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Recommended Reading
When teaching the oboe or the cor anglais, obviously the main point I would focus on is the musical aspects: sound; phrasing; dynamics; and so on. However focusing solely on those will not guarantee my students to succeed. There are many important physical aspects that one must consider.
The oboe, being an instrument of the woodwind family, is only a hollow wooden stick if not for good breath control of the player. In order to use your breath most effectively, you must engage the whole of your body. Abdominal muscles are the most obvious part that requires attention, as that is where the "support" comes from. Without "support", your sound will be feeble and you will not be able to show any phrasing or dynamics. However, it is so easy for us to think only of the stomach area and forget that the body is in one big piece. In order to allow your abdominal muscles to work to its full capacity, you must be aware of what the rest of your body is doing. If you are tensing everywhere, your blood and energy are having to be distributed all over the body, reducing the performance of your most important parts. Concentration becomes poor too and you are more likely to make mistakes. You must not forget that your arms are working hard when playing the oboe too. Your right arm is holding the weight of the instrument as well as moving efficiently to play all the right notes. It is very important to remember that your posture is correct so that your arms and shoulders do not have to work harder than they need to. Bad posture can cause all sorts of serious problems such as tendonitis.
Making sure that you have a healthy lifestyle is important too. Eating well, drinking plenty of water, regular exercise and good nights' sleep are all very important. Performing can be a very stressful experience even for professional musicians and it has been scientifically proven that being a healthy person can help you perform better under pressure! Physical health and mental health are closely related and we all need both to do our best. Non-musicians tend to think that musicians must have it easy because it does not appear as much of an effort to perform as it does for athletes or dancers. Actually, music making is just as physical and we also have to carry out hours of practice, cope with an enormous amount of pressure, and build up good stamina. So why shouldn't we look after ourselves like dancers or athletes do? Health has not always been musicians' top priority and in some cases, talented people have had to discontinue their career as a performer because of an injury or an illness caused by carelessness or ignorance.
So have a think about how you treat yourself when you play and when you're not playing. Below are a few links I have found useful.
Thank you for reading!
