Bassoon Demystified

I work with people of all ages and abilities. My first question is, “Why are you here?” Most often the answer is that bassoon is much harder than anything else they’ve tried and they just can’t figure it out.

Bassoon is hard. It’s made doubly so without a person to guide you through the seemingly contradictory etude books, fingering charts and reeds. I’m here to help.

My teaching philosophy is primarily based on what was passed down to me from my teacher Charles Coker, who in turn passed down the methods and techniques of his teacher Norman Herzberg, arguably the most important and influential bassoon pedagogue in the 20th century. Its rooted in the idea that solid technique leads to better musicianship and joy when playing bassoon.

New students begin with the Weissenborn method, a centuries old tutor that introduces only one or two notes each lesson and gives you exercises to attain mastery over them. From there we move on to more advanced etudes by Milde, Orefici and Piard to improve your dexterity and endurance so that the only barrier between you and artistry is your own imagination.