“I am so pleased that Teaching Woodwinds: A Guide for Students and Teachers is now available. As a flutist and teacher I particularly appreciate Kelly Mollnow Wilson’s thoughtful and insightful approach to the fundamentals of flute playing. One of the unique aspects of this publication is that it addresses the practical application of the physiological aspects of woodwind playing in an in-depth, accessible, and hands-on manner.”
Katherine DeJongh, Principal Flutist of ProMusica Chamber Orchestra and Canton Symphony, Flute Professor at Case Western Reserve University and Chair of Winds and Brass for the Preparatory Department at the Cleveland Institute of Music
“Like many young music educators, I was overwhelmed by the vast amount of information I needed to be a successful teacher of woodwinds. As a brass player myself, I relied heavily on several three-ring binders of information and handouts I had amassed during my woodwind methods courses in college. While this information was helpful, it fell far short of my practical and immediate needs while on the job. What I really needed was an expert on every woodwind instrument; there to assist my students and I from the very first time they opened their instrument case. I needed these experts to answer my frequent question: ”What do I do when…?”
Thankfully, Mountain Peak Music has, quite literally, “come to the rescue,” with an innovative textbook that functions in tandem with brilliantly designed web based content, including demonstration videos, audio files, and sharp graphics. In effect, the methods and instructional ideas are brought to musical, and pedagogical life. Each author is a highly successful, knowledgeable, and experienced woodwind pedagogue, providing wonderfully clear, concise, and sequential methods of impeccable woodwind teaching. I am pleased to recommend Teaching Woodwinds: A Guide for Students and Teachers to professors of woodwind methods courses, as well as teachers and students of woodwind instruments. Unlike my old three-ring binders, this unique teaching platform will be a career-long resource for the school band director. It’s like having an entire faculty of woodwind experts in your band room every day!”
Dr. Russel C. Mikkelson, Director of Bands/Professor of Conducting, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
“Teaching Woodwinds: A Guide for Students and Teachers is an excellent interactive, online text for in-class instruction that appeals to today’s music education student. It is a valuable online resource that equally helps to train music education students as well as provide useful references for them beyond graduation.
Everything you need to teach a group of music education students is all in one place. I truly appreciate the multi-media aspect of this text. I can send my students to listen to the online tutorials, extra external links, and then synthesize the main points with videos of professional performances – all with a few quick clicks.
The text is easy to navigate and contains many helpful videos that illustrate the points in the text. These options are great for different learning styles.
This is the most updated text I am aware of and spends considerable time introducing students to modern extended techniques that reflect how contemporary composers are writing.
The trouble shooting sections are a great resource to help quickly identify and solve common issues in fingering, posture, and tone production.”
Denise Rotavera-Krain, Instructor of Flute, The College of Wooster; Aella Flute Duo
“Teaching Woodwinds is a remarkable, dynamic, cutting-edge resource that will undoubtedly find a welcome place in the library of every music educator concerned with providing a comprehensive experience for their students. Artistry is facilitated through sound technical and pedagogical information. The Body Mapping information is presented beautifully and video demonstrations leave no doubt as to the desired outcomes. I will be requiring my university students to utilize this resource in Body Mapping classes; I will absolutely be recommending it to my instrumental colleagues teaching band, orchestra, chamber music, and instrumental methods. Brava tutti!”
Dr. Heather J. BuchananProfessor of Music & Director of Choral ActivitiesMontclair State University, Upper Montclair, New Jersey
“Teaching Woodwinds: A Guide for Students and Teachers is a welcome addition to the woodwind pedagogy literature. In addition to the traditional text, there are both video and audio clips that are excellent tools for educators seeking to improve their understanding of both the teaching and performing of woodwind instruments. This is a great resource!”
David Threlkeld, Saxophone Professor, University of the Cumberlands
“Teaching Woodwinds is a “must have” for music educators. This wonderful resource provides all of the most important basic information without all of the unnecessary extras to wade through. The helpful use of audio and video links is a big advantage over other texts. Here is all the information you will need to teach woodwinds, including notated exercises appropriate for class instruction. It is clear, concise, and easy to use.”
Mary Kay Fink
Piccolo, Cleveland Orchestra
Flute Instructor, Cleveland Institute of Music
“I have taught kids beginning woodwinds for years and would incorporate everything in the balance and breathing sections tomorrow! The presentation and new ways of explaining core concepts are simply terrific. The “Healthy Alternative” areas are my favorite. The clear and practical approach combined with the resources for more information works for me and certainly would work for public school folks!”
Richard A. McEnaney, Ed.D, Coordinator, Secondary Fine Arts, Clark County, NV School District
“Teaching Woodwinds is a wonderful and comprehensive new resource for music educators.
This innovative approach incorporates video demonstrations of the concepts in the book so that now teachers and students alike can hear the sounds they are looking for and see examples of the right and wrong way to breathe, form an embouchure etc.
One of the most unique and valuable aspects of this work is the information regarding how we use our bodies when we play our instruments. This is crucial for preventing injury and developing healthy habits that lead to great sound and technique.
I wish I had had this resource available to me when I was a music ed. major. It’s bound to make any music educator’s job easier!”
Rhonda Cassano, flutist, Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra; adjunct professor of flute, University of North Florida; Licensed Andover Educator
“Band directors and music students should welcome this wonderfully well-organized and thorough new approach to teaching woodwind instruments. By taking advantage of a wide variety of current technologies, the authors have created a practical, succinct and engaging resource. In addition to offering the most current information about the instruments and instrument accessories, Teaching Woodwinds incorporates the most up-to-date strategies for fostering healthy musical habits that will help prevent future injuries, and ensure that students can enjoy a lifetime of music making.”
Dr. Stephen Caplan, Professor of Music, University of Nevada Las Vegas
“Teaching Woodwinds: A Guide for Students and Teachers is setting a new gold standard for instrument method books! Professors and teaching assistants finally have a comprehensive, systematic tool to teach woodwind technique classes, and the students have a priceless tool to refer back to as they move forward through their own professional teaching careers. This book includes clear explanations of important issues that just are not addressed in other books; such as factors that influence intonation on the flute, and common flute mistakes (including clear pictures and remedies for hand position problems, and how to fix weak, breathy tone).
Instrument technique classes necessitate squeezing a lot of information into a very short period of time; this guide ensures that students’ time and efforts are maximized. The book and website are organized in a clear, intuitive manner, and the videos and sound clips are very well done.”
Lynne Krayer-Luke, M.Mus., Licensed Andover Educator: Teaching the Art of Movement in Music, Flying Flutistas: Two Flutists Learn How to Learn Again
“Teaching Woodwinds: A Guide for Students and Teachers is a fantastic resource for instrumental and studio teachers. The progression of note learning is logical and the supporting pieces are nicely chosen to reinforce concepts. My favorite part of the book is the supporting chapters written for teachers. They provide clear concise information, along with video links that beautifully demonstrate key concepts. Bravo to the authors!!”
Vanessa Breault Mulvey, Longy School of Music of Bard College, Licensed Andover Educator
“Apollon Barret, Wilhelm Ferling, Georges Gillet, and Heinz Holliger occupy the heights of composition genius; the oboe virtuoso/teacher writing for his students. To these names now we can add those of Sarah Hamilton and Mark duBois, the distinguished oboe teaching team at the SUNY-Fredonia. Easily going on a generation now, these artist-teachers are at the forefront or performance and pedagogy in western New York state. Founders of the double reed consort OBOHIO, as well as having studied with distinguished oboists themselves, including John Mack and Robert Sorton, they are more than equipped to deal brilliantly with this daunting task, producing the oboe section of Teaching Woodwinds, a 2014 publication of MountainPeak Music.
The oboe with its always-perplexing mechanism and a lifetime of challenges at the reed desk, presents unique technical and musical problems for the youngster across the first many years of study. This e-book devoted to teachers and to serious students, has moved time-tested concepts from the world of oboe pedagogy firmly into the 21st century. This series aimed toward conductors in school settings, private teachers, as well as to students, uses technology in a creative way, including computerized sound clips of the playing of professional oboists, including the authors.
Purchasers of this book will receive access to a vast amount of online content, printed text, three hundred full-color images, videos, sound files, PDF downloads – all providing a treasure chest of support for the student who can now supervise his own practice between lessons and rehearsals. Here at last the student can become his/her own best teacher – learning oboistic skills to free up one’s musical expression.
This book is already receiving warm welcomes from all over the oboe community. I can say enthusiastically that it belongs in the library of every teacher, orchestra or band director, and the beginning or advancing student. Since receiving this book a few months ago, I can say honestly I’ve had a hard time putting it down!
Bravo Sarah and Mark!”
Daniel Stolper, Instructor of Oboe, Interlochen Center for the Arts
Teaching Woodwinds 