Switching to Oboe

Switch to oboe from another instrument confidently in just 8 weeks. Each lesson has multiple interactive videos, sheet music downloads, and an easy to use Practice Guide to help keep students on track.

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Musicians: Imagine if...

…it’s easy to learn how to play the oboe.

… you can learn how to play oboe when it’s convenient for you!

…you can fill the missing oboe voice in your local band or orchestra.

By the end of the course you'll...

Confidently play with a proper embouchure
Know how to care for and maintain your reeds
Have a practical and efficient practice routine
Know how to simplify music as needed

Learn how to play the oboe today!

Get started now:

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Course curriculum

1. Practice Guide
2. The anatomy of an oboe
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3. How to assemble and not break the oboe
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4. Where to put your fingers
5. Oboe Reeds
6. How you sit is important!
7. Don't skip your warm-up!
8. Warm up: Breathing Exercise
9. Let's make sound!
10. Warm-up: Crowing Exercise
11. Learning new notes
12. Playing songs by ear
13. Cleaning and safely storing your oboe
14. Practice Technique Spotlight: Intention
15. Homework assignment
1. Practice Guide for Lesson 2
2. How to protect your instrument from other students
3. Warm up: Breathing, Crowing
4. How do you sound that good? Warm-up: NOTD
5. It's scale time!
6. Practice Technique: Interval Practice
7. Articulation
8. Homework assignment
9. Play along: My Old Kentucky Home by S. Foster
10. Play along: Theme from Minuet in G by J.S. Bach
11. Play along: Theme from Sonata no. 12 by W.A. Mozart
1. Practice Guide for Lesson 3
2. How do you know if you need a new reed?
3. Warm up: Breathing, Crowing, NOTD
4. Warm up part 4: Scales as a warm up F and G major scales
5. There are HOW MANY fingerings for F natural?! Eb major scale
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6. Extending your range higher with Bb major scale
7. Practice technique spotlight: Puffing and Practicing Breaths In
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8. Homework and when to go on
9. Play along: Minuet in G minor by J.S. Bach
  FREE PREVIEW
10. Play along: America the Beautiful by S.L. Ward and K.L. Bates
1. Practice Guide for Lesson 4
2. Starting this week, you should play in band!
3. Warm up: Breathing, Crowing, NOTD, Slow scales Bb and Eb major
4. Alternate Eb and Ab and Db major scales
5. Simplifying music: The Rifle Regiment March
6. Practice technique spotlight: Chunking
7. Homework and when to go on
8. Recording: The Rifle Regiment March
1. Practice Guide for Lesson 5
2. What is that weird sound? Water in your keys!
3. Warm-up: Breathing, Crowing, NOTD, Ab and Db major scales
4. How to play with different dynamics
5. C major scale - two octaves
6. Extending your range even higher: D major scale - two octaves
7. Practice Technique Spotlight: Dynamic Numbers
8. Play along: La Cinquantaine by J. Gabriel-Marie at 112 bpm
9. Play along: La Cinquantaine by J. Gabriel-Marie at 132 bpm
10. Play along: Beautiful Dreamer by S. Foster at 138 bpm
11. Play along: Beautiful Dreamer by S. Foster at 152 bpm
12. Homework and when to go on
1. Practice Guide
2. The American scrape reed
3. Let's talk about Reed Drama
4. Warm-up: Breathing, Crowing, NOTD, C and D major scales
5. G# and Left D# - A and E major scales
6. Practice technique spotlight: Fast articulated passages
7. Homework and when to go on
8. Play along track: Exercise 30 by W. Ferling
9. Play along track: Melody 35 by A.M.R. Barret
10. Play Along track: La Cinquantaine by J. Gabriel-Marie part 2 at 112
11. Play along track: La Cinquantaine by J. Gabriel-Marie part 2 at 132
1. Practice Guide
2. Welcome to Lesson 7 & Let's Warm-Up!
3. Let's talk about tuning!
4. Chromatic Scale
5. Capstone Piece: Movement 3 and 4 from Sonata #1 by G.F. Handel
6. Practice Technique Spotlight: Using a Drone
7. Homework and When to Go On
8. Play along track: Mvt. 3 Adagio from Sonata #1 by G.F. Handel
9. Play along track: Mvt. 4 Allegro from Sonata #1 by G.F. Handel
10. Play along track: excerpts from The Flight of the Bumblebee by N. Rimsky-Korsakov
1. Practice Guide
2. Wrapping up
3. Warm-up: Breathing, Crowing, NOTD, Scale
4. More Accidentals?! Gb and B major scales
5. What's Baroque Style?
6. Practice Techniques Summarized
7. Homework and What's Next
8. La Cinquantaine score and solo parts
9. All 12 major scales, and their relative minors
10. Intermediate Arpeggios
11. Sonata #1 score and parts

About this course

$397.00

Join the oboe section, starting today

Band Directors: Imagine if...

…you don’t have to do the district paperwork for a professional oboist to come teach your beginning oboe students.

…you don’t have to find the budget for a clinician to teach oboe so you can have full instrumentation in the musical

…you don’t have to email back and forth to schedule time with a clinician, or worry about missing an email

I've got you!

In Switching to Oboe I target the specific topics students need to learn when they’re switching to oboe from another instrument so you don’t have to.

Care of reed and instrument
Embouchure formation and troubleshooting
Practice habit development
Dynamics and intonation

Your students get 8 private lessons in a convenient video format complete with play-along sections in the videos and a printable practice guide with tips, assignments, and music. You can give it to students to complete independently, you can work through it with students, or you can go through the course yourself to brush up on your oboe skills!

Get the course for your school now!

What Students Say:

“"Switching to Oboe" is a really well organized, clear and easy-to-use resource for learning the basics of playing oboe. I have played flute for many years and decided to learn oboe when our band needed another one; I found Alli's instructions on everything from fingerings and air support, intonation and dynamics, to how to choose and manage reeds, were complete and really well presented. This course is an efficient and cost-effective way to learn the nuts and bolts before playing oboe in an ensemble and/or starting in-person lessons.”

Theresa, STO graduate, adult

“"The course was really helpful. I greatly appreciate the lessons and all the help you provided!" ”

Rohan, STO graduate, 9th grade

“Working with Ms. Gessner has tremendously eased the pressure of switching instruments, especially learning a double reed instrument like the oboe. I can comfortably play the oboe only a few months into our lessons. In my school ensemble, I'm able to play with the band.”

Madeline, 11th grade

“Working with you has helped me have better rhythmic counting, play notes more accurately in tune, and play songs more comfortably. For a beginner, the fingerings get familiarized quickly with the specific practices given. Working with you helps me learn more about how to solve particular issues with how I play and with the oboe when there are any problems as well. ”

Sophia, 9th grade

Meet Alli!

I’ve been working in schools and with adult students for over 10 years, and I’ve seen it all:

students switching from woodwind, brass, percussion, piano
students with and without braces
students who do and don’t practice regularly
students who audition for honor bands and win
students who just like to show up and play their oboe in band class.

I switched to oboe from flute when I was in 9th grade, and I didn’t decide that I wanted to pursue music as a profession until 12th grade when it was time to apply for colleges.

I’ve made - and fixed - all the mistakes most students who switch to oboe make, and that makes me an excellent teacher.

Throughout my years of experience, I’ve learned that there are some fundamental elements to playing oboe that are universal.

It's my job, and my pleasure to help students find joy and ease in playing oboe.

Switch to oboe, starting today

Enroll today