*Note to Parents: Please read the information on this site BEFORE renting/buying an oboe or reeds. For beginner oboe accessories needed, click here.
Weekly lessons are $30 per 30-minute lesson (taught from my home music studio) and are paid monthly. This rate also includes: a lesson binder, all method books/sheet music, and emergency reed/oboe adjustment when needed.
Virtual lessons (via FaceTime, Google Duo or Skype) will be available during the COVID-19 pandemic. Make sure to be ready/signed-in before your lesson time, and I will call you. Keep in mind that some students have back-to-back times - I will do my best to stay right on schedule!
Tips for a Successful Online Lesson:
1. Play in a well-lit room. If I can see you, I can help you.
2. Make sure your face and fingers are visible on screen.
3. Have a strong internet connection.
4. If sending music from band class, do so 24 hours before your lesson.
5. Have a device-charging cable handy.
Grade Objectives
Reeds: Please have 3 working reeds at all times. Parents, beginners will break reeds often so it is best to order extra. Reeds need to be handmade and ordered from one of the sites listed here. The reed is responsible for most of our tone, so if you want to sound great, get a great reed! For beginners, I would order 2 reeds a month whether they need them or not (reed subscriptions work well too).
Studio Policies:
Note: I am located in the northern part of Forsyth County, GA. If this commute is too far, I recommend contacting Dr. Rachel Maczko in Atlanta or Pamela Holloway near Woodstock (ask me for her contact info). For bassoon lessons, contact Erin Anderson via her studio website www.sites.google.com/site/lessonsbyerin/ or Warren Stokes (ask me for contact info).
Weekly lessons are $30 per 30-minute lesson (taught from my home music studio) and are paid monthly. This rate also includes: a lesson binder, all method books/sheet music, and emergency reed/oboe adjustment when needed.
Virtual lessons (via FaceTime, Google Duo or Skype) will be available during the COVID-19 pandemic. Make sure to be ready/signed-in before your lesson time, and I will call you. Keep in mind that some students have back-to-back times - I will do my best to stay right on schedule!
Tips for a Successful Online Lesson:
1. Play in a well-lit room. If I can see you, I can help you.
2. Make sure your face and fingers are visible on screen.
3. Have a strong internet connection.
4. If sending music from band class, do so 24 hours before your lesson.
5. Have a device-charging cable handy.
Grade Objectives
- 5th/6th - use of correct embouchure, intonation basics, fingerings for District requirements, one-octave major scales, concert music and graded band assignments, beginning solos with piano accompaniment
- 7th/8th - fingerings (B-flat to high F), two-octave major scales, Gekeler/Rubank method books, beginning reed-scraping, GMEA audition preparation, standard oboe literature
- 9th/10th - Barret/Gekeler II oboe method books, mastering vibrato, reed-making, GMEA audition preparation, intro to English Horn, standard oboe literature
- 11th/12th - tying reed blanks and reed adjusting, college/GHP and other audition repertoire, advanced standard oboe literature
Reeds: Please have 3 working reeds at all times. Parents, beginners will break reeds often so it is best to order extra. Reeds need to be handmade and ordered from one of the sites listed here. The reed is responsible for most of our tone, so if you want to sound great, get a great reed! For beginners, I would order 2 reeds a month whether they need them or not (reed subscriptions work well too).
Studio Policies:
- Payment for each month (cash, check, Zelle, Venmo, etc.) is due at or before your first lesson of the month. If you overpay or are absent, I will credit your extra payment toward the following month.
- Practicing and Preparation:
- Students should be practicing lesson assignments most days of the week in order to show improvement. Your lesson is not the time to practice - it's the time to show me what you have already practiced. Thirty+ minutes of practice per day, 5+ days per week is appropriate for 4th-12th grade students.
- Helpful Practicing Tips:
- Setup a practice schedule - do whatever works for your family. If your child feels that music is a priority in your home, he/she will be more likely to succeed!
- Students show play SLOWLY and CORRECTLY, not fast and messily. Their fingers will remember everything they do, whether it's right or not. It takes many correct repetitions to undo a bad habit.
- If a student repeatedly comes to lessons unprepared, his/her time will be offered to another student on my waiting list. I will contact you if this becomes an issue.
- Students should bring all lesson materials each week (reeds, my assignment sheet, method book, etc.). If your instrument is being fixed, you may bring a reed to your lesson and play my oboe. If your child has no reeds, you may buy one from me for $20, or we will practice rhythms, learn music theory, and eat broccoli.
- Attendance, Make-ups, and Cancellations:
- Lessons are year-round except for the holidays listed on my scheduling page. Each student will be allowed 2 free absences per fall and spring semester. Payment is expected for any additional missed lessons in order to keep your lesson time reserved. If regular attendance is an issue, then your time will be offered to a student on my waiting list.
- If advance notice is given for a 3rd (or additional) absence, that lesson may be made up before the end of the semester during my availability.
- I do not make up last-minute cancellations (ex: 4:30pm on the day of your lesson) or no-shows.
- Yes, there are lessons in the summer - serious students only! Students need to attend at least 6 summer lessons (3 hours). Advance notice changes are ok, but summer no-shows are paid for and not made up.
- If you arrive late to a lesson, it is still over at its scheduled time.
- Attendance Exceptions:
- If I cancel your lesson, it will not count as an absence.
- If you miss a lesson for an "honors" music activity beyond school band, it will not count as an absence. Examples are: District Honor Band, All-State Band, UGA MidFest, JanFest, 6th Grade Honor Band, GMEA invitations, etc.
- Reserving school-year lesson times: Priority is given to my most serious students (taking lessons long-term, always coming prepared to lessons, pursuing honors music activities like district/all state, youth orchestras, etc.) and those needing certain days due to marching band practice. Students will only be allowed to reserve a fall time once their summer lessons are scheduled.
Note: I am located in the northern part of Forsyth County, GA. If this commute is too far, I recommend contacting Dr. Rachel Maczko in Atlanta or Pamela Holloway near Woodstock (ask me for her contact info). For bassoon lessons, contact Erin Anderson via her studio website www.sites.google.com/site/lessonsbyerin/ or Warren Stokes (ask me for contact info).
Contact Rachel |
My home studio
|
Please read my studio policies below (no turning in needed during the pandemic). The "Getting Started" sheet is a list of materials new students need, and the "Oboe Lesson Binder" is for your child to print and keep in a notebook for lessons.
| getting_started_on_oboe.pdf |
| studio_policies_and_expectations.pdf |
| oboe_lesson_binder.pdf |
