Pinkie on G2 and Half-Hole Size

Lilly Morrison, a sixth grader who has been playing bassoon a few months has her first lesson with Ms. Jensen. They address using the Eb resonance key on G2, and establishing an appropriate half-hole size. Ms. Jensen asks Lilly to practice as if she were alone in the practice room. This is a good tactic for observing students’ problem solving skills, and coaching them through the process of listening keenly and tackling problems in the practice room. Lilly proceeds with a few drills, and Ms. Jensen suggests that those few repetitions are a good start, but that much more practice is needed to form a new habit. Ms. Jensen stresses keen listening in the practice room so that Lilly can hear the problems, and therefore determine what she needs to improve.