Fundamentals (scales and exercises)
- Etudes (Barret, Sellner or Ferling)
- Solo repertoire
- Reeds
While lesson time adheres to this basic structure, each student’s instruction is catered according to their degree/major, specific goals and needs.
Students rotate through different art eras of repertoire based on their year and current semester to ensure that they are experienced with a variety of performance practices, genres and styles by the time they graduate. Each semester, students are assigned a minimum of 2 selections of solo repertoire. They perform their first assignment on a mid-semester studio recital, and their second assignment for their end-of-semester jury. In doing so, a tangible goal related to lesson time is established, and students are given the opportunity to not only demonstrate but also celebrate their hard work.
Outside of lessons, students also attend oboe studio and reed-making class weekly. Studio time is run in the traditional masterclass format where students practice performing solo repertoire, etudes and orchestral excerpts for peers, and receive and respond to constructive feedback. However, studio time is also treated as an opportunity to prepare students to become diversely skilled musicians. As a result, studio assignments are often geared toward topics of professional development, entrepreneurship and arts administration; certain studio days are dedicated to these topics. Throughout the school year the studio hosts 1–2 special guest artists. This is a great opportunity for students to learn from artists and master teachers from across the nation, and experience differing styles of pedagogy and artistic approach.
With a foundation of strong fundamentals instilled, the ultimate goal is to foster a student’s creativity and help them develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. Buckeye Oboes are prepared to be organized, professional and empathetic individuals who will be effective educators, skilled musicians and kind colleagues.
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