Lynne Marie Mangan

Classical Musician and Educator

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Double Reed Gift Ideas

Great gift ideas for oboists:

  • A Padded Leather-Covered Music Folder for carrying music is on sale at Flute World for $7.95
  • Oboe jewelry, key rings, instrument tags and other fun gifts such as stationary, note cards, and pewter figurines of oboe-playing ducks can be found at Edmund Nielsen Woodwinds
  • Jewelry, Note Cards, Decals, Beach Towels and other fun gifts are available at Charles Double Reed
  • “Reed Freak” T-Shirt and a lot of great sheet music is available from Gail Waarnar Oboe Shop (call to place orders)
  • Oboe-inspired art is available from Midwest Musical Imports and OboeWorks
  • OboeWorks also has a really cool oboe mobile (it’s not on the website – call for info)!

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Music Stands

manhasset
A good quality music stand is one of the most important pieces of equimpent in any musician’s home! A durable high-quality folding stand is very nice for portability and saving space!

I don’t recommend the old wire folding stands, as they’re not very durable and don’t hold very much music or large books well.

If you don’t already have a good music stand, consider getting the Peak Music Stand or a folding Manhasset stand.

Both of these durable music stands are available at many retailers, including Flute World in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

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Oboe Case Covers and Bags

altieri obeh bagA carrying bag for the oboe protects the instrument and ensures that reeds aren’t left behind! Many of these carrying bags have room for reed cases, tools, pencils, and music. I strongly recommend zippered Altieri Oboe Bags, which are very durable and versitile. Personally, I prefer their backpack bag which also has a handle and shoulder strap, but the standard carrying bag without a backpack option is also very good. The Altieri bags are available at a good price at many oboe specialty stores, including Midwest Musical Imports.


Note: A “case cover” is different than an oboe bag. They are form-fitting to the case, often with a small zipper pouch, but no room for music. Case covers need to be chosen specifically for the type of case the oboe is in, and do not have room for music, books, etc. If you’re interested in a case cover, contact your teacher to discuss what case cover will fit the oboe case you have.

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Oboe Reed Cases

reed caseEvery oboist should have a good reed case. Not only do they look great, they also protect reeds from damage. For those who will be learning to make reeds, more reed case space is needed! There are several good reed cases available.

I recommend reed cases that will hold between 5-12 reeds (preferably 10 or 12 reed capacity). I also strongly recommend reed cases that hold reeds “cigarette style” or “French style”, instead of a reed case that holds reeds with pop-up white mandrels. Here are a few of my favorites:

  • A variety of good, affordable reed cases are available from Forrest’s Music. I recommend the U-39 and U-40 reed cases (with our without leather), ranging between $19.95 and $29.95.
  • A French leather-covered 6-reed case from Edmund Nielsen Woodwinds for $32
  • Many of the Charles 12 reed cases from Charles Double Reed are very nice and durable (yes, the flask reedcase does hold beverages!)
  • Harris Reed Case makes beautifully crafted wood reedcases, and he’ll personalize it for an extra $5 if you order direct from him.
  • “Altoids”, “Crayola”, and “Hello Kitty” tins that have been made into 6-reed reedcases for $10 – very fun! Available from OboeWorks.

harris reedcase altoids reed case

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Tuners and Metronomes

Korg TM40 tuner metronomeA tuner and a metronome are both essential tools for any musician. Both of these tools are incredibly helpful in developing key skills and for effective practice.

Oboists need a good tuner for when they’re asked to tune the band or orchestra. A good tuner should have the ability to sound at least one octave of pitches so the musician can listen to one pitch and tune a different pitch by ear. This is important for developing a good sense of relative pitch. It is very helpful to have a metronome that will subdivide beats and will indicate meter. It’s also convenient to have one that uses AA or AAA batteries instead of watch batteries.

All of the tuners, metronomes, and combo units I mention below have the key features mentioned above. While you may be able to find slightly cheaper prices at some online stores, I’d like to encourage you to support local music stores that carry such items. It’s nice to help our local merchants stay in business, providing us the ability to get music and some tools locally.

If you don’t already own one of these tools, it’s smart to get a combination tuner/metronome of good quality. I recommend either of the following:

  • Korg TM40 (available for $35.95 at Flute World on Orchard Lake Rd. in Farmington Hills)
  • Trevor James Tuner/Metronome (available for $39.95 at Flute World)

If you just need a tuner, I recommend the Korg CA-30 ($24.95 at Flute World).

If you just need a metronome only, I recommend the Korg MA-30 ($29.95 at Flute World).

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Advent Concert at Kirk in the Hills

On Sunday, December 9 at 7:30 p.m., Lynne will perform in an orchestra for the Annual Advent Concert at Kirk of the Hills Church in Bloomfield Hills. This concert will feature the Chancel Choir, under the direction of Glenn Miller, for the following program:

  • part I of Handel’s Messiah,

  • Corelli’s Christmas Concerto,

  • Christmas works by Vaughan Williams, Holst and Rutter

holiday-bells.gifTickets are available by contacting the Kirk in the Hills Music Office at 248-626-2515 ext. 109.

Kirk of the Hills Church is located at 1340 w. Long Lake Road, just west of Telegraph Rd. Map of Kirk in the Hills.

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Toledo Ballet: “Nutcracker”

toledo-ballet.jpg

Lynne will perform with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra to accompany the Toledo Ballet in their 66th annual performance of The Nutcracker.

All performances will take place at the Stranahan Theater in Toledo, located at 4565 Heatherdowns Boulevard. Tickets can be purchased through the Stranahan Box Office at 419-381-8851, or through ticketmaster.com.

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Handel: “The Messiah”

Northville Messiah

The Michigan Sinfonietta will accompany the Northville Concert Chorale in a performance of George Frederich Handel’s masterpiece oratorio, The Messiah.

The concert will take place at First Presbyterian Church of Northville, located on Main Street in downtown Northville.

Tickets will sell out for this popular concert, so purchase your seats early! For ticket information, visit the First Presybterian Church of Northville’s Fine Arts website at http://www.firstpresnville.org/Finearts.html