The Oboe Path
For oboists of varying backgrounds from professional players to adult amateurs to oboe educators.
The Oboe Path is a method of improving your oboe artistry. Using one-on-one feedback, a personalized plan and weekly online group masterclasses, an oboist is able to learn to play with joy and ease
The Oboe Path is NOT online lessons.
Watching their peers receive feedback and progress helps my students stay motivated and practise with clarity. With their customized personal plan, they don’t waste practice time and see the results immediately. Through the Oboe Path, my students will continue to become the oboists that everyone wants to play with.
It is an online program designed for committed oboe players. It is an international community of oboists learning how to play with joy and ease.
Erin Brophey shares the joy of music-making with audiences across Canada. Erin is currently the Principal Oboe of the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra (on sabbatical).
In 2000, Erin earned her Honours Bachelor of Music from Wilfrid Laurier University. She completed her Master of Music degree at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2002.
As a performer, Erin is interested in the intersection of art forms and offering meaningful cultural experiences to audiences. She has a particular interest in music written by composers that identify as women and people of colour.
A joyful educator, Erin Brophey is a sessional lecturer at the University of Saskatchewan and is the Woodwind Coach for the Saskatoon Youth Orchestra. In Saskatoon, Erin co-directs a community double-reed band called Squawk. In addition, Erin is on faculty at the Inter-Provincial Music Camp in Parry Sound, Ontario. Erin Brophey is the Director of an online oboe education program called the Oboe Path.
A little more about my oboe journey
When I got started on the oboe, I had no idea what it was supposed to sound like…I had never heard one. The first time I saw an oboe was when I opened the case after it arrived in the mail.
I grew up in a beautiful yet remote part of Canada. It was a land filled with dark rocks, evergreen trees and sparkling blue lakes. However, it wasn’t filled with oboe players.
In my isolation, I had to figure out many aspects of oboe-playing through trial and error. I struggled with reeds, malfunctioning instruments and bad second-hand information. There were many good musicians around me, but no one knew much about playing the oboe. I sounded terrible.
I discovered that good information is key to success on the oboe. Being surrounded by a community of supportive oboe players learning their instrument is paramount to successful oboe playing.
I often wondered what it would have been like if I had access to good information and community support earlier in my playing journey. I don’t want other oboe players to struggle as I did.
Now, I have played and taught the oboe professionally for over 25 years.
At a certain point in my career, I found myself questioning the process that I was using for my amazing students to learn the art of oboe-playing. (I was simply giving one on one lessons). I wasn’t addressing so many of the most important aspects of improving on an oboe. I loved helping all of my students improve, but I believed there is better, more efficient way to improve your oboe playing. That is why I created the Oboe Path.
These testimonials below demonstrate what the Oboe Path has done for my students.
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Musical DirectorErin has a rare skill in cultivating in students an unbridled love and enthusiasm for music along with a solid technical foundation.
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Oboe Pather
Erin has helped me on the gap in techniques that allowed me to express my musicianship, Oboe Path certainly is right for me.
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Erin's approach is thoroughly encouraging and supportive: the student's needs come first. She is also so very talented and knowledgeable, with deep, valuable experience in performance in many genres.
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Student, Oboe Path
This group is wonderful—everyone is supportive, offering positive feedback and helpful suggestions. As a visual and auditory learner, I find it incredibly beneficial to see and hear others' postings, especially from advanced players. Erin's feedback is invaluable. I was initially anxious about giving up my private teacher, but the Oboe Path complements my private lessons perfectly. As adult learners, we absorb so much from different teaching styles, and it's reassuring to see my teachers' messages align in different ways.
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Erin's passion for the oboe, her musical expertise, and her enthusiasm shine through in her teaching.
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Student, Oboe Path
Learning with other oboists in the Oboe Path is truly inspiring for me.
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Student, Oboe PathThis community feels like a family. The support we offer each other is special and goes beyond one-on-one lessons. While I value individual lessons, the group dynamic is incredible. I’ve learned so much from everyone’s experiences, and I keep notes in my Oboe Path book like 'Gary said this,' building a personal guide. Sharing ideas and music has helped me grow as a player and person. Connecting with like-minded people and having their support makes me better in every way.
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Student, Oboe PathJoining this community has been a game-changer. It's a respectful, supportive environment where you can learn the oboe the right way, especially through the Oboe Path. The six-month program is essential for steady progress, and I'm excited to see where it takes me. I'm confident it will work—it just takes time.
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Erin is an exceptional human, she always goes above what you would expect. Erin is supportive, respectful, nurturing, kind hearted and has a spirit that shines! We are so grateful to know her.
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Bassoon Soloist and EducatorOboe Path sounds like an ideal university program yet is quite hard to achieve, for a hundred reasons, in universities. Wonderful that Erin is building her own structure and inviting players to join.
