Review of Fundamentals

Ms. Jensen begins the lesson by playing for Umberto and Miranda so they can hear a professional bassoon sound. She mentions that we have not been using sheet music so that we could work on fundamentals and establish excellent skills. Ms. Jensen discusses relaxing the abdominal muscles before and during inhalation, and breathing into the rib cage to get more air and to be able to support the air. They review sitting to the right side of the chair so that the thigh can help support the weight of the bassoon. They discuss adjusting the height of the seat strap to accommodate their posture, review forming an embouchure, and play a beautiful C2! Beginning each lesson with a review of the material from previous lessons reinforces the student’s understanding of the material, therefore strengthening the foundation upon which new concepts can be built.