Course Syllabus for Oboe Studio Instruction
MUP 111, 127, 327, 527, 727
Academic Year, 2008-2009
Martin Schuring
Music E-443
480/965-3439
http://www.public.asu.edu/~schuring/
Auditions
Auditions for band/orchestra
seating and placement will be held on Tuesday, August 26 beginning at 7:30 pm.
Sign-up sheets will be available the week before on the orchestra bulletin
boards, located on the second floor of the classroom wing of Gammage Auditorium
outside room 209. These auditions are intended for players who are interested
in both band and orchestra, or who arenÕt sure. There will be separate
auditions for players interested only in band – consult the band bulletin
board, located at the opposite end of the hallway from the orchestra office.
You will play only the excerpts provided in the order given. It is not
necessary to prepare anything else.
If you are the recipient of a
Special Talent Award (in other words, a music scholarship), you are required to
play in one of the bands for the duration of your scholarship award. If you are
not a scholarship recipient or hold an academic scholarship, band participation
is not required, though certainly encouraged. Auditions for ensembles are held only
at the beginning of the year. Results
will be posted by Thursday evening, August 28, allowing students time to
register for the appropriate ensembles. Consult the band and orchestra bulletin
boards for first meeting times. Please come early to your audition –
there is a form to complete before you play.
Lesson Scheduling and
Registration
Lessons will officially begin
during the second week of classes – the week of September 1 (although
September 1 is Labor Day—no school). In order to schedule your lesson
time, I will need a schedule of your classes by Wednesday, August 27. Blank
forms will be provided outside my door. Take the one with your name on it, Þll it out, and put it back in the envelope. Please
donÕt just mark XÕs where you have classes; indicate what the class is and its
location. Also be sure to indicate times of other regularly occurring events:
work, church activities, etc. Also, please indicate your 1st,
2nd, and 3rd choices for a lesson time. I am usually successful in accommodating these
requests. Each student receives one 50 minute lesson per week.
Note to returning students:
Please familiarize yourself with the new clock schedule for class times. They
have been adjusted to allow a 15 minute break between classes. Thus, every
class will begin at a different time after the hour. I expect this to cause mass confusion, so be careful.
The 11:50 hour on Wednesdays
is set aside for Studio Classes (master classes), and student recital programs
– either a Woodwind Area Recital (programs featuring only woodwind
performers), or a Convocation (programs including performers from all areas).
DO NOT sign up for any classes during this time. The School of Music computer
will block registration during this hour, but other departments may not, so be
careful. All students are required to attend area recitals; only undergraduate
students are required to attend the convocations (see below under
ÒAttendanceÓ).
Attendance and Grading
Policies
Students must attend all
studio classes and area recitals as part of their oboe studio requirement. New
undergraduates should familiarize themselves with the MUP 100 concert
attendance policy. This can block graduation if not adhered to.
There
is a weekly oboe studio class in place of the occasional Wednesday classes. The
class meets for one hour every Friday at 11:50 am. The class location will be
announced as soon as possible. Plan to have the first meeting on Friday, August
29. Attendance is required and is subject to the rules listed below. When
studio classes are scheduled during the normal Wednesday rotation, you will
have that hour free. If you are a new student and none of this makes sense yet,
it will after a few weeks.
Attendance
at all student, faculty, and guest oboe performances is required. A detailed
schedule listing all required events will be made available as early as
possible during each semester. If you have an unavoidable conßict with a
required event, you can get credit by attending the dress rehearsal. Unexcused
absence from three or more
required events during a semester will lower your semester grade by one full
letter. The attendance requirement
includes area recitals, studio classes, and all required events announced
during the semester.
Each
lesson will receive a grade. A grade of ÒAÓ is given for outstanding effort
reflected by outstanding performance. A grade of ÒBÓ is given for good effort
and performance, and should be regarded as describing normal progress. A grade
of ÒCÓ is given when there are problems or areas of concern, and should be
regarded as unsatisfactory. ÒDÓ and ÒEÓ are failing grades and should never
occur. A studio class performance will be graded also, counting as one lesson
grade. All students are required to perform in at least two studio class each
semester; a sign-up sheet will be provided at the beginning of the semester. I
will be happy to discuss your grade at any time.
An
unexcused absence from a lesson will receive a grade of ÒEÓ for that lesson.
Always call in advance if you are ill or have a problem.
A
reedmaking class is offered for three one-hour periods each week. Bea Gerber,
our graduate teaching assistant, will also offer a reedmaking assistance for
students wishing additional help. Attendance at reed classes is limited to
three students at a time; a sign-up sheet will be provided. I will send an
e-mail when each monthÕs sign-up sheet is available. Signing up is first come,
first served, so hurry. Classes tend to fill up very quickly. Freshman oboe
students are expected to play on their own reeds immediately, with help given
as necessary.
Jury Exams
Jury exams are held at the
end of each semester. The jury exam is a ten-minute performance of selections
from the material studied during the semester. We will select the material to
be performed a few weeks before the jury. An accompanist is recommended but not
required. Scale requirements (see attached) may be checked, also. Jury exams
are graded and will be weighted as two lessons. If your jury grade deviates
strongly from your studio grade, it may affect your Þnal grade more than the
two lesson formula permits. You will be exempted from playing a jury if any of
the following applies to the semester in question:
Concert of Soloists
Competition
Each fall, we have a concerto
competition at ASU. The overall finals will be held on November 20, so we will
need to start well before that to select the woodwind contestants. The oboe
round will likely take place in late October. I recommend thinking about this
now if you would like to enter. Feel free to ask me for input about your repertoire
choice.
Other Requirements and
Items of Interest
Scale requirements are
expected to be met within the first semester and maintained thereafter. Daily
scale practice is an essential part of technical development. Refer to the
enclosed scale sheet for minimum requirements. Please note that these are
minimums.
All
oboe performance majors are required to be members of the International Double
Reed Society.
Everyone
must obtain an e-mail account during the Þrst week of the fall semester. Let me
know your e-mail address as soon as you have it. Many messages of general
interest, including announcements of scheduling and required events, will be
circulated through e-mail only, so check your account regularly. ASU provides
free e-mail accounts to students, though many students find other providers are
more convenient. I have no preference, but the account be must be reliable
and you must check it regularly. I
occasionally have problems with hotmail blocking my mail, so if you have a
hotmail account, consider changing to another provider for ASU business.
New
masters students need to have a faculty supervisory committee before their
first recital, typically given during the second semester. This committee will
evaluate your recitals and administer the final comprehensive exam at the end
of your studies. It will have three members: me, one other woodwind faculty
member, and one member from the history/theory area from whom you have taken a
class. It is your responsibility to recruit these faculty members. It is your
responsibility to invite committee members to your recitals well in advance.
I prefer that all new
performance majors take the oboe pedagogy class during their first semester. This class is required for all performance degrees,
undergraduate and graduate. It is a survey of oboe techniques, and provides a
useful supplement to your lessons. Music education and music therapy students
do not have to take this class, or may take it in a later semester. Students
who have already taken it can repeat the class for credit. Class number is MUP
481 for undergraduates and MUP 581 for graduate students.
For more information about
the oboe studio and other related topics, visit my web page at
<http://www.public.asu.edu/~schuring/>.
Recital Procedure
A successful recital begins
with careful planning. Follow these steps, and start planning early –
several months in advance – to avoid any problems.
1. In consultation with me,
determine your program. The program should include music from a variety of
periods and styles, and should be of a difficulty level appropriate to your
degree program. You should include one major or standard work (i.e. a concerto
or a substantial sonata), and one chamber music work featuring oboe or English
horn. This planning should take place months in advance, giving ample time to
prepare.
2. Arrange all of the
assisting musicians you will need. Make sure to get firm commitments, not vague
promises. Check with me for recommendations of appropriate players.
3. See Cathy Bickell in the
facilities and events office for a recital form. Work with me and your
assisting musicians to find a time that suits everyone. Be careful to avoid
conflicts with large ensemble events such as band concerts, orchestra concerts,
or opera rehearsals/performances. Do this well in advance, as early as the
system allows, to avoid problems.
4. Get the required
signatures. At a minimum, you will need me to sign the form. If you need a
harpsichord, you will need to get in touch with Rick Florence in the piano
technicianÕs office. If you need any sort of electronics (tape playback, amplification,
etc.), you will need Brent Gabrielsen to sign the form as well.
5. Make a rehearsal schedule
with your colleagues. Do this weeks in advance. Everyone is very busy, so if
you wait until two weeks before your recital, you will not get enough rehearsal.
Plan more rehearsals than you think you need; itÕs always easy to cancel them
later. Make sure I hear everything in a lesson or a studio class at least two
weeks in advance. Failure to be fully prepared two weeks in advance may
result in the cancellation of your recital.
6. Neatly type your program
copy. I can help you with this, and with completing the recital form. The form
and four copies of your program must be turned back to Cathy Bickell three
weeks in advance.
7. Graduate students: Invite
your committee members in writing at least a month in advance. Visit each
faculty member in person and give them a written invitation. DonÕt just send an
e-mail. If they cannot attend, it is your responsibility to give them a
recording of the recital afterwards.
8. Arrange a dress rehearsal
time in the hall a few days in advance of your performance. The dress rehearsal
can take place after an evening recital beginning at 9 PM or thereabouts; often
the hall is also available early in the morning. I prefer dress rehearsals
first thing in the morning over the late night times. Make sure that I am
available, as well as all of your colleagues, and any extra equipment
(harpsichord, etc.).
9. Practice a lot, rehearse a
lot, make a lot of reeds.
10. Play well and enjoy
yourself.
Recommended materials and
tools
At a minimum, you will need
to own the following books:
Barret Oboe Method (Kalmus
recommended, or Boosey & Hawkes)
Ferling 48 Studies (Southern
Music Company)
Andraud Vade Mecum (Southern)
Other method books, and solo
pieces should be purchased as needed. Please try not to use Xerox copies; it is
not really legal, and the cost of buying your own music is more than justified
by the better quality and durability.
For reedmaking, you will need
at least the following:
A knife. I recommend Rigotti
for good quality and reasonable price. If you can spend more, Landwell knives
are quite a bit better.
A good mandrel. Go ahead and
get a Loree. If you donÕt lose it, it will last the rest of your life.
String. Nylon FF.
Beeswax. Available in the
hardware store or through any doublereed vendor. A medium-sized cake lasts a
long time. The stuff from fabric stores is too hard.
Staples. 2 dozen or so. I use
Stevens #2 thinwall staples, available from Weber Reeds. Some students have
reported problems getting reeds to seal using these, so make your initial
purchase a small one until you know that they work for you. IÕve never noticed
any difference between silver and brass, so get brass.
Cane. If you donÕt gouge or
shape yet, I recommend looking forÉ10-10.5 diameter, .60mm gouge, Pfeiffer-Mack
shape. If the Pfeiffer-Mack shape is not available, Gilbert –1 is an
acceptable substitute. Roger Miller and David Weber are a good sources of
shaped cane. Get a bunch, youÕll need it. You will learn to gouge and shape
your own cane soon after your arrival on campus, so purchase some tube cane (10
to 10.5 diameter). A pound is the usual measure, which will eventually yield
about 100-150 pieces of cane. Some vendors will sell tube cane by the piece, or
in smaller weights.
Sharpening stone. The oboe
studio has a system of Shapton sharpening stones. I will show you how to use
these as soon as convenient. Then, you will need an item called Raz-R Steel to
maintain the knife edge. This is available from Weber Reeds
<www.webreeds.com> or from <razoredgesystems.com>. It should not
cost more the $25 or so; some vendors are selling it for much more, so be
careful. A pair of ceramic sticks or a very fine ceramic stone are useful for
touching up the blade.
Fishskin. You should need it
only rarely, but itÕs useful to have around, so get a small sheet. Thinner is
better. PlumberÕs teflon tape, though ugly, is better still.
Plaques. Get several; they
get lost easily. Flat, blue steel, rounded or pointy ends. Nothing fancy.
Cutting block. Rosewood or
grenadilla. NOT plastic. At least 1 inch in diameter.
You should shape your own cane
for consistent results. I use a Mack-Pfeiffer tip. Copies of this are available
from Midwest Musical Imports and RDG: MMI is cheaper. DonÕt bother with the +1
or -1 designations; the straight-ahead Mack-Pfeiffer tip is the right design.
There are many other good tips. You will also need a handle – make sure
it has moveable jaws, but other than that, you donÕt need the superluxe
top-priced model. The Westwind handle is a good compromise between price and
quality.
The oboe studio owns a Graf
oboe gouging machine, a Gilbert oboe gouger, a Reeds Ôn Stuff oboe gouger, and
a Ross English horn gouger, as well as an assortment of measuring tools,
pregougers, shaper tips, handles, etc. – all for student use. If you
donÕt own any shaping or gouging tools, you will still do very well using the schoolÕs
equipment. But you will eventually need your own, so plan ahead. A gouging
machine with accessories costs $1,000 or more; a good shaper tip and handle
will cost $250 and up.
Summer contact info:
I can
be reached via e-mail during the entire summer <m.schuring@asu.edu>,
though response time may be a few days slower than usual. HereÕs the scheduleÉ
I will be in Arizona until
June 29. Office phone is 480/965-3439. After that, I will be at the Grand Teton
Music Festival in Teton Village, WY until August 18. I will be available in my
office on Wednesday that week (August 20). When IÕm not in Arizona, call my
mobile phone – 480/861-1954. Snail mail should be sent to:
Martin Schuring
c/o GTMF
Box 490
Teton Village, WY 83025
Please donÕt hesitate to get
in touch if you have any questions or problems. I look forward to seeing all of
you in the Fall.