Bassoon With a View

It's that season again: AUDITIONS! I am currently preparing for an audition and have applied for several other positions.  When my contract ends July 2018 with BYU-Idaho I will have enjoyed 8 truly spectacular semesters in higher education at two different universities.  There is no way for me to adequately summarize how much I have learned as an adjunct (University of Montana) and now full-time faculty member.  My current position is Visiting Faculty = 1-year contract, renewable (up to) 2 times.  I am in my second year and the position has gone permanent.  I am currently in the application process for the new permanent position. At this point in describing the current state of my employment to people, they say things like, "Oh, I'm sure you'll get it!" "You're a total shoe-in!" "Who else would they hire?" "You've already been working here, they won't choose someone new." These are all well intended comme

Full disclosure: the last time I made reeds from tube cane was c. 1998.  *GASP* Why so long?  Machines!  Neither Manhattan School of Music nor the University of Utah provided a reed-making room or machines.  With copious amounts of moves, job changes, instrument purchases, LIFE, dropping several thousand dollars on a gouger and profiler was not a reality for me.  I started using GSP cane full-time in 1999 and never seriously pursued going back to tube cane. Until Dr.  Christin Schillinger. I occasionally peruse EBSCO for the latest bassoon doctoral dissertations, curious to see what academia is producing for our field.  I found Dr. Schillinger's doctoral dissertation about the history of reed-making pedagogy and then learned it had been published as a book. Click pic to order your copy! This book is a PAGE-TURNER!  I know, I KNOW!  You're thinking,  "It's about the history of teaching reed-making...sounds dry."  Well, it