oboeinsight

Well … I guess I sort of do that here, yes?

There’s no other show on WDAV-FM quite like this. Sure, it’s all classical music – liberally defined. Beyond that, it defies definition. Except for this:
“This is the music that floats my boat,” the host tells his listeners. “I hope you’ll like it, too.”
In one night, the music can range from J.S. Bach to Andrew Lloyd Webber and from the orchestral blockbuster “The Planets” to Renaissance choral music. The host, getting to the heart of the matter, usually devotes a chunk of his show to slow, lyrical music – because, he tells Radioland, it demonstrates “the earth-stopping beauty of classical music.”

Trombonist Thomas Burge spends his Sunday nights hosting a three-hour radio show on WDAV in Davidson, N.C. “It’s the kind of music I listen to off the stage,” Burge says of his selections.

Tom Burge isn’t like WDAV’s other announcers. They make their livings this way; he has a day job, and night job, playing in the Charlotte Symphony. The other hosts are radio veterans; Burge never had a show until WDAV handed him this one last summer.

I think it would be kind of a kick to have a radio show. (Except I’m better at blogging than talking. Hmm.) And since so many musicians now need to start thinking about other ways of making income, this would be one that would be rather fun, I think.

You can read more about this guy here.

Meanwhile, some musicians in Columbus Symphony are also finding different ways to survive. (I always wonder how they can collect unemployment though … if they are teaching during those off weeks they can’t collect anything, right?)

How To Teach A Proper Music Lesson?

I’ve been requested to teach an oboe lesson, and I’ve never really had a student before. I’m wanting to give my new student a proper education into the music world. I haven’t been informed on how much music backround my student will have, but I will soon. From what it sounds like, they are a complete novice and have no musical knowledge into their system. Any tips on teaching better lessons and allowing the new musician to keep interest?

I read it here.

I don’t take students who don’t already read music. Period. I think oboe is difficult enough even after music reading skills have been learned. I just don’t want to tackle the reading as well. (That being said, I do get some who say they can read music and I find they are mostly playing by ear and faking it!)

So anyone want to go over there and help this novice teacher? I would think the person who have some idea of what to do, considering he or she should have had at least one teacher in his or her past, yes? But it never hurts to get advice from other, more seasoned instructors.

There could be a new symphony orchestra for Honolulu if a local professor has his way.

His new orchestra would be called the Hawaii Philharmonic.

Tim Stanton says having an orchestra is a necessity for the city.

Stanton wants to have non-union musicians, and a small management team, which he contends will increase the chance to make a profit.

He believes the symphony lost support because of bickering between musicians and symphony management, and that there’s fence mending to be done to make a new orchestra successful.

“I think we’ve got to try to re-establish trust, both with the musicians, whether they’re present or new musicians, and with our population. The people who supported us for all these years,” Stanton said.

I’m going to guess this isn’t going to work. Call me a pessimist, but I have my doubts.

I read it here.