Oboist gets retuned under live surgery

Anna Norris says:

This is very interesting. I have soft palate leak, and so do many other double reed players. I’m assuming hers must have been quite severe for her to resort to surgery, but I’m also hoping that someone besides her band teacher was consulted on the subject. It doesn’t seem like she has a private oboe teacher or that they talked to any other oboist who has dealt with this, and her band teacher and parents likely didn’t realize how common soft palate leak is with double reed players. Often changes in technique with regards to breathing and tension regulation can help the problem, and I know people who have simply learned to play through it when it gets severe (allergy season is a common culprit for palate grunts coming from the wind section.)

I hope the surgery works permanently and doesn’t cause any other problems for her… I would be interested to see a follow-up on this in a few years.