Oboist of the month of May: Edmon Elgström

This month of May we have decided to dedicate it to an oboist with a reputation in the academic world. This month, our oboist is: Edmon Elgström.

Not only are we going to leave you a brief introduction to his biography, but we are also going to leave you one of his wonderful articles ?

Biography

Edmon Elgström is a Senior Oboe Lecturer at the Barcelona Conservatory of Music and Doctor of Music Didactics at the University of Barcelona. With a scholarship by the INAEM of the Ministry of Culture, he extended his oboe studies in Basel (Switzerland) with Emanuel Abbühl. He has been an oboe teacher in conservatories of professional education (Conservatorio Municipal de Música de Vila-seca –Tarragona- and Conservatorio Municipal de Música de Igualada –Barcelona-) , he has also collaborated as an oboist in different symphony orchestras and chamber music groups.

He is currently professor of music didactics in the Faculty of Education of the University of Barcelona, where he researches on body posture and breathing in the execution and teaching of wood wind instruments, especially the oboe, spreading the results obtained through articles, congresses, conferences and masterclasses in different conservatories.

Currently he is teaching an interesting course that is structured as follows:

Course: How to optimize the use of the body and breathing in the oboe execution.

Introduction

In my years of study, my oboe teachers could not answer my questions, nor solve many of the postural and respiratory problems I posed, although to help me they told me about many sensations that they had when breathing and playing, but I could not find them in my body in the same way they did in theirs. In conclusion, I did all my studies with an excess of effort and physical discomfort and without being able to truly enjoy music.

After conducting an investigation, which has been ongoing for more than fifteen years, to find an explanation and at the same time solve these problems, I have understood that many of the aspects that originate them can not be solved in their entirety by our teachers, since they are aspects that come from our particularities, derived in each case from different factors; and, consequently, they will have to be attended by the corresponding specialist. I refer to aspects such as the usual body posture, the problems derived from growth in adolescence, the lack of muscle tone, the lack of expiratory force …

For all these problems there is a solution and / or a specific type of therapy appropriate to carry out, which makes it possible to modify the problems, if any, and get to touch with the least possible effort and with the highest degree of comfort. It’s just a matter of understanding how our body should function properly, increase our proprioception, locate the existence of possible problems, or simple misunderstandings, and start working in the appropriate direction to get to touch much more easily, aspects, all of them, to work in these sessions.

Points covered in the sessions:

-Functioning of the respiratory mechanics for the execution of the oboe, attending to the bases of physiology and biomechanics.
-The role of the body as propitiator of correct respiratory mechanics. -Proprioception as an enabling agent to correct body posture and the use of adequate respiratory mechanics. -Physiotherapeutic techniques indicated for the correction of bad postural and respiratory habits.
-Main methods of body education and physical preparation programs appropriate for the maintenance of posture and respiratory mechanics in the practice of the oboe.

Methodology of work – Theoretical-practical session:

The main objective of the conference is for the participants to learn to understand and identify the main postural and respiratory aspects and attitudes that must be considered, in a fully conscious manner, in order to be able to play the oboe in an adequate way and without unnecessary efforts . At the same time, in this Theoretical session will be announced the attributions of certain professionals who can help us to facilitate and improve performance (physiotherapist, respiratory rehabilitation, professor of therapeutic body technique, physical trainer, posturologist, chiropodist …).

Individualized practical session

In the practical part, the individualized session will aim to detect the presence of problems and / or inappropriate behaviors of posture and breathing, or simply identify aspects that could be improved, and facilitate different solutions to give an efficient response to obtain a greater degree of comfort when playing the oboe.

Undoubtedly with all this interesting information about oboes has conquered us just as our reeds do, have you already tried them? With your advice and our reeds you can enjoy more and better oboe 😉