Session Proposals

Multiple woodwind instrumentalist Tyler Tashdjian, a native of East Providence, Rhode Island, holds the rank of Staff Sergeant in the United States Army Reserve, where he serves as principal flute and piccolo with the 395th Army Band. He performs regularly with the band’s woodwind quintet, concert band, clarinet quartet, and big band, demonstrating versatility across a wide range of woodwind instruments.
Tyler is the recipient of the Army Commendation Medal for his work in recruiting and distinguished performance on multiple woodwinds, as well as the Army Achievement Medal for excellence on flute and piccolo. An avid performer with a strong passion for chamber music, he has appeared at the Second Annual American Single Reed Summit and, most recently, performed at ClarinetFest 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas, with the Clarinets of the 395th Army Band in a program highlighting composers of the Southwestern United States. Tyler’s Carnegie Hall debut took place in 2026, alongside other AGBU artists, in a recital of Armenian music.
As a professional doubler, he is proficient in flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, and bassoon and performs extensively in pit orchestras throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Tyler is currently an adjunct faculty member at East Texas A&M University, where he teaches multiple methods courses, including all five woodwind instruments, and World Music. Additional honors include being named a 2023 recipient of the Colonel Finley R. Hamilton Outstanding Military Musician Award and selection as an AGBU Scholar, which afforded him the opportunity to study flute with Arman Abrahamian of the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra and duduk with Gevorg Dabaghyan in Yerevan during the summer of 2023.
Tyler earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of Rhode Island and a Master of Music from the University of Delaware. He completed his Doctor of Musical Arts in Multiple Woodwind Performance at the University of North Texas, studying flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, and bassoon. His dissertation was titled, “A Performance Guide to 21st Century Armenian Music for Woodwinds with Selected Works by Alisa Sargsyan, Garo Avessian, and Vache Sharafyan.”
He currently resides in Anna, Texas, where he maintains a private studio specializing in double reeds. His principal teachers include Mary Karen Clardy, Eileen Grycky, Jung Choi, Phillip Paglialonga, Christopher Nichols, Juliet Lai, Eric Nestler, Bill Jones, and Darrel Hale.

Although the modern band director takes a course commonly labeled as “Woodwind Methods” during their pursuit of a degree in music education, most of these courses do not cover the oboe and bassoon as extensively as the other woodwinds. This poses a potential challenge for future educators who do not specialize in double reeds when teaching the fundamentals crucial to a beginner’s success.
There may not be the same number of oboes and bassoons compared to flutes and clarinets, but they are an integral part of the modern orchestra and wind band. A lack of confidence in teaching double reeds could lead to inefficient pedagogy or to deciding not to start a student on these instruments at all. It is important to understand how the embouchure differs from that of single-reed instruments and how to establish good habits for supporting the double reed. There are fingering principles shared between the five woodwinds, but an educator should be aware of the use of the resonance key, how to properly half-hole, when to flick or vent, or how to teach using the three alternate Fs. The strategies I have established come from my experience performing on the oboe and bassoon and teaching them to college and beginner students.
In my proposed presentation, I will cover the fundamentals of teaching beginner double reeds efficiently and in a way that is attainable for today’s band director. I will address “Day 1 Oboe/Bassoon,” the basic aspects of embouchure, what to look for in a “good reed,” and how to improve tone quality during that first year.

• Band - Middle School