About Oboe For Everyone
Greetings from Eau Claire, Wisconsin!
The idea of OboeForEveryone was sparked after thinking about this quote from a speech Robert Kennedy gave at Berkeley in 1966:
"But history will judge you, and as the years pass, you will ultimately judge yourself, in the extent to which you have used your gifts and talents to lighten and enrich the lives of your fellow men. In your hands lies the future of your world and the fulfillment of the best qualities of your own spirit"
Service to our communities and the world can come in so many beautiful forms. Over the years I have volunteered at the local homeless shelter, given as generously to the food banks as I can, support environmental causes, etc., etc. There are things that most people in my community have the skill set to do as time and generosity allows. But when I considered how I might use my specialized skill set to serve others in the world (which includes a doctorate in oboe performance and pedagogy and over 20 years teaching at the college level), by brain started spinning with this question:
What if EVERY OBOIST who wanted to take oboe lessons with an oboe specialist had the opportunity to do so, regardless of location in the world or ability to pay?
I often take on a few private students for reduced rates to serve my community. It's a small action on my part but I believe it is really important to the students and families I can serve. But proximity to a teacher is no longer an issue with the use of free online video communication tools such as ZOOM, Skype, ooVoo, GoogleChat, or Face Time for online lessons.
So my questions to you are this:
Are you a music educator who would like to have an oboe specialist work with your students in a workshop or masterclass? Click here: Online Workshops/Masterclasses
Would you like to take oboe lessons but either don't know how or where to find a teacher or can't afford the usual lesson fees? Click here:New Student Information Form
Can you think of someone who might benefit from our service and send them our links? www.OboeForEveryone.com
Are you an oboe specialist teacher who would like to find more students and/or be willing to take on a few students who are not able to pay your full rate in order to serve your community and profession? Click here: New Teacher Information Form
Are you an oboe reed maker, repair specialist, etc who might be interested in sharing your specialized skill set to those with limited financial means? Click here:New Reed Maker Form or contact me at: OboeForEveryone@gmail.com
If you answer yes, to the above questions, join the OboeForEveryone network! If you are looking for a teacher, simply fill out our student information form and submit. We'll try our best to find you a teacher in your community to teach you. Or, we may find a teacher to instruct you with online lessons. If you are an oboe teacher, fill out and submit our teacher information form and we'll include you in our network of teachers and contact you when a student is looking for lessons. If you are a music educator who would like to set up a workshop for your students or have questions about the oboe, click here. I do not receive money from this project; I simply connect the students and teachers together before lessons begin. The students and teachers arrange any fees between themselves, like most private lesson programs. If you are a reed maker, repair specialist, etc, who would like to participate, please contact me directly at OboeForEveryone@gmail.com so we can find a way to best use your products or service. I welcome your feedback!
To current oboe instructors:
First and foremost, please know that I have no intention of taking students away from their current instructors by undercutting the price of lessons. Many musicians (myself included) make their living by the amazing work they do as private lesson teachers, and in no way to I want to steal students away from their teachers. It is my desire to provide the opportunity for teachers to build their studios from new students who are not currently taking lessons. For those students who are interested in taking lessons who are able to pay the full rate of a teacher, I ask that you please do so! We are certainly not in this profession to get rich, but merely put food on our tables for our families, create beautiful art and serve our communities.
Let's do all that we can to connect with others to share our love of music and our oboe skills. And please forward this link to anyone else you think might be interested.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Warmest regards,
Dr. Christa Garvey
Associate Professor of Oboe and Chamber Music
University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire