2025 Maine Music Educators Association Conference

The bassoon is one of the most versatile instruments of the band and orchestra, yet it can be intimidating to directors and beginning students. The goal of this session is to provide band directors with the foundational knowledge needed to guide beginning bassoonists and encourage them to start students on the instrument or how to make the switch from another instrument. USM Osher School of Music artist-faculty Wren Saunders will provide a roadmap for success and demonstrate what every bassoonist and band director needs to know. Participants are encouraged, but not required, to bring their bassoons (BYOB) and reeds and engage in a hands-on demonstration.

Performance development and repertoire mastery are central aims within instrumental ensemble learning experiences. Although performing is a primary artistic process students engage with in instrumental ensembles, the National Core Arts Standards call on ensemble educators to also foster the artistic processes of creating, responding, and connecting to support comprehensive music learning experiences in ensemble rehearsal spaces. The challenge for ensemble teacher/directors is to carve out time and space for all the artistic processes while fulfilling the important obligation of meaningful performance development. This presentation will explore practical strategies that attend to each of the artistic processes in performance ensemble learning environments. Please join this session on comprehensive musicianship in instrumental ensembles to learn more about how this approach can have a positive impact on both individual and collective performance achievement.