Bassoon Lessons Guides

Why bassoon? It’s a fair question, because almost no one starts music thinking they want to play bassoon. Most bassoonists come to the instrument through their school music program, or through a teacher who suggested it because of the desperate shortage of bassoon players across Sydney’s orchestras and ensembles.

Once students discover the instrument’s expressive lower-register voice and realise how playable it actually is, many stay with it for life. Bassoon lessons in Sydney are relatively rare, which is both a challenge (fewer teachers) and an advantage (those who do study bassoon often have excellent ensemble opportunities open to them).

The guides here cover the realities most beginners don’t know about bassoon. The instrument is expensive, and most students hire through schools or specialist suppliers in the early years. Reed-making is part of the discipline at intermediate level and above. AMEB woodwind exam pathways work for bassoon similarly to other woodwinds. We also cover what to expect in the first year of playing, how to find a bassoon teacher in Sydney given the limited pool, and why bassoon students often have stronger career prospects in classical music than players of more common instruments.