A GUIDE TO INFORMATION SOURCES ON THE SUBJECT OF

MULTIPLE WOODWIND PERFORMANCE AND PEDAGOGY

Bryan Canonigo
MUSC 6115: Bibliography
December 8, 2015
Columbus State University

1
The subject of multiple woodwind performance or doubling is an important

aspect of being a modern saxophonist or woodwind player. Multiple woodwind players

are expected to be able to play all of the single reed, double reed and flute families. This
includes proficiency in all of the saxophones, oboe, bassoon, flute and clarinet as well as
the other related instruments in each of the woodwind families such as the piccolo, bass
clarinet, and contra bassoon. This is the standard today as a professional multiple
woodwind player. Locating sources on the subject of multiple woodwind pedagogy can
be challenging, as it is a relatively new field of study. One can find a vast number of
sources on each of the individual instruments regarding teaching methods and
performance practices but there are few sources that refer to the integration, combination,
creation and application of an approach that encompasses all of these methods. This
guide aims to address resources on information about histories, performance practices,
systems and pedagogy of various woodwind instruments. Perhaps these resources could
aid in the creation and application of a universal method for multiple woodwind
performers and teachers alike.

Library Catalogs
Library catalogs provide bibliographic information about materials physically
owned by a library. One of the key aspects of library catalogs is, as Laurie Sampsel
points out, it is a gateway(s) to a wealth of electronic information, including online
reference tools, e-books, digital audio libraries, and online scores.1 Like many university

1 Laurie J. Sampsel, Music Research: A Handbook, 2nd ed. (New York: Oxford
University Press, 2013), 36.

library catalogs, Columbus States GIL-Find2 has a few search options such as a basic
and advanced search. For a specific topic such as woodwind pedagogy, it is best to start
right away on the advanced search feature. In the advanced search feature, the user is
provided with multiple search boxes and by putting in the terms clarinet, flute,
saxophone, and woodwinds, as well as limiting the call numbers to music, the
search gets narrowed down and the results are much less and more manageable. This
particular search yielded six results and all pertain to woodwind literature that includes
flute, clarinet and saxophone. There is also a suggested topics bar at the top of the
search results to narrow it down even further. By clicking the topic instruction and
study, the user is brought to a collection of articles entitled Woodwind Anthology: A
compendium of woodwind articles from the Instrumentalist.3
This anthology is a very useful and important resource in the field of woodwind
pedagogy. It is a great and abundant collection of articles dating back as far as 1946
published by the Instrumentalist Magazine, which is a monthly magazine for music
educators that focuses on publications for school band and orchestra. This two-volume
collection is a must-have for anyone researching woodwind pedagogy due to its in-depth
coverage of flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, recorder and saxophone articles. Topics
include everything from tone production, fingering techniques, intonation, vibrato,
articulation, embouchure, breathing, and performance practices, to specific instrument
issues such as flute footjoints, oboe and bassoon reed making, reed knives and other


2
Columbus State University Libraries, Advanced Search. GIL-Find.
http://gilfind.columbusstate.edu/vufind/Search/Advanced.
3

The Instrumentalist, Woodwind Anthology: A Compendium of Woodwind Articles from

The Instrumentalist (Evanston, Illinois: The Instrumentalist Company, 1983).

tools, mouthpieces, clarinet barrels, and saxophone necks. Another invaluable feature of
this collection is the index as it is laid out with organizational headings such as Teaching
Techniques, Care and Repair, and Origin, Development, and Advancement just to
name a few. Finally, the anthology also includes a biography of each author and their
status at the publication dates of their respective article(s).
Another great library catalog to browse is The Library of Congress catalog, which
is on of the largest libraries in the world with over 147 million items.4 Doing a similar
advanced search of the same terms as before (flute, clarinet, saxophone, woodwinds)
yielded 81 results when limited to All Text (Books, Periodicals, etc.) in the Types of
Material limiter.5 An informative woodwind pedagogy book comes up written by
Frederick W. Westphal entitled Guide to Teaching Woodwinds, Fifth Ed. In the preface
Westphal writes, At a time when teacher education programs may allow only a
minimum amount of time for the specialized study of instrumental teaching, a text that
not only provides the basics but includes essential details for future reference is essential.
This text attempts to meet this need.6 This instructional text lays out the basics of
woodwind playing and points out essential details such as mouthpieces, reeds, instrument
assembly and basic sound production. Westphals book does not go beyond its
rudimentary coverage of each woodwind instrument and it definitely seems to be geared
towards beginning band teachers and music teachers alike. Nonetheless, it is a good

4
Sampsel, Music Research: A Handbook, p. 47.
5

Library of Congress, Library of Congress Online Catalog (Washington, DC: Library of

Congress).
http://catalog.loc.gov
6

Frederick W. Westphal, Guide to Teaching Woodwinds, 5th ed. (Dubuque, IA: Wm C.

Brown Publishers, 1990), vii.

resource to have on the bookshelf for teaching beginning students on the rudiments of the
various woodwind instruments.

Professional Association Websites

For anyone specializing in a field, professional association websites are a great
resource for specific and current information. For woodwind players, there are a number
professional association websites that not only contain links to other great resources but
they are also great places to get connected with other woodwind artists, performers, and
educators. Acquiring membership access to these associations are also a must for any
professional interested in woodwind pedagogy and performance. Membership benefit
s may include things like free admission to conferences, access to discussions,
master classes and lectures, and a subscription to the associations journals and
newsletters.
The International Clarinet Association, National Flute Association, and the North
American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) are excellent places to start when looking for
pedagogical and/or performance practice ideas about the flute, clarinet or saxophone.
Browsing the websites is straightforward and all of their mission statements are very
clear. The International Clarinet Association states that they foster(s) the
composition, publication, recording, and distribution of music for the clarinet;
encourage(s) the research and manufacture of a more definitive clarinet; avoids
commercialism in any form while encouraging communication and cooperation among

clarinetists and the music industry7 while the National Flute Association writes, to
encourage a higher standard of artistic excellence for the flute, its performers, and its
literature, members include leading soloists, orchestral players, jazz and world music
performers, teachers, adult amateurs, and students of all ages.8 The North American
Saxophone Alliance states, In addition to the Alliance's emphasis on disseminating
information concerning the saxophone, the organization also works to provide
opportunities for its members to make music, fostering fellowship among saxophone
enthusiasts of all ages and backgrounds.9 The similarities in their mission statements
definitely suggest that further research and membership access to these organizations
would be beneficial for any researcher of woodwind pedagogy and performance
practices.
Another great feature of these websites is their directory list of staff, committee
members and coordinators. Most of the staff and committee members of these
organizations are highly regarded university professors, performance artists, and other
pedagogues. Again, these contact lists are invaluable for any researcher looking to get in
touch with professionals in the field of woodwinds.

7
International Clarinet Association, Mission Statement, Lynn Fryer: Executive
Director, 2015, accessed November 30, 2015,
http://www.clarinet.org/missionStatement.asp.
8

National Flute Association, The Organization, Kelly Jocius: Executive Director,

2015, accessed November 30, 2015, http://www.nfaonline.org/The-Organization/.
9

North American Saxophone Alliance, About NASA, Jennifer Blackwell: Saxophone

Symposium Editor, 2015, accessed November 30, 2015,
http://www.saxophonealliance.org/about.asp.

Indexes to Musical Dissertations and Theses

When researching a specific topic such as multiple woodwind performance and
pedagogy, looking at doctoral dissertations and masters theses are key to finding specific
information. As Sampsel points out, they focus on a narrow topic yet cover it in a
detailed, comprehensive manner.10 Other advantages of dissertations are the currency of
their content and the wealth of resources located in their bibliographies. This is quite
possibly one of the best resources for multiple woodwind performance due to the current
interest in the topic. The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
(NDLTD) is a free website that is dedicated to promoting the adoption, creation, use,
dissemination, and preservation of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs).11 This
website has a list of links to databases that give users open access to full text ETDs
without the requirement of membership or fees. Some of these databases include, Open
Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD), Theses Canada Library and Archives of
Canada, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Open Access (PQDT Open). The URL
links to these databases can be accessed by users through the NDLTD website but they
are also included in the bibliography at the end of this guide.
There are quite a few doctoral dissertations written specifically about multiple
woodwind performance and one of them is from Dr. Brian Eugene Levels entitled,
Breaking the Doubler Barrier: Using Sy Brandons Divertissment To Demonstrate A
Practical Approach To Performing Multiple Woodwind Works.12 A quick search of the

10 Sampsel, Music Research: A Handbook, p. 70.

11 Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations, Missions, Goals, and
History, NDLTD, 2015, accessed November 30, 2015, http://www.ndltd.org/about.

terms multiple woodwind performance in the OATD database will bring up this current
and important study. Dr. Levels dissertation is tailored specifically for multiple
woodwind specialists and it is written and laid out in the manner of a textbook. He uses
Brandons Divertissment as a jumping-off point but Levels includes his own exercises of
playing and switching to the different woodwinds, as well as assessments of specific
problems and solutions to multiple woodwind performance. These types of exercises are
rarely found in any other texts. His bibliography and recommended lists of books are
also very useful on the topic as it includes many important and current texts for flute,
clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. This 168-page dissertation is an excellent
example of a current and modern approach to multiple woodwind pedagogy and
performance.

Bibliographies of Music and Music Literature

For woodwind performers, selective music literature bibliographies or repertory
guides are a great source for locating works for a specific instrument or genre. These
repertory guides usually list music that is currently in print and some even go as far as
listing the publishers contact information and location. Also, some of these guides may
include annotations about the composer or the work itself. One example of a resourceful
repertory guide for the genre of classical saxophone is Jean-Marie Londeixs A
Comprehensive Guide to the Saxophone Repertoire.13 This is a comprehensive

12 Brian Eugene Levels, Breaking the Doubler Barrier: Using Sy Brandons
Divertissement to Demonstrate a Practical Approach to Performing Multiple
Woodwind Works (DMA diss., University of North Texas, December 2014),
http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc699910/.

bibliographical index of music for the genre of classical saxophone. It includes more than
18,000 works for saxophone from 1844-2003, and is cross-indexed by composer and
instrumentation. Each entry includes the title, duration, year of composition, publisher,
arranger, dedicatee, movement titles, and composer information. Appendices include
addresses of publishers and composers. This is a useful resource for woodwind
performers and pedagogues as the genre of classical saxophone has become more
prominent in many universities and colleges as well as becoming part of the standard skill
set of any modern performer on the saxophone.

Periodical Indexes for Music

The great thing about periodicals is the specificity of their content. Music
journals and magazines are helpful resources when it comes to multiple woodwind
pedagogy and performance. As mentioned earlier in this guide, a magazine like The
Instrumentalist is a good starting point for research on this topic. The Music Index14 is a
database that contains highly relevant articles from magazines and journals and they
usually represent current information. A basic search of woodwind doubling yields 20
results. Some of the results have full-text access and some are just bibliographic entries
but nonetheless, the results are incredibly useful and relevant to the topic. Another useful
database for periodicals is JSTOR15, which stands for Journal Storage Project. Users can

13 Jean-Marie Londeix, Bruce Ronkin ed., A Comprehensive Guide to the Saxophone
Repertoire (Cherry Hill, NJ: Roncorp, 2003).

14 Music Index (Sterling Heights, MI: Harmonie Park Press, 1949-2010; Ipswich, MA:
EBSCO, 2010) http://www.ebscohost.com.

15JSTOR, Music Collection (New York: JSTOR, 2003-) http://jstor.org.

access over 1000 scholarly journals and there are quite a few music related ones. The
highlight of JSTOR is the access to full-text articles. Again, a search of woodwind
doubling brings up some very helpful results. Some of the significant articles from
various magazines and periodicals on woodwind doubling that were found are included in
the bibliography section at the end of this guide.

Music Iconographies
Most researchers too often overlook learning about the physical aspects of
woodwind instruments. In order gain a better understanding of performance practices
and techniques, woodwind players need to understand the history and the evolution of
their instruments and this is where iconographies would be of help. Photos and images of
old flutes, early clarinets, ancient double reed instruments, as well as early saxophones
could perhaps benefit woodwind players and pedagogues into seeing the commonalities
between the instruments along with the differences. These sources could also help in
finding solutions to ergonomic issues with the more modern instruments. There are a few
museum websites that have excellent collections of musical instrument iconographies but
one of the most resourceful is Musical Instrument Museums Online (MIMO).16 The
website is easy to navigate through and there is a search bar along with an instrumental
families tab that clearly lists families of flutes, oboes, clarinets, and saxophones. Each
image on the website lists which museum owns the instrument, the inventory number,
and sometimes the approximate date of construction. These images are helpful in

16 MIMO, (Paris, France: Philharmonie de Paris, 2009)
http://www.mimo-international.com/MIMO/accueil-ermes.aspx

10

learning about the changes made to an instrument over time and could aid in correcting
performance practices across the different woodwind instruments.

Conclusion
Multiple woodwind performance is quickly becoming the standard for most
woodwind players and performers due to a lot of composers and arrangers writing for
smaller instrumentation configurations. Economically speaking, the demands for
multiple woodwind specialists on Broadway, musicals and other traveling shows are also
increasing. Many colleges and universities now offer performance degrees in the
specialty of multiple woodwinds. It is truly a developing art form as many new and
current resources are becoming readily available and more is being written about the
legitimacy of its practices and pedagogy.

11

Bibliography

Columbus State University Libraries. Advanced Search. GIL-Find.

http://gilfind.columbusstate.edu/vufind/Search/Advanced.
The Instrumentalist, Woodwind Anthology: A Compendium of Woodwind Articles from
The Instrumentalist. 2 vols. Evanston, Illinois: The Instrumentalist Company,
1983.
International Clarinet Association. Mission Statement. Lynn Fryer: Executive Director.
2015. Accessed November 30, 2015.
http://www.clarinet.org/missionStatement.asp.
Joffe, Edward. Woodwind Doubling: A Historical Survey and Examination of
Performance Problems and Practices Between Saxophones, Clarinets, and Flutes.
DMA diss., City University of New York, 2006.
JSTOR. Music Collection. New York: JSTOR, 2003-. http://jstor.org.
Levels, Brian Eugene. Breaking the Doubler Barrier: Using Sy Brandons
Divertissement to Demonstrate a Practical Approach to Performing Multiple
Woodwind Works. DMA diss., University of North Texas, December 2014.
http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc699910/.
Library of Congress. Library of Congress Online Catalog. Washington, DC: Library of
Congress. http://catalog.loc.gov.
Londeix, Jean-Marie. Bruce Ronkin, ed. A Comprehensive Guide to the Saxophone
Repertoire. Cherry Hill, NJ: Roncorp, 2003.
McLaughlin, Dennis Brian. An Investigation of Performance Problems Confronted by
Multiple Woodwind Specialists. Ed.D. diss., Columbia University Teachers
College, 1985.
MIMO. Paris, France: Philharmonie de Paris, 2009.
http://www.mimo-international.com/MIMO/accueil-ermes.aspx
Music Index. Sterling Heights, MI: Harmonie Park Press, 1949-2010; Ipswich, MA:
EBSCO, 2010. http://www.ebscohost.com.
National Flute Association. The Organization. Kelly Jocius: Executive Director. 2015.
Accessed November 30, 2015. http://www.nfaonline.org/The-Organization/.

12

Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations. Missions, Goals, and History.
NDLTD. 2015. Accessed November 30, 2015. http://www.ndltd.org/about.
North American Saxophone Alliance. About NASA. Jennifer Blackwell: Saxophone
Symposium Editor. 2015. Accessed November 30, 2015.
http://www.saxophonealliance.org/about.asp.
Open Access Theses and Dissertations. Winston-Salem, NC, 2015. http://oatd.org.
ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Open (PQDT Open). Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest, 2005.
http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/search.html.
Sampsel, Laurie J. Music Research: A Handbook. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University
Press, 2013.
Theses Canada. Gatineau, Quebec: Library and Archives Canada, 2015.
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/thesescanada/.
Westphal, Frederick W. Guide to Teaching Woodwinds. 5th ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm C.
Brown Publishers, 1990.