About Me

Background

Hi! My name is Kara Marie Lane, and I use they/them pronouns. I am a bassoon teacher in the Portland, OR area!

I’ve been playing bassoon since 2009. I started playing bassoon in Flower Mound, Texas (near Dallas) when I was in sixth grade. I have been fortunate to study under Mrs. Anna May Ghaly, Dr. Laura Bennett Cameron, Dr. Tina Carpenter, and Dr. Steve Vacchi. (For more information on my teaching lineage, click here for a family tree, or click here for teaching pathways!)

I earned my Master of Music degree in Bassoon Performance at the University of Oregon in 2022. I was also the recipient of the award for Outstanding Graduate Performance in the woodwind area. 

I earned my Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education with an All-Level Teaching Certification in 2020 at West Texas A&M, and graduated Magna Cum Laude.

Teaching Philosophy

My personal teaching philosophy focuses on cultivating a love of music, building confidence, and building skills over time. The overall goal of education is to prepare our students to be productive members of society and lifelong learners. Music education is in a unique position to provide students with the necessary tools to express their individuality, experience cultures other than their own, and make meaningful connections socially, intellectually, and emotionally.

The primary purpose of music educators is to share with students a love and passion for music, and to guide them towards playing an instrument well in the service of creating and sharing music with their colleagues and the audience. Performance is the numinous experience that encompasses the spirit of music education. Successful performances connect with the audience, and provide them with a magnifying glass with which to view their own emotions and experiences. The act of performance requires courage, for music is art that disappears after the last note ends. There may be recordings and videos, but the experience of the art being created in the moment cannot be substituted or effectively recreated with technology. The act of making music is innately human, personal, and intimate.

I meet students where they are and encourage them to step outside their comfort zone. Lessons are a safe space to make mistakes, try new things, ask questions, and get help. There is so much joy to be found in making music, and it is my job to work together with the student to find it!

Passions

My personal passions are focused around diversity, representation, and inclusion! We are so fortunate to live in a time where there is a push for more diversity in performers, composers, educators, conductors, etc. When people think about classical music, they typically think of Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, etc. (read: all dead, white, European men). I would love to see this change in my lifetime. There is so much fantastic literature by a wide array of people. For example, you can check out this database for bassoon literature by diverse individuals! It is important to me to incorporate music composed by a larger representation of the world’s diverse people! I want students to get to play music that relates to their own culture and identity, and I want students to explore music from vastly different cultures and identities. Music is for everyone!