Dear Ones,
This past week, I recognized the 46th anniversary of my first oboe lesson. Here is what I wrote on Facebook. Thought I’d copy and past to make this blog. ENJOY
Today (January 7, 2020) marks the 46th anniversary of my very first oboe lesson, which I had to wait 5 - intensely - LONG years for, until I was (almost) old enough to start playing!
I asked my teacher (a jazz saxophonist named James Cassera) How do you play the oboe!!!?!?!?
He said, (in a steady incredible crescendo) “Well, you take a
R E A L L Y deep breath, pucker up, and blow kisses to God baby!”
He was quite the sight. An American born Italian Stallion with broad shoulders and an open shirt revealing a chest adorned with the Catholic saints on gold chains interwoven with his plethora of chest hair. Full side burns, bell bottoms, and gorgeous shoes. Thick luscious dark curly hair. Square smokey sun glasses.
He was very warm and kind man. Loved music, loved children, very community oriented. When the other adults were trying to convince me to play flute or clarinet, I insisted upon the oboe. He was best friends with my ballet teacher, Miss Judy who was a goddess among women and a Shero in my life, which is how he heard about this little girl determined to play the oboe! He took pity on me and said - I’ll get you started until you can find a proper oboist to teach you.
So, I took a really deep breath, and played the longest note to the end of the universe that I could with ALL MY ❤️. I remember it was an E because I couldn’t quite get my right ring finger to cover the D key - so that was the best I could do. It tickled my lips and I broke out into a peel of giggles afterward.
It was a thrill. And here I am, playing, teaching, and composing for this honker with gusto to this day!
It’s a marriage. It’s a significant relationship. It’s my hiking stick in the pilgrimage of life. It’s a prayer stick and constant companion as I wander through life.
It’s opened doors to studying, music, composing and meeting beautiful beautiful people whom I love dearly.
Thank you 17th century French musicians Jean Hotteterre and Michel Danican “Philidor” who modified the louder shawm (the prevailing double-reed instrument) to invent the original oboe. 🥳💗
I feel grateful - really grateful - to the set up in childhood enabling me to play in public schools and competitions and extra ensembles in addition to steady weekly lessons my parents gave me. The state of NY had great programs in the 70’s and 80’s through NYSSMA (New York State Schools Music Association) which James Cassera was later the president.
The NYSSMA competitions helped tip over the beginning dominoes to help me get the scholarships I needed to study oboe and my ultimate goal - composing in college and conservatory.
If you’re an oboist, and still reading, please tell me what you want to see created in Études and feel is important for me to keep in mind as I work on my 2020-2025 progressive oboe Étude project.
Now is the time to speak up!
Paying it forward, I wish to create more for the oboists of tomorrow.
I feel grateful for all the music composed and existing for us oboists to play today and realize that we owe everything to what we inherit from our teachers, composers and those who come before us.
Thank you, hugs and kisses to all the oboe makers, reed makers, composers, teachers, music dealers,
event organizers, and those who FUND the fun which is serious fun and makes a critically important aspect of human life possible.
My first composition teacher’s (Karel Husa) very first question to me was, “If all your friends were fighting in a war that they believed in, would you fight or compose?” I said instantly “compose” he was taken aback. “How can you be so sure?” I said, if composers stopped composing every time people went to war, we wouldn’t have much music. Besides, I’m a creator not a fighter.
If you’re still reading, you might want to visit my website (www.oboebrilliance.com same as www.composerKJP.com) as I just started a new decade of blogging. You don’t HAVE to be a person who plays oboe or composes only to get something out of it. But you’ll get even more out of it if you do ... I HOPE! 🙏