Updated January 25, 2006
Bassoon Study
The study of bassoon (called Applied Bassoon at the university level) is more than simply learning scales and fingerings on your instrument. When you choose to be a music major, you are making a decision to have a comprehensive knowledge of the bassoon and of music in general.
As a music student, you will be given the opportunity to learn about Music Theory (the building block of all music and music composition), Music History (the development, over time, of music's different styles and it's composers) and various other courses that enhance your knowledge of music.
As a bassoon student, you will learn your scales and your fingerings, but you will also study important solo pieces for the bassoon (often in the form of sonatas or concertos), as well as participation in the UMD instrumental ensembles such as Wind Ensemble, University Orchestra, Concert Band and Opera Orchestra. You will also be given the opportunity to rehearse and perform in chamber music groups (small instrumental groups of 3-13 players that are "coached" by a UMD faculty member). Particpation in ensembles is required for all music majors, as well as attendance at the weekly Recital Hour.
In the course of your study of Applied Bassoon at UMD, you will be involved in may types of learning experiences including reed-making, performance, academic study and you may even learn to play the contrabassoon (the bassoon's larger relative)! All students majoring in music with bassoon as their primary intrument will take one-hour private lessons with Dr. Campbell each week, as well as an one-hour masterclass session each week. Masterclass sessions wil cover a broad range of topics such as performance-related techniques (like double-tonguing and special high-note tricks), academic presentations by Dr. Campbell and you and your fellow students, and general reed-making sessions.
If you are interested in finding out more about what courses are required to be music major, then click here.