A.Dip (Vancouver Academy of Music)
B.Mus (University of British Columbia)
Diploma in Music (Kwantlen)
Elizabeth Brown is an oboist, flautist and gardener. Born and raised in Powell River, British Columbia, she holds a Bachelor of Music from UBC and an Artist Diploma from the Vancouver Academy of Music. She seeks out exciting music to play wherever and whenever she can.
Elizabeth enjoys teaching because of the fresh perspective students often bring to her own playing. She feels that learning music should be an enjoyable and enriching experience led by the student’s own goals and dreams.
Get to know Beth…Beyond the Bio!
Hobbies: Sailing, gardening, skiing, canoeing
Musical influences: The Ocean, Beth Orson, Albrecht Mayer, Bjork
Favourite food: sweet & sour meatballs
Least favourite food: Brussel sprouts. ew.
Favourite music: currently K.Flay
Favourite song: Possibly Maybe – Bjork
Favourite movie: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring
Favourite movie music: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
Favourite musical theatre/opera: The Threepenny Opera – Kurt Weill
Best quote from your teacher: “What makes me happy as an oboist is not necessarily what will make you happy.”
Favourite quote:
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
? Frank Herbert, Dune
Favourite book: Dreams underfoot – Charles de Lint
Latest Homework from Beth
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August 11, 2020
Erin
Very nice to meet you, and excited that your colourful flute works so well! We will work on some reading and theory next lesson. Try to purchase a beginner book with a fingering chart as well as some beginner level pop music you would like to work on. A combination metronome tuner would also be very helpful.
Some beginner books I recommend for technique/theory are:
- Trevor Wye – Practice Book for the Flute – Omnibus Edition Books 1-6 Paperback
- Trevor Wye – Complete Daily Exercises for the Flute
- Fingering chart can be found here if you want to skip buying one: https://www.wfg.woodwind.org/flute/
- make sure to pick up some beginner pop music books though, or all we will do is technique, tone and theory!
Warm up
- When you take out your flute to play, you can warm up by playing the harmonics on a lower note, low D or C work well.
- when you go up you will want to increase your air speed, and also think of making the opening taller and narrower(skinnier), this will force the air out in a very concentrated beam
- Aim the air up higher for each jump up
- Experiment changing the shape of the inside of your mouth by thinking of saying different vowels i.e. O E A to see what effect you get
Scales & Notes
We worked on C major from low C4 to C5. See the notation and names below. I’ve included numbers after them so that you’ll have an easier time finding your fingerings on the online fingering charts. They start on the low side of the piano at A0 and every time you hit C you increment by one. This helps us figure out which C we’re asking for if for instance I say “play a C” you might be confused as to whether you should play C4 or C5 or even C6, but if I say play C4 (lowest C for the flute), you’ll know what to play.
Fingerings for C major:
The black filled keys are pressed down, the keys that are white filled are open/lifted
Here are the fingerings:
- C4
- D4
- E4
- F4
- G4
- A4
- B4
- C5
Cooper
Your high range is really coming along nicely! Almost no problems slurring up to the high A’s today.
Warm up:
- Work on legato tonguing on single notes
- Think of lightly saying “tah tah tah” or “dah dah dah”
- Pull the tongue away from the reed quickly after the articulation
- Make sure only the tongue moves – your lips and air should remain as though you are just holding a long note.
Scales:
C Major
- Play the middle octave up to high C first, slowly so you have time to think about notes
- Crescendo to the top!
- Play the lower octave by itself up and down
- Join the lower and upper octaves for a 2 octave scale, all slurred
- Try to play all the way up in one breath, then all the way down in one breath for the 2 octaves
Pieces:
Barret No. 1
- Work on the second half slowly for notes
- practice the turn slowly then faster, adding the A afterwards once you have it comfortably under your fingers
- Keep your air moving faaaaaast especially on the upper notes
Preferred Books for Beth’s Students
Click to buy them here, and they’ll come right to your house! What could be easier?
Gekeler Method
The material in the Gekeler Method for Oboe is divided in two parts. The studies in Part I are for the purpose of developing musical style and interpretation; those in Part II are for the study of scales and intervals, and for improvement of articulation.
Gekeler Method
(See notes for book One)
80 Graded Studies
80 Graded Studies for Oboe is two books that bring together a broad selection of repertoire in a variety of styles. The studies are arranged in order of increasing difficulty, according to a carefully planned technical progression.
The Really Easy Oboe Book
Song book including: March of the Ducks * Daydreaming * Holiday Trot * The Brook * Mellifluous Minuet * Nocturne * Spring Song * Elizabethan Lament * The Barrel Organ * Siciliana * Dance of the Scarecrows * Ballad * Jovial Jig * Berceuse * Children’s Waltz * Wistful Waltz * Chrismtas Song * Comedy * A Winter’s Tale * Country Dance.
Oboe Music to Enjoy
Firs Book of Oboe Solos
First Book of Oboe Solos is the oboe solo part separate from the complete score of the First Book Of Oboe Solos (0571503721) that contains piano accompaniment. This book is a collection with the true beginner in mind, arranged and edited by Janet Craxton and Alan Richardson, introducing oboe players to an unusually wide range of music. All 26 pieces have been chosen to encourage attention to the basic technical aspects of oboe playing, and are organised in approximate order of increasing technical difficulty. The book helps young students take account of both technical and musical considerations from the very beginning.