Lynne Marie Mangan

Classical Musician and Educator

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European Holiday for Oboes, Trumpet and Strings

Venetian concert
Grab your traveling
companion and join the
Great Lakes Consort for a
tour across Europe at the turn of the 18th Century.

No passport is needed to enjoy this lively concert featuring trumpet, oboes, cello and harpsichord. We will take you on a trip through France, Belgium, Italy, England and Germany, bringing you a variety of music of the era and sharing fascinating stories about the careers and inspirations of the composers.

Well-known works and rarely heard gems of the early 1700s will be performed by the Great Lakes Consort Baroque Ensemble:

Great Lakes Consort Baroque Ensemble

  • Lynne Marie Flegg and Kristin Reynolds, oboes
  • Mark Flegg, trumpet
  • Nadine Deleury, cello
  • Angelina Pashmakova, harpsichord

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A2SO Quintet: “Harmony for Humanity”

Daniel Pearl Music DaysThe Ann Arbor Symphony Woodwind Quintet will present a concert at the Jewish Community Center of Washtenaw County. This Harmony for Humanity concert is presented in memory of journalist Daniel Pearl, as a part of the Daniel Pearl Music Days.

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So, you want to purchase an oboe…

Purchasing an instrument is a big step, and it shouldn’t be taken lightly. Oboes are expensive instruments, and owning one is a responsibility. If you’re thinking about purchasing an oboe, consider the following:

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Resources for Oboists & Bassoonists

Specialty Stores for the Oboist

These retailers specialize in providing music and supplies for doublereed instrumentalists. Owned and operated by oboists or bassoonists, these shops keep an outstanding supply of specialty items and hard-to-find music that local stores can’t offer. When considering purchasing oboe supplies, make sure to check out these stores that cater to our fellow oboists!

Several of my favorite retailers of supplies are listed in the following article: Note-able Detroit are Music Resources

If you’re looking to purchase an instrument, check out this article with tips and suggestions on what to look for.

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Note-able Detroit Area Music Stores

Animated Notes

 

There are many wonderful stores in the metro Detroit area that provide supplies and sheet music for musicians. Below, I have highlighted several stores that are near my Farmington Hills studio. If you need oboe method books, tuners, metronomes, cork grease, a music stand, or other general woodwind supplies, I strongly recommend you support these local businesses!

Even if you are not in southeastern Michigan, if you play any instrument in the double reed family, you should know about TrevCo-Varner Music. Based in Dexter, TVM is the world’s largest retailer of sheet music for double reed instruments. The company is owned by a professional bassoonist with his Doctoral degree in music. The staff is all professional oboists and bassoonists, with many music degrees and over 50 years of combined experience as teachers and performers.

Woodwind players in the Detroit area should be aware of Flute World. Located in Farmington Hills on Orchard Lake Road north of 13 Mile Road, Flute World is known as one of the best flute and woodwind music suppliers in the United States. They have a good selection of many of our favorite oboe method books, and have an outstanding selection of woodwind chamber music. Tuners, metronomes, music stands, and other supplies for the musician are available. The friendly staff will be happy to order any music or supplies you need. I highly recommend that you check out their store!

The Broughton Music Center in downtown Northville is a nice music store which carries many general music supplies.

We are very fortunate to have a world-class oboe repairman in Ypsilanti. Ko Kaiden is outstanding at small repairs and major instrument issues. I have had him personally work on my instruments on multiple occasions, and recommend him highly.

Cameron’s Music is in Livonia, located on Middlebelt Road between Five Mile Road and Six Mile Road. They carry a very good supply of music and musical supplies, and they do instrument repairs.

Marshall Music is one of the major rental companies in southeastern Michigan. They carry a good supply of etude books and woodwind instrument supplies, and also provide repair services. They have several locations in Michigan.

Other fine stores in the metro area that provide basic music books and woodwind supplies include:

Looking for something your local store doesn’t carry There are several wonderful companies that cater specifically to oboists and bassoonists. These doublereed specialty stores carry reed cases, tools, accessories, gift items, and hard-to-find music. Links to several of my favorite doublereed companies are available here: Specialty Stores for the Oboist

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Recommended Advanced Oboe Method Books

Barret Oboe MethodAdvanced Oboe Method Books
(appropriate for advanced high school and University-level study)

  1. Barret Oboe Method (published by Boosey & Hawkes): the definitive oboe method book for serious high school and college students. Note that the new Barret Oboe Method edited by Martin Schuring is more clear to read and is spiral bound (how convenient!), but this new edition does eliminate the scale exercises at the beginning of the traditional Barret Oboe Method.Ferling

  2. Ferling 48 Famous Studies (published by Southern): early college-level technical and musical etudes. The “1st Oboe” book contains the 48 studies and and the first oboe parts to the duets and trio. The other chamber music parts are available in the separate “2nd Oboe” book.

  3. VadeMecumVade Mecum of the Oboist by Andraud (published by Southern): includes orchestral excerpts and etudes, appropriate for high school and college students. I also really appreciate using many of the technical and musical etudes for English horn studies.

  4. Melodious Etudes for Oboe of Marco Bordogni (published by Carl Fischer).
    This book of vocalese exercises (for singers) written by the famous vocal instructor Marco Bordogni, has been beautifully transcribed for oboists. These etudes are expressive, similar to the Progressive Etudes by Barret. A very good – and inexpensive – book to teach phrasing and musicality, as well as technical skills. This is a terrific book for intermediate and advanced high school
    students, as well as college students. The exercises also work well for English horn!

  5. Scales and Arpeggios for Oboe Grades 1-8 by Ian Denley (published by ABRSM/Boosey). It is important to note that the “grades” listed on the book title do not refer to U.S. grades 1 through 8, but instead reference the level for Accredidation Exams conducted by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. This book contains scales (major, minor, whole tone), arpeggios, and scales in thirds (i.e. broken thirds). The range goes up to G6 (G above the staff).

There are several excellent etude books and excerpt books available for advanced students, including several etude books by Gillet and orchestral excerpt books by Rothwell and Ferrillo.

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Recommended Intermediate Oboe Method Books

Early Intermediate Methods
(appropriate for students with 1-3 years of study):

Rubank Intermediate Oboe MethodRubank Intermediate Oboe Method: a good transitional book for students who need further technical development before progressing to highly technical etudes and/or etudes which focus on melodic expression. This book is an excellent second book after finishing the “Rubank Elementary Method”.


Upper Level Intermediate Methods
(appropriate for students with over 2 years of study):

  1. Rubank Advanced Oboe Method – Book one: somewhat technical in nature, also includes many duets
  2. Rubank Advanced Oboe Method – Book two: more technically demanding than Advanced Book one, includes duets
  3. Gekeler Oboe Method – Book Two (published by Belwin/Warner): melodic Barret studies plus demanding technical scale based studies that range up to F6 (i.e. the high F that is an octave above the top line of the treble clef staff)
  4. Salviani Oboe Etudes, volume 2 (published by Ricordi): scale based exercises to improve technical facility, good for both intermediate and advanced students
  5. Practical and Progressive by Andraud (published by Southern): a large book containing both melodic and technical studies
  6. Scales and Arpeggios for Oboe grades 1-8 by Denley (published by ABRSM/Boosey): a book of scales, arpeggios, and broken thirds in all forms (major, minor, and whole tone), good for intermediate and advanced students
  7. Melodious Etudes for Oboe by Marco Bordogni (published by Carl Fischer): lyrical etudes that are of great value for teaching phrasing and musicality, good for both intermediate and advanced students.

The Gekeler Oboe Method Book Two includes the 40 Progressive Melodic Studies from the Barret Oboe Method, but does not include the bass line. The back section of Gekeler Oboe Method Book two contains challenging technical exercises to balance the melodic studies. This may be a more appropriate way for a student to work on high-school level melodic and technical studies without purchasing the more expensive Barret method.

The Barret melodic studies are also available in a book by David Hite called Forty Progressive Studies published by Southern. This book has transposed the bass line so that a teacher can play with the student in duet without having to transpose from bass clef. Additionally, this book includes several studies by Dont and by Hite.

This should not be confused with Hite’s other excellent method books titled Melodious and Progressive Studies volumes 1 and 2, which contain etudes by a variety of composers.

Barret ed SchuringBarret Oboe MethodFor serious advanced students, purchasing the Barret Oboe Method is advised. A newly revised version of the Barret Oboe Method is available, edited by Martin Schuring (see photo at right). While the Schuring edition does not include the scale etudes at the beginning of the Barret, it is a much clearer edition to read and is spiral bound to lay flat.

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Recommended Beginner Oboe Method Books

Gekeler Oboe Method vol 1Oboe Method Books appropriate for Beginner level:

  1. Gekeler Method for Oboe – Book One published by Belwin/Warner. Note that this is book has a white cover, and shouldn’t be confused with the older “Belwin Oboe Method by Kenneth Gekeler†.
    The Gekeler Method for Oboe – Book One is an excellent book for either the young or adult beginner. It is also very useful for students who have played the oboe for a couple of years but need to work on developing better fundamental technique. The exercises range from beginner level through the intermediate level, with short exercises, more challenging longer pieces, scales and fingering challenges, and duets at every stage of the book.
    I personally alter some of the confusing text in the first few pages of the book (for example: I cross out the suggestion to keep the lips “drawn back in a smiling position”, changing it to say “tucked in but with the corners forward”).
    This is my favorite method book for the first 1-3 years of study, depending on the amount of supplemental material given to students (I personally assign solos and other technical exercises in addition to this book).
  2. Rubank Elementary Oboe Method: a good book for young beginner oboists, although many instructors prefer the format and organization of the Gekeler method book one to the Rubank. As the content and tone is geared toward very young students, and it does not progress as far technically and musically as the Gekeler Method volume 1, I don’t tend to use this book very often in my studio. When I have used it in the past (for example: when a student transfers into my studio and already owns the book), I tend to use it for only the first year to eighteen months of study, always supplemented with additional technical and melodic materials.