Oboe/English horn Lessons

Dr. Sallas’ goal as a teacher is first and foremost to influence her students’ lives in a positive way. The arts represent a human response to joy and pain made tangible, and introducing young artists to that world and guiding them so they are able to make the arts an important part of their lives is her main aspiration. Dr. Sallas was highly influenced by her first oboe teacher both personally and professionally and still views him with the same admiration and respect as she did when she first walked into his studio. She hopes to one day have even half of that impact on a student.

Teaching basic technique must never eclipse training a student to make musical decisions on their own. A part of Dr. Sallas’ teaching style is to encourage students to learn to think critically and be able to justify their musical decisions. To accomplish this, she molds lessons around scales, etudes, orchestral music, and solo repertoire with a marked emphasis on contextualization and informed performance. Repertoire is chosen in order to present various lyrical and technical challenges as well as to expose students to various musical periods, composers, and different compositional styles. Students’ specific interests are also taken into account when choosing music.

Dr. Sallas’ teaching style emphasizes high standards of performance while allowing students to view the lesson as a workshop for experimentation. She expects preparation and focus during lessons, while aspiring to make her teaching studio a safe place. The study of music at a high level allows students to harness their own creativity and promotes a sense of ownership in their work and performance. Dr. Sallas hopes to inspire her students to be proud of all their accomplishments, no matter what the field, and to encourage them to demand excellence in all their pursuits.