 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: oboi
Date: 2016-04-07 09:47
I'm both a pianist and oboist and in fact have a similar situation at the moment juggling a number of instruments at a time (I'm currently preparing major works on oboe, EH, harpsichord and baroque oboe). Oy! :-P I should be paid for all of this, ha.
Since I learned piano as a child and oboe as an adult, I can't say much on training at the same time (although I did manage both harpsichord and oboe lessons while in grad school), but I know that piano took up a lot of time for me while I was in school, especially in the high school years as I got up to the level before performer's level. I played flute in school band but never took lessons. I practiced piano far less than I should have, however, as academics was my focus. I never intended to become a musician at the time.
In hindsight, I wished I learned oboe earlier (or became very proficient on a band/orchestral instrument) because it's an opportunity that was lost being able to do youth orchestras and such. Almost all the musicians I play with now did some sort of advanced youth orchestra/band. It's a great opportunity to network with people your age and grow up playing music with others. As a pianist, we're often cooped up by ourselves in a room and really, there's not much chance to do chamber music (never even occurred to me). So, once you hit the upper levels of piano and things start to get really hard, that's when kids often lose their interest. With oboe you still get to "play" with other kids so it seems less of a chore.
That being said, your son is only at the beginning of his oboe education, so it's hard to suggest to drop piano for a relatively new instrument, and perhaps better to stay on course on piano. What are his eventual goals? It might be too early to know at this stage, though.
If your son is managing both, let him do both as long as he can manage and enjoys it. You might see him gravitate to one or the other eventually. It's really hard to pick up an instrument and become good once you hit adulthood. So if he stops now, it's likely it's going to stop permanently (or at least for a few decades - I know soooo many amateurs who quit as a kid and only start playing again after their kids are grown up).
Personally, I focus most of my time on oboe because I consider it my primary instrument now. I spend lots of time on baroque oboe and it is stressful trying to fit in enough practice time on both (plus all the time spent on reeds!). Piano I don't practice much at all except for pieces I work on to perform, but that's because I'm just maintaining my proficiency, as opposed to to the oboe where I am continuously (and ever so slowly) trying to get to a professional level.
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Sekhmet |
2016-04-07 08:41 |
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Re: Shoul my son quit piano to concentrate in oboe? |
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oboi |
2016-04-07 09:47 |
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WoodwindOz |
2016-04-07 17:45 |
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fromsfca |
2016-04-12 05:26 |
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EaubeauHorn |
2016-05-12 08:27 |
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The Clarinet Pages
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