The Double Reed, Fall 2017

The Double Read Times

Fall 2017 -- Volume 33, No. 1

In This Issue

MDRS Double Preparing for Success Interview: Nine Things Running
Reed Festival Dr. Margaret Marco Taught Me About Music
Audition tips from Dr. Rod
16th annual event with guest Ackmann. Dr. Courtney Miller talks Where practice meets the road
artists Alex Klein and George Page 4 music, old and new, with our with Dr. Cayla Bellamy.
Sakakeeny. MDRS Second Vice President. Page 8
Page 2 Page 6

Letter from the President

Dear MDRS members,

I am delighted to write to you, fellow double reed players! It will be an honor to serve as president of the Midwest Double
Reed Society. I am from the Midwest, and I am looking forward to giving back to this Midwest music community. I grew
up in Columbia, MO, a child in a musical family, and I learned to play the oboe in local school ensembles, community
ensembles, and in the St. Louis Youth Orchestra. As a kid from the Midwest, it was an incredible opportunity as a student
to perform many concerts in Powell Hall with the SLYO as well as side-by-side concerts with the SLSO. Those
memorable experiences have guided me as a music teacher in order to encourage and promote young oboe students in my
private studios in Houston, Texas, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois and in Peoria, Illinois. I taught at Bradley University in
Peoria for seven years, and for twelve years I was fortunate to work with orchestral musicians around Illinois, both
downstate and in Chicago in many local orchestras including Sinfonia da Camera, the Champaign-Urbana Symphony,
Heartland Festival Orchestra, and the Illinois Symphony. I am thankful for the confidence that the membership of MDRS
has shown in me by allowing me the opportunity to serve you as a promoter of music in our area of the country.

I am honored to share in the work of the MDRS Executive Committee, which features Dr. Lia Uribe, First Vice President,
Dr. Margaret Marco, Second Vice President, Dr. Susan Gustavson Maxwell, Secretary, and Dr. Matthew Butterfield,
Treasurer. The editors are Dr. Cayla Bellamy and Dr. Leigh Muñoz. I certainly want to thank the Past President,
Katherine Woolsey, for her hours of work and leadership for MDRS, and to wish her the best as she begins a new position
with the Maryland Symphony Orchestra as their Operations Manager and Education Coordinator. I am looking forward to
attending the MDRS Double Reed Festival on Sunday, October 29, 2017 that features the incomparable artistry of Alex
Klein, oboe and George Sakakeeny, bassoon, hearing students perform in the master classes and MDRS members perform
on the member recital, and buying a new reed case or two. What a treat!

Happy reed-making and warmest wishes, 1
Dr. Alison Robuck

Volume 33, No. 1 – Fall 2017

Volume 33, No. 1 – Fall 2017 2

MIDWEST DOUBLE REED SOCIETY
MEMBERSHIP FORM

___ New ___ Renewal

Name _________________________ Instrument ________________________

Mailing Address (with ZIP) ___________________________________________________________

Home Phone ____________________ Work Phone _______________________

Work or School Affiliation ____________________________________________________________

E-mail Address ___________________________________________________

_____ $20.00 Regular Member
_____ $25.00 Contributing Member
_____ $10.00 Student Member

Send completed form and payment to (make checks payable to Midwest Double Reed Society):
Matthew Butterfield
2201 Harper St., Apt. C
Lawrence, KS 66046

Preparing for Success

by Dr. Rod Ackmann
University of Oklahoma

As many are in the process of preparing for upcoming All-State auditions, now is a good time to think through some time proven strategies.
Many of these tips are well known and most likely borrowed from great pedagogues of the past, but remain helpful today. I hope these
concepts will serve you well in the coming weeks.

Preparing the Scales “the backbone of your preparation”
Mastery of scales is an ongoing process, as they lead to solid technique in all situations. In regard to All-State auditions, it has been said,
“Scales won’t get you in, but they may keep you out.” It is always important to play scales evenly and accurately. Establish a strong sense of
pulse, using a metronome in your daily practice. Be sure to make every note speak clearly and consistently; don’t let them be a “blur.” Be
sure that the entire range of the scale has a consistent quality and presence of sound. Use a random system to quiz yourself: flash-cards,
spin a “wheel of misfortune” roll the dice, or any other fun and creative way to avoid predictability.

Preparing the Required Music
Technique: be certain that each of the following basic elements of music, are in place. Begin slowly, then gradually work up to performance
tempo: rhythm, notes, articulations, dynamics.

Musicianship: Remember that making music is what it is all about: characteristic tone, proper tempi, attractive phrasing.

Sightreading
This is often the most overlooked element in auditions. It’s easy to say, “I’m just not very good at sightreading.” But the truth is that we can
all work on this in a systematic way that will improve these skills. Always begin by getting a general lay of the land: what is the key
signature, time signature, overall tempo. Do you recognize potential challenges along the way, such as ties, syncopation, complicated
rhythms. If so, try to sing through these in your mind’s ear before performing.

I also recommend a wonderful source of sightreading for all instruments: www.larrysallstatemusic.com. This resource provides simple, but
effective sightreading material in a very sensible way. Regular practice of sight reading material will certainly improve these skills.

General Audition Preparation Tips
Perform many “mock auditions” before the big day. One develops
confidence and consistency from multiple run-throughs in front of an
audience, and in different settings.
Work these “three steps to performance success”:
Play it right.
Play it right lots of times.
Play it right lots of times, under pressure.

The Big Day
Get a good, full night’s sleep the night before. Eat a healthy breakfast;
stay away from sugars, caffeine and energy drinks. Pack a healthy
lunch, bottled water, and any other incidentals that will make you
feel fresh and rested. Bring something to do during the day, that will
keep you calmly occupied, but not stressed or fatigued. Don’t get
caught up in any unnecessary chat or distracting conversations; stay
very focused. Play the audition the way you have prepared it. Be
yourself.

Final Thoughts
Being a member of any All-State ensemble is one of the highest
honors available to a high school musician. It is also an incredibly
rewarding musical experience. However, preparation for this
audition should not be considered a success or failure based solely on
your success in “making the group.” Your investment of time and
effort for the audition will pay off in many ways. You will become a
better musician, and you will learn the value of “raising the bar” for
yourself and as a person. You are to be congratulated for accepting
this challenge.

“Success lies not in the destination, but in what we learn through the
journey.”

I wish you all the best in preparing for the All-State auditions!

Volume 33, No 1 – Fall 2017 4

UNIVERSITY OF IOWA DOUBLE REED CLINICS

The University of Iowa Bassoon and Oboe Studios are gearing up again for their annual Double Reed Clinics
and Competition on Saturday, November 11th, 9-6pm.

This event is open to all middle school and high school oboists and bassoonists and takes place in the new
Voxman Music Building!

Run by professors Courtney Miller and Benjamin Coelho, this event includes:
• Reed making instruction
• Performance Masterclass
• Chamber Music
• Double reed ensembles
• Clinic for band directors
• Young Artist Competition

REGISTRATION is $20 per person for the day includes pizza lunch.

THE YOUNG ARTIST
COMPETITION

The following prizes will be awarded in both the
oboe and bassoon categories: 
• 1st Prize: $150 + Certificate
• 2nd Prize: $100 + Certificate
• 3rd Prize: $75 + Certificate
• Honorable Mentions: Certificate

Interview: Dr. Margaret Marco

by Dr. Courtney Miller
University of Iowa

Courtney Miller: I really enjoy your CD Hidden Gems: Oboe Sonatas from the French Baroque. How did you go about
starting this project?

Margaret Marco: I began thinking about French Baroque music when I was working on my Doctoral Degree at
University of Illinois. Received a grant to go to Paris and spent a couple of months digging through archives and
prints. I found works I really liked and began editing them and realizing the figured bass. I gathered some friends,
wrote another grant and began the recording process.

Miller: You make it sound so easy. I know you are also a big supporter of new music. What are some of your current
projects?

Marco: My most recent project that I'm so proud of is the commissioning of an Oboe D’Amore Concerto written by
my good friend Dr. Forrest Pierce Forrest, Associate Professor of Composition at University of Kansas. I premiered
the Concerto in April of 2016 with the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra. It is a fantastic piece and I also look forward
to performing the piano version at the upcoming IDRS conference.

Miller: Who are your most important musical influences?

Marco: All of my teachers beginning with my first band director in Illinois! In college at Northwestern, Ray Still had
a huge influence on my life. Of course Mark Weiger at University of Iowa and Nancy Ambrose King when she was at
University of Illinois.

Miller: What are some experiences that influenced your career?

Marco: I spent two years playing in an orchestra in Venezuela. I was ready to come back to the states and get a
masters degree. I was thinking about music education and I came to U of Iowa as a TA in Music Education. I played
a ton and was able to spend a lot of time working on reeds with Mark Weiger. He was the first teacher I had who was
very particular about reed making. This time period really helped hone my reed making skills. I also had a great time
in the Music Education department. This turned out to be perfect timing because it positioned me for my first
teaching job at Luther College in Iowa. It was kind of like right place right time... the stars aligned.

… for more, watch the full interview at https://youtu.beaDnurYgVuq8

Dr. Margaret Marco’s performances have been heard in Europe, Asia, South and Central America, Canada and the United
States. Her musical appointments have included principal oboe of the Orquesta Sinfònica de Maracaibo, in Venezuela, the
Spoleto Festival in Spoleto, Italy, the Rome Festival Orchestra, Banff Center for the Arts in Alberta, Canada and the Kansas
City Chamber Orchestra. Margaret is the Associate Professor of Oboe at the University of Kansas where she has taught since
1998. Her teachers include Ray Still, Grover Schiltz, Dan Stolper, Mark Weiger, Dean Sayles and Nancy Ambrose King. She
holds degrees from Northwestern University, The University of Iowa and the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.
Margaret is principal oboist of the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra and has performed with the Kansas City Symphony. She
served as artist/faculty at the Ameropa Chamber Music Festival in Prague, Czech Republic; the Mozartissimo Chamber Music
Festival in Madrid, Spain; Sewanee Summer Music Festival in Tennessee; and the Midwestern Music Academy in Lawrence,
KS. Recent performances include Central Conservatory in Beijing, the Universidad de Costa Rica, the Festival of New American
Music (Sacramento, CA) and the Conservatorio de Musica in Puerto Rico. She has performed at the International Double Reed
Society Conferences from 2005-2017 and was selected as Chair of that organization’s prestigious Fernand Gillet-Hugo Fox
Oboe Competition. Margaret can be heard on her solo CD, Hidden Gems: Oboe Sonatas of the French Baroque, with her trio on
Allégresse; music for flute, oboe and piano and Fresh Ink and with the KU Wind Ensemble performing Copland’s Quiet City on
the NAXOS label.

Volume 32, No 2 – Spring 2017 6



Nine Things Running Taught Me About Music

by Dr. Cayla Bellamy
University of Northern Iowa

With many hours of training runs and races this season, I had plenty of endurance zen time to contemplate my hours of practicing and
performing music. So many things feel the same between running and the disciplined study and presentation of music - both require a huge
sacrifice of finances, time, and energy; both consolidate months of training into minutes or hours of performance; and, if you do them right,
both are intense labors of love.

As I sat enjoying my post-race chocolate milk after a blistering hot half marathon this past weekend, I realized how powerful these connections
could be, if we could just distill them into usable advice. What follow are nine things that running has taught me about music.

1. Check Your Form

When it gets hard, rely on fundamentals. When the heat index is in the triple digits, and your shirt is soaked through with sweat, and you can't
possibly lift your feet for one more step, runners know that you must stay mindful of how your arms pump to create momentum forward, which
part of your foot hits the ground, and exactly how many minutes it has been since you last sipped your water. When you are nearing the climax
of your recital closer, and your embouchure is trembling, and your hands are shaking from nerves, top performers know that you must
reconnect with your grounded posture and engage your airstream. Fatigue makes us forgetful, and in stress we must all check our form.

2. Plan Your Season

What is the top priority this year, your "A race"? Is it really wise to impulse buy a 5K with friends and go all out one week before your targeted
national ranking triathlon? (In my case, absolutely not!) Are you targeting graduate school or summer festival auditions? Perhaps your junior
or senior recital? Naturally, the life of a musician requires balancing many high priority performances, but is it really wise to schedule your
prescreening recording session the weekend before that regional orchestra audition? If you have control over your schedule, plan wisely and
sequence things in a way that makes sense for you, physically and mentally.

3. Take the Traveled Path (Sometimes)

When running on a trail in the woods, sometimes there are choices: jump the log or double back around it. One adds difficulty, and the other
adds distance, and everyone makes that choice based on their needs at the time. In the academic world, this is the choice between taking a
heavy course load one semester to graduate on time and keeping your schedule manageable but adding a summer or semester (or year) to your
college career. Sometimes, though, one path may be much more worn than another - it seems like everyone chose to run around the rock
rather than over it or finish their music education degree in fine years instead of four. If there is a successful path that others have taken, it
stands to reason that you could be successful there, too, so don't feel the need to reinvent the wheel every time. Keep your mind open to those
paths less traveled... but only if they won't trip you up, literally or figuratively!

Volume 33, No 1 – Fall 2017 8

Nine Things… (continued)

by Dr. Cayla Bellamy
University of Northern Iowa

4. Invest in Quality Equipment

Buy the good shoes in the right size, and you'll avoid injury. Buy a good instrument and good tools and the good cane, and you'll never
regret it.

5. Practice Slow and Fast

Five time world champion triathlete Javier Gomez is famous for saying "if you want to race fast, you have to train fast." The three key
workouts for runners are speed, hills, and endurance - practice being fast, practice being strong, and practice persevering. In music
preparation, these are the same principles, and we all often neglect at least one. Practice being fast: drill short motives at or above
performance tempo, but only one or two intervals at a time to grow accustomed to moving quickly and precisely. Practice being strong:
build your performance muscles through long tones and scales that make sense for your repertoire. Marriage of Figaro? D Major at
pianissimo and double tonguing at your excerpt tempo. Mozart Concerto? B-flat Major in staccato sixteenth notes and wide interval
intonation at forte. Practice persevering: balance focused work with putting trouble passages back in context, and use long tones as a way
of building muscular endurance with your abdominals and embouchure. You will perform how you have practiced, no matter how that is.

6. Find Your Pacer

When you participate in a large race, there are experienced runners called "pacers" who hold up signs with goal paces and finish times on
them, and they run the race as their sign reads for people to follow based on their individual goals. If you want to run a half marathon in
under two hours, go find that guy or gal in the neon tank top holding the 2:00 sign and stick to him/her like glue. In music, this is not
a simultaneous experience, but you can find a collection of people whose careers you admire and explore how they paced to get there. How
did the top orchestral principals study and practice to win their auditions? Where did your admired college professors study, teach, and
play before arriving at their current institutions? Be proud of your goals, and go find your pacer.

7. Take Care of You

When you are tired, sleep. When you are hungry, eat. When you are frustrated, take a break. When you are in pain, stop.

8. Commit

Skipping workouts and eating extra donuts will not earn you a personal record race time. Playing every other day or sitting in the practice
room on your phone will not win you an audition. Long term results require long term work, and you must be ready to commit.

9. Spit to the Side

Last but not least, this one is perhaps my favorite. Sometimes runners need to spit (yes, literally), and one of the worst things you can do is
turn to the side and hit someone right behind you. My record in a race is being spit on twice - not pleasant. Look before you clean out your
bocal, and remember that your success does not necessarily mean someone else's failure. Or at least someone else's shoe covered in spit.

Be kind to those around you, and best wishes in your continued lessons on the road, in music, and in life.

Do you have a blog post, article, or
reflection that you would like to share
with the MDRS community?

Forward submissions to Dr. Cayla
Bellamy ([email protected]) for
consideration for the next issue of The
Double Read Times!

Volume 33, No 1 – Fall 2017 9



Midwest Double Reed Society

Executive Board

Officers District Representatives

President: Secretary: Arkansas: Oklahoma:
Alison Robuck Susan Maxwell Theresa Delaplain Rod Ackmann
109 McCain Auditorium 109 McCain Auditorium Department of Music University of Oklahoma
Kansas State University Kansas State University Music Building 201 School of Music
Manhattan, KS 66506 Manhattan, KS 66506 University of Arkansas 500 West Boyd
[email protected] [email protected] Fayetteville, AR 72701 Norman, OK 73019
[email protected] [email protected]
First Vice President: Treasurer:
Lia Uribe Matthew Butterfield Missouri: Iowa:
Department of Music 2201 Harper St., Apt. C Cynthia Green Libby Courtney Miller
Music Building 201 Lawrence, KS 66046 Missouri State University Music University of Iowa
University of Arkansas [email protected] 901 S. National Avenue School of Music
Fayetteville, AR 72701 Springfield, MO 65897 93 E. Burlington Street
[email protected] Editors: [email protected] Iowa City, IA 52242
Cayla Bellamy (Newsletter) [email protected]
Second Vice President: University of Northern Iowa Nebraska:
Margaret Marco 115 Russell Hall William McMullen
University of Kansas Cedar Falls, IA 50614 Glenn Korff School of Music
School of Music [email protected] University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Murphy Hall, Room 460 113 Westbrook Music Building
1530 Naismith Drive Leigh Munoz (Web) Lincoln, NE 68588
Lawrence, KS 66045 University of Missouri [email protected]
[email protected] School of Music
135 Fine Arts Building
Columbia, MO 65211
[email protected]

MDRS Member News

Margaret Marco, KU professor of oboe, will Matt Butterfield, DMA, University of On Thursday, October 19th, The Sooner
perform A Seige of Herons for Oboe d'amore Kansas, will travel to Milan, Italy in Bassooners will perform at the opening session
and Strings by Forrest Pierce with the Kansas October representing the KU School of of the Oklahoma Music Educators
City Chamber Orchestra on Oct 5 at 7:30 Music in a collaboration with the Giuseppe Association (OkMEA) Fall Conference
PM in the Medallion Theater in Kansas City, Verdi Conservatory of Music –Milan. Matt
Missouri. Margaret received a grant from the will join four other students from KU, as The University of Oklahoma Wind Quintet
Mid American Arts Alliance to commission well as four students from the Paris will perform at Owasso, OK High School on
the concerto from Forrest Pierce, who teaches Conservatoire National Supérieur de Tuesday, October 10th, in conjunction with
music composition at the University of Musique (Paris Conservatory), and students an All-State Clinic and Masterclass.
Kansas. from Milan in the performance of a
new opera. The University of Northern Iowa’s resident
Emily Foltz, DMA candidate in oboe, will trio d’anches, Kairos Trio, will perform a
perform second oboe on Mozart's Symphony Lia Uribe, assistant professor of bassoon at public and livestreamed recital on October 24.
No. 29 with the Kansas City Chamber the University of Arkansas, will be guest The trio will present works by Milhaud,
Orchestra on October 5 at 7:30 PM at the performing/teaching artist at the 8th Koechlin, Douglas, and more.
Medallion Theater in Kansas City, MO. International Bassoon Festival in Cordoba,
Argentina, October 17-21. This festival 11
The University of Oklahoma Sooner takes place every year, and reaches out to
Bassooners have been invited to perform the students and professional bassoonists from
National Anthem, center court, at the Central and South America through master
Oklahoma City Thunder basketball game on classes, workshops, and concerts. The
Sunday, October 8th at Chesapeake Energy festival is organized by bassoonists Fabian
Arena. Contreras and Gonzalo Brusco, and will
take place at the Universidad Provincial de
Volume 33, No. 1 – Fall 2017 Cordoba. http://www.encuentrodefagotes.c
om.ar/

Member News (continued)

The Lyrique Quintette, woodwind quintet in Drs. Heather Peyton and Cayla Bellamy of the Cassidy Markley, KU music education major,
residence at the University of Arkansas, joined University of Northern Iowa will be featured in will present her senior recital at the University
by guest percussionist Fernando Valencia, will Vivaldi’s Double Concerto for Oboe and of Kansas on November 12 at 7:30 PM in
be at the 60th National College Music Society Bassoon with the Northern Iowa Symphony Swarthout Recital Hall. Cassidy will perform
Conference presenting Paquito de Rivera’s Orchestra on October 30. works of Barnes, Britten, Beethoven and
Aires Tropicales. This program is part of the Vaughan Williams.
quintet’s national tour performing music from UNI bassoonist and masters candidate
their latest CD “Arrivals and Departures: Annalea Milligan will present a graduate Susan Tope, KU music therapy major, will
Music of the Americas.” Members of the recital in the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing present her senior recital at the University of
quintet are Ronda Mains, flute; Theresa Arts Center on November 3. Annalea will Kansas on November 12 at 5 PM in Swarthout
Delaplain, oboe; Nophachai Cholthitchanta, perform works by Mozart, Dutilleux, Bach, Recital Hall. Susan will perform works of
clarinet; Tim Thompson, horn; and Lia and Previn. Albinoni, Beethoven, Guidobaldi and
Uribe, bassoon. Saturday, October 28, 10:15- Lefebvre.
10:40 AM, Regency 3, Hyatt Regency San
Antonio Riverwalk, San Antonio, TX.

The Midwest Double Reed Society was formed to:

• Enhance the art of double reed playing by encouraging the improvement of instruments, tools, and reed making material

• Encourage the composing and arranging of music for double reeds

• Assist teachers and students of double reed instruments to attain high standards of performance

• Encourage cooperation and an exchange of ideas between the music industry and the Society

• Give double reed musicians – and all those interested in the problems peculiar to performers, teachers, students, and
manufacturers of double reed instruments – a means and body through which communication can be fostered on a Midwest
regional basis.

Advertising & Submissions

The Double Read Times accepts advertisements at the following rates:

•Full page (up to 8.5 x 11): $90.00
•Three-quarter page (up to 7.5 x 7): $75.00
•Half page (up to 5 x 7, horizontal): $60.00
•One-quarter page (up to 5 x 3.25, vertical): $42.00
•Business card: $21.00

Rates include advertising for one year (three issues) and complimentary copies of issues in which the ads are run.
Continuing ads are billed annually.

Contributions of articles, reviews, member news, calendar events, and other double reed announcements are welcome.
Contributions are free for members and $15.00 for non-members (include billing address with submission).

Proceeds from submissions fund MDRS activities including master classes and the Double Reed Festival.

Please send all newsletter content to Cayla Bellamy at [email protected]. Articles and event notices should be sent
as Microsoft Word documents, and advertisements can be sent as either JPEG or PDF files.

Payment for advertisements and non-member content submissions should be sent to MDRS Treasurer Matthew
Butterfield at the following address:

Matthew Butterfield
2201 Harper St., Apt. C
Lawrence, KS 66046

Submission deadlines are: January 12th (winter) April 20th (spring)

Volume 33, No. 1 – Fall 2017 12

Midwest Double Reed Society The Double Read Times
Volume 33, No. 1
Cayla Bellamy
University of Northern Iowa
115 Russell Hall
Cedar Falls, IA 50614