Music teachers? Bassoonists? Any advice on a "starter" instrument?

College Majors Music Major
21

<p>I agree with Binx.</p>

<p>I think the answer is clear, right in your posts. Worst case scenario is it doesn't work out, but it wouldn't be the first or last time, and your investment is minimal.</p>

<p>As to the rest of your post, life ain't fair. Yes, many kids do have private lessons, and even for those who are fortunate enough to have lessons, some have more natural talent and progress faster. Some school districts have more money devoted to music programs. Such is life. Be glad you have a supportive music program and teacher/director, who sounds like she will take on your son. That is more than many people have!</p>

22

<p>I'm not sure anyone here can definitively answer your questions. We can only give suggestions based on our own personal experiences.</p>

<p>Both of my Ds started their instruments in fourth grade with their school band program. D1 wanted to start on oboe, but the teacher suggested clarinet first. He was willing to start her on oboe, but thought it would be best to start on an easier instrument and see how she did. She played clarinet in the school band through 8th grade, though she started oboe lessons during 8th grade and switched completely at the end of that school year. She is now an oboe performance major.</p>

<p>D2 started flute in 4th grade and played through 8th grade. She then said she'd like to try bassoon. She took bassoon lessons in 9th and 10th grade. The principal difficulty was learning to read another clef, but it wasn't very hard to learn. She gave up bassoon this past year because her true love is musical theater/chorus and she just couldn't devote enough time.</p>

<p>IMHO, any kid with a good ear, who is fairly intelligent and highly motivated can switch instruments relatively easily. </p>

<p>When both of my girls were contemplating switching instruments, we used the summer to try out the new instrument. We rented the instrument only for the summer, and found a teacher willing to give a few lessons. This way, it wasn't too expensive (at least at first).</p>

<p>Re: renting a bassoon: I'd check every music store in the nearest major city to you, and then try the next nearest major city, even if it's several hours away. It is possible to rent from Midwest Musical Imports in Minnesota, but it will probably be very expensive ($120 - 150 per month). They may have other suggestions for you. You could try other double reed specialists as well.</p>

<p>If you have exhausted all your options in looking for a rental, and your son is absolutely insisting on the bassoon, I agree with binx and allmusic that you should go ahead with the modified one. Make sure he uses a seat strap to support the weight of the instrument</p>

<p>I agree that it's important to encourage our kids to dream, and to work toward their dreams, but we need to set them up for success. For double reed instruments, it really is important to have private lessons with a teacher who specializes on that instrument, even if the lessons are rather sporadic. For example, D1's first teacher made her reeds, which were very easy to use. It made practicing a pleasure (for the most part) rather than a chore. D2 used store bought reeds that were modified by her teacher to be easier to play. Synthetic reeds are generally considered big No-Nos, so you won't be able to rely on them for long.</p>

<p>By the way, oboists are notorious for being perfectionists! He'd fit right in.</p>

23

<p>I'd like to kind of address some of what rcmama said:</p>

<p>As to the child who initially wanted to play oboe, but was steered to try the clarinet first. What do you think would have happened if she had been allowed to try the oboe right off the bat? Do you think at that age and maturity level, the oboe would have been too hard, turning her away from music for good? Or do you think that she resents that she had to "prove herself" on the clarinet first? (I was a PITA kid who would have thought that way). What if she had shown lackluster performance and progress on the clarinet because it "wasn't what she really wanted" and then the teacher never gave her a chance on the oboe later? These are the kinds of things that I worry about. </p>

<p>As to the man modifying the bassoon (if he can really do this), I am willing to let my son take private lessons with him over the summer to see if my son can really hack it. If it turns out that he can't due to size or complexity at this age, I think he'll steer him into oboe as an alternative because that's what he plays. On the other hand, another man said to start him on clarinet, because why make him learn a "difficult" instrument as a transition to bassoon when he does not feel it transitions that well.</p>

<p>I've called the immediate surrounding area, and I am going to expand my search. I'm willing to try this "experiment" on the modified bassoon, but I am trying to come up with a backup instrument to put down on the school paper for 4th grade if this does not work out over the summer for any reason (man can't modify it, son can't hack it, can't find a short-reach anywhere else).</p>

<p>I think what I also want to say is that in the long-term scheme of things, I don't care what my son plays as long as he plays an instrument because I believe in the benefit of musical education. </p>

<p>He is a child who is sensitive to criticism, and in fact was open to the flute until the man told him that his lip "isn't right" (my son actually seems resentful about his lip now). </p>

<p>For example, I enrolled him in tap dance lessons because he liked watching Riverdance. We found a nice dance school with a male tap teacher who also teachs music theater. Since his dance school was primarily a ballet school and because every dancer should have some ballet training, I asked him if he'd be willing to try the ballet and he said yes. I did not worry about him being teased by peers at school at this age. In any case, I told him that I wouldn't buy the shoes until he stuck to it for a month. He went in with enthusiasm, but the first day, a girl said "What's a boy doing here?" He sulked in the van on the way home, said he wanted to quit. But I said that those same girls would be chasing him in 5 years and joked that he should say "Yeah, I'm here, and I'll probably be lifting you in 5 years, so unless you want my arms to collapse, be nice to me". Of course I was joking, but the result was that he ultimately bugged me to get the shoes and did continue with it. </p>

<p>We had a moment recently at picture day. It turns out that he is going to do a small lift on a girl in his recital. My son hadn't even mentioned it. But the mother of the girl said "How does your son feel about touching my daughter's waist? My daughter's not really happy about it. But I told her that if she wants to do ballet, she's going to be touched and lifted by boys. How does your son feel?" Well, he sulked in the van, said he wanted to quit. I said "You can't quit 3 weeks before the recital!", but when I asked him "Did it hurt your feelings that the girl doesn't want you to touch her waist", and he just nodded his head. I repeated to him that those girls will be begging to be lifted by him in 5 years and he seems ok again. His recital is tommorrow. :)</p>

24

<p>One of my sons wanted to play the French horn in the worst way. He couldn't wait for fourth grade. </p>

<p>When he started, though, the band director said that he wasn't progressing fast enough, he should play the trumpet for two years first. </p>

<p>S had his heart set on the French horn. He disregarded the trumpet advice and stayed with the French horn. He is now in high school and is a fine horn player.</p>

25

<p>Here's a thought...is there any way that your son could try private lessons...maybe a handful....this summer on the bassoon (the modified one)? That way, he can be part of the decision on whether this is working for him. If he's happy, then continue. If not, then he has the opportunity to start something else when school starts. </p>

<p>I agree that if he likes the instrument, he should be given the opportunity to learn to play it.</p>

26

<p>Whatapain... I'm pretty sure my D didn't feel she had "to prove herself" on clarinet in order to play the oboe. Her band teacher (whose principal instrument was trumpet) started two other kids on oboe the year before, and thought they were struggling to make progress, at least compared to kids who started on easier instruments. He thought that if she started on clarinet, she'd learn to read music, play easier ensemble pieces, and focus on the joy of making music first. If she was absolutely stubborn about starting on oboe, I probably would have let her. The only instruments I was really against at that time were trombone and percussion.</p>

<p>After she switched to oboe, she did feel like she had to make up some ground, especially when she decided to pursue it seriously. But she always has been pretty competitive and seemed to make up for lost time very quickly.</p>

<p>When my kids first started band, our primary goal was to see whether they liked playing an instrument and being part of the band. Band was one of many activities and interests they had. Back then, I never could have even imagined what they would be doing now. We seem to do everything one year at a time and re-evaluate activities and interests as necessary at the end of the school year. When they've grumbled about certain activities, I've always told them that I expected them to complete their commitments through the school year and we'd re-evaluate then. This has helped them stick through difficult moments, but also lets them know that I take their complaints seriously. </p>

<p>As a parent, sometimes I feel like I walk a fine line. I want to encourage my kids, but not push too hard. You know your son and his frustration/discouragement levels best. IMHO, there is no right or wrong answer here.</p>

27

<p>My S plays bassoon and at college auditions this past winter, we ran into many wonderful bassoonists who began on other instruments and transitioned to bassoon. My S played cello for a year, because band instruments were not offered until 7th grade. Many players we met began bassoon in 8th and 9th grades.
My S also plays a little clarinet. This way he could play it (or bells) during pep band. One of my son's early teachers had jobs where he would switch between clarinet, sax, and bassoon in a show/musical.
The bocal is an incredibly important part of the instrument. Changing it, changes the sound of the instrument. It could be a real disaster and expensive to replace. ($80 to hundreds and up)<br>
The reed is the other crucial element. A private teacher is so helpful in getting reeds that actually work, besides all of the help that comes with private lessons.
My S wanted to play bassoon because it is unique. I hope your son will find a path that brings him joy.</p>

28

<p>I googled child size and half size bassoon and found two products that might interest you. Mini bassoon (beginning at ages 5 & 6) and tenoroon (beginning at ages 7 & 8). Howarth of London had them on their website, but I don't know if anyone in the states has them or rents them. I don't know anything about them, but at least there is something out there for younger musicians.
Good luck.</p>

29

<p>I know I am late on this discussion and a lot has been said, but I just wanted to add my 2 cents... My daughter plays bassoon at Rice's conservatory. She began bassoon at age 13 (old) and still managed to get lots of scholarship offers on bassoon by 17. She says any woodwind will do, alto sax is easiest and clarinet is best. When that free bassoon becomes available, grab it and start working then. Have your child listen to lots of bassoon music and decide what they like and which kind of bassoon sound they want to have and go from there. Any private lessons you can afford will help, and it will probably pay you back in college many times over with more scholarship money. My niece at Vassar tells us her roommate was offered scholarship money to play bassoon in the college orchestra, although she really couldn't hardly play the bassoon. Bassoon players are apparently hard to come by. When my daughter was in high school, and had only been playing the bassoon for about 2-3 years, I was fielding calls weekly from community orchestras willing to pay her (not much) to play in their concerts. I have found that bassoon players are always in demand.</p>