How I Am Managing My First Summer Without Weekly Lessons

At first it felt overwhelming — how was I going to direct myself without the guidance of weekly oboe lessons? After a good number of weeks in, I’ve started to find routine without that guidance, and I’ve had some interesting realisations about my practice. Here is how I am managing my time without a teacher.

1. My summer practice routine

At the moment, I am really focusing on the basics of my practice. The fundamentals, long tones, vibrato exercises, air support strengthening and so much more. I am also focusing on etudes as a way to strengthen the fundamentals and technique of my playing.

This has helped me to stay grounded in my playing when I don’t really have direction from a teacher.

2. Creating space for exploration

To balance out the strict fundamental practice and etude work, I am also creating space for exploration. Which is anything that I didn’t have time to work on during the conservatoire term. For me, that is improvisation.

Now I am creating time in my practice to work on improvisation techniques and strengthen my skills in that area. It has been so much fun to do that.

3. Becoming my own teacher

I once had a teacher say that the point of having lessons is so that the student can learn how to ask the right questions about their playing. This idea blew my mind, but that teacher was so right.

Now that I am practicing without weekly lessons, I have noticed that I have become more attentive to the small details in my playing. I have also started asking myself the questions that I know my teacher would ask me. That is really exciting.

Whether you are working with a teacher this summer, or doing things on your own, I wish you all the best in your musical endeavors!

All my best,

Eleanor