Oboe Studio at Northern Arizona University
Rebecca Kemper Scarnati, Professor of Oboe
Master class meets every Tuesday with occasional additional guest master classes that meet at additional times. In master classes, topics include:
- Technical work Study of orchestral repertoire with emphasis on excerpts frequently asked at professional auditions
- Study of pieces being played in major performing ensembles
- Students perform pieces being prepared for recitals and juries, etc.
- All students perform in the class and learn to give positive comments to help each other.
Reed Class
Students work on reed making skills from beginning to advanced work. Beginning students learn to wrap and scrape reeds while advanced students learn to finish reeds. When students have developed basic reed making skills, they are taught to first shape cane and then to gouge their own cane. Oboe students need the following equipment for reed making:
- Double hollow ground knife (like MCW deluxe razor knife or Landwell knife soft or medium)
- Oboe mandrel Flat plaque (not convex! Blue steel is fine)
- Cutting block Spool of FF thread (or EE)
- Bees wax 6 inch/metric ruler (we measure everything in millimeters)
- 10-12 oboe 47mm tubes that fit the mandrel
- 12-24 pieces of 10-10.5 mm diameter cane gouged and shaped (preferably with a Mack or similar shape)
- Optional: very fine sharpening stone like an Arkansas hard stone, ceramic stone, diamond stone
This equipment maybe found at any oboe supply shops on-line. For example Mark Chudnow Woodwinds sells a First Oboe Reed Kit that contains most of this equipment as does Weber Reeds. Just be sure that the knife that comes with the kit is double hollow ground. Contact the oboe professor if you are at all unsure. For a list of some oboe supply shops that are on line check the Links page.
