Oboe Practice

Daily practice is essential to getting better at the oboe.

  • If you are a non-major registered for Music 158K, you are required to practice for 1 hour each day (outside of ensemble rehearsal and sectional practice).

  • If you are a music education major or Bachelor of Arts major, you are required to practice the oboe for 2 hours each day (outside of ensemble rehearsal and sectional practice).

  • If you are a Performance Major, you are required to practice 3 hours each day (outside of ensemble rehearsal and sectional practice).

How do I practice?

Practice should be a planned, intentional event. Never sit down and dink around for an hour without a plan.

I practice using a system of alternating work + breaks. I once read that the human mind is only able to concentrate in 25-minute bursts. I practice for 25-minute increments with 5–10 minute breaks between. This allows me to fully focus on my practice, and know that I’ll get a break to stretch or eat a snack (of course I brush my teeth after!).

The first 30 minutes of your practice should be dedicated to long tones, scales, warm-ups, and vibrato. This is essential to building a strong embouchure, strong core and breath control, and improving technique.

Other sections of your practice will include the following: étude practice, ensemble music practice, solo repertoire practice, and chamber music practice. Depending on the closest performances, you might focus more on certain areas than others.

Tip #1: PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY. Set an alarm, put it in Do Not Disturb mode, and put it in your bag. Do not put it on your stand. Do not set it next to you where you can see the light appear if you receive a message. I can guarantee that there is another oboe player out there who isn’t messing around on their phone during practice sessions, and guess what? That oboist will get better much faster than you if you allow yourself to be distracted by a device. Your mind needs to be solely focused on practicing.

Tip #2: Practicing is not playing something from start to finish with a million mistakes over and over. Yes, “run-throughs” are essential in music preparation, but they come at the end, not at the beginning. I allow myself to “run through” a piece once. After that, I make a list of all the difficult places. Every practice session afterward will be slow, deliberate work until I can play those sections correctly. Once I have worked through my list, I will begin to do “run throughs.”

Tip #3: Keep good posture! I beg you, have good posture while you practice. The cards are already stacked against musicians—the majority will be diagnosed with an overuse injury at some point in their lives. Avoid pain and care for your back, neck, and arms by sitting up straight and allowing proper blood flow. You might consider occasionally videoing yourself practicing to check your posture.