The second leg of my trip took me to Austin, Texas where the beautiful Chicago summer lake weather turned to hot and sunny Texas summer weather. I was scheduled to give some reed knife sharpening seminars to the budding oboe and bassoonists of the Bocal Majority and Operation O.B.O.E. Summer Camps, which are run by Bassoonist Jennifer Auerbach and her amazing admin team and student helpers/workers.
Jesse Woolery, who is the assistant director of the camp, and a band director at Denton High School in Denton Texas, met me at the airport and we immediately became the best of friends! This trip really needed to stop getting better already!
We headed over to the camp at Pflugerville high school, where I met up with Jennifer and the gang, and barged in on Martin Schuring’s reed making class to say hello. More on him later…
In the meantime, I received a phone call from Extended Stay America – the hotel where I was scheduled to stay – saying that they had overbooked the hotel, and they moved me to another hotel and were going to comp me 1 night! YEAH, BABY! And if things just couldn’t go any better, I even got a very nicely discounted rate for the second night!! Thank you for the great customer service, Extended Stay America!
The camp ended for the day, and we all headed out to eat at Kerby Lane. Their guacamole dip with melted cheese was just satanicly decadent. I ended up ordering the grilled chicken sandwich with a mashed potato side. As many of you may know, Martin Schuring is the current president of the IDRS, and with the 2012 conference in Oxford, Ohio only a week away, we ended up having a really nice, in-depth discussion some of the current IDRS issues. It is safe to say we all left fully satisfied after the great meal and a great conversation!
Tuesday was my seminar day. We got there a little early, and the door wasn’t open yet, so we ended up playing catch for a few minutes. 🙂
Since there are different age and level groups at these oboe and bassoon camps, we started with the beginner reed makers who were mostly middle school age and were making their first reeds ever this week. This was a new challenge for me, too, since my seminars usually cater to more experienced double reeders and reed makers. So instead of the usual knife sharpening demo, the seminar revolved around the introduction to the reed knife and its role in the whole reed making and adjusting process. We also passed around a few different knives of varying levels of “sharp”, and began to calibrate the students to the differences in feedback and results between a sharper knife and a duller knife. This worked out really well, and it was a great reminder that I can always learn something from my own seminars.
Just after lunch, Jesse conducted the more advanced ensemble, and I sat in for a bit. It was a little weird, actually. There are usually only 1-2 oboes and/or bassoons in an ensemble, but to see and hear 1st, 2nd and 3rd oboe and bassoon parts with multiple players on each part was a new experience for me – especially when one of the students is Martin Schuring!
The afternoon session was held for the high school students, many of whom already had experience making reeds and understood how important a properly sharpened reed knife is. That made the discussion much easier because everyone was already familiar with the basics of reed making and knife maintenance.
The oboe and bassoon students were brought together for a detailed reed knife sharpening demonstration. We spent time covering the sharpening process, discussing common problems, and explaining why each step matters. After the demonstration, the students could either return to their individual reed-making groups or stay for additional sharpening instruction. Quite a few chose to remain, bringing their own knives to be sharpened while asking questions about technique, maintenance, and troubleshooting.
One knife that stood out belonged to a bassoon student. It was a Japanese-made single bevel reed knife crafted from laminated steel. The knife was well constructed and sharpened beautifully. Although I didn’t follow the exact sharpening method described in my reed knife sharpening book, I decided to take a different approach that suited this particular blade. Using my Shapton Pro stones, I finished the edge in a style inspired by traditional Japanese sword polishing. The result was an edge that not only performed well but also had a finish that reflected the craftsmanship of the knife.
While I worked on the knives, I had the opportunity to watch Martin interact with the students. It quickly became clear why he is so highly respected within the double reed community. He answered every question with patience, explained concepts in a way students could understand, and kept the atmosphere relaxed by mixing instruction with humor. His encouragement helped students stay motivated as they worked through the challenges that come with learning reed making. Seeing how comfortable everyone felt around him also explained why the camp attracted so many participants each year.
One memorable moment happened when Martin pointed out a reed knife that needed some extra attention. I immediately offered to take a look at it. The knife was an older Herder model, but the stabilizer near the shoulder of the blade had worn lower than the rest of the knife. Correcting that problem entirely on sharpening stones would have taken a considerable amount of time and unnecessary stone wear.
Instead, I invited Ashley, one of the camp assistants, to join me for what I jokingly called an advanced sharpening lesson. We stepped outside into the Texas sun and worked at the curb just outside the music room. Before sharpening, I carefully removed material from the raised shoulder to bring it closer to the rest of the blade. Ashley even had the chance to try the technique herself. Once the blade was in better condition, I returned to the sharpening stones and completed the edge, leaving everyone pleased with the final result.
After the seminar concluded and everything had been packed away, we headed to Tino’s Greek Café for dinner. I ordered a gyro platter with beef, rice, vegetables, and a bowl of lemon chicken soup. The meal gave everyone a chance to relax after a full day of teaching, and the conversation naturally shifted toward bassoons—a change from the oboe discussions I usually find myself having.
Before leaving, I thanked Jennifer for organizing such a well-run event and for inviting me to be part of it. I told her how much I had enjoyed working with the students and that I hoped to return the following year. On the drive back to the hotel, Jesse and I continued talking about sharpening, reed making, and the day’s events. After a good night’s rest, it was time to head to the airport and begin the next part of the trip, where another sharpening event was waiting in New Jersey.