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Question: Pulmonary Stenosis and Playing a Musical Instrument (Woodwind/Brass)!?
The time has come for my 8 year old son to pick an instrument in school!. He wants to play the bassoon, but that may not happen for awhile due to availability of a short-reach bassoon!.

Anyhow, he could start on the clarinet or oboe to work towards a bassoon!. I took him into a music store to try them out, and he was blowing REALLY hard into the oboe (I guess it takes some getting used to), and so the guy let him try a clarinet for awhile, which wasn't as ha!.

The guy told me that my son's lip shape (teardrop) and teeth (right now there's a space) would probably rule out brass and flute!. (I'm not sure I buy that)!.

He has a mild narrowing of his pulmonary valve or pulmonary stenosis with a heart murmur!. Although he's been cleared for activities, I think that the doctor means that exertion is ok!. I'm not sure if purposely blowing hard into an instrument could harm him, and I believe the school will be deciding instruments before I can see the doctor!.

Anyone dealt with this!?Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
First off- that's awesome that he wants to play the bassoon! There is a HUGE shortage of bassoon players- there could be boundless opportunities for him in the future!

My advice as to which instrument he plays in the mean time, would be oboe!. The embochure (position of the lips, tongue, throat) is very similar, as they are both double reed instruments!. When he switches to bassoon, he will have less trouble with this aspect of playing and will be able to focus on the technical demands of the bassoon!.
Clarinet is a great instrument to start on, though!. Many beginning musicians are intimidated by the amount of keys on the clarinet, but if he wants to tackle the beast that is the bassoon, this shouldn't be a problem! Clarinet is actually designed very logically and is easier to learn than oboe, both in embochure and technique!.
Either way, each instrument has it's own challenges and techniques, and both instruments would be a great starting point!.

Now as far as the brass / flute thing!.!.!. as a general rule, if you have a "teardrop" type lip, it IS hard to play the flute!. However, I have known many great flute players that have not been deterred by genetics!.!.!. they just have to work harder in the beginning and learn to make adjustments!. With the brass thing, well!.!.!. I assume his tooth is missing from getting older and the tooth fairy has paid up- which means the gap will not be there for long!. There are many obstacles brass players face- but they all manage just fine!. Just check out how many junior high and high school brass players play with braces! It's hard, but can be done!

Now on to the medical aspect (please note that I am NOT a doctor)!.!.!.

Honestly, it would most likely be beneficial for your son! The one technique that is constant throughout music (wind players, pianists, string players, vocalists, percussionists!.!.!.) is CONCENTRATED BREATHING! Even if the musician is not using their lungs to power the instrument, they do deep breathing and concentrate heavily on breath control!. This helps with timing, with nerves, with muscle control (not enough oxygen= shakey or stiff muscles!), with dynamics!.!.!. the list goes on!.

As your son begins to learn the technique invloved in a wind instrument, he will also learn breathing!. He won't be "blowing his head off" every time he tries to play!. Steady, deep breathing means that there is better oxygen getting to the body, and it can do wonders to control the heart!. Don't believe me!? Check his blood pressure!.!.!. then for a week, do 20 minutes a day of deep breathing exercises with him (10 minutes in the morn, 10 minutes at night)!.!.!. at the end of the week, check his blood pressure again!. I PROMISE it will be at a healthier level- as will his and YOUR stress levels!

The big thing to really be concerned about, is endocarditis!. If you don't know what this is, it is an infection in the pulmonary valve, which people with pulmonary stenosis are susceptible to!. Dental work can aggrivate the condition (bacteria), and as you probably know, before undergoing any dental work or surgery your son should be on a regime of antibiotics to prevent endocarditis, and good dental hygene also helps to prevent it too!.

My concern would be with the reeds!. ALL reeds will begin to develop bacteria after a few uses- single reeds (like the clarinet and sax), or double reeds (like the bassoon and oboe), it doesn't matter!. Reeds are quite porous!.!.!. they absorb any and all moisture!. They dry out when not in use, but in the core is a good breeding ground for bacteria!. Usually, this is not dangerous, and it takes A LOT to make it noticible on the reed- but with your son's condition, this would be a concern!.

There are a couple options:
He could use a new reed every time!.!.!. this gets VERY expensive (a box of 10 clarinet reeds is between $40 and $65, one single reed for oboe runs between $10 and $20!.!.!.)!. He will go through MORE than one reed in a day, especially as he's first learning!.
You could invest in a mouthwash like Listerine!.!.!. soak the reeds in this for about 10 minutes after playing, and allow to dry THOUROUGHLY!. Just know that the reeds won't last as long as they would "naturally"!. Saliva breaks down the reeds, and mouthwash will break down the saliva!.!.!. thus breaking down the reeds twice as fast!. This actually is probably a GREAT solution, so long as you make sure he ALWAYS has at least 5 reeds broken in and ready to play at any given moment (it takes about 5 hours of off and on playing to break in a reed)!. This would mean a larger initial investment, but very managable!. also, make sure he rinses his mouth with Listerine before and after he plays!.!.!. this should cut down on bacteria as well!.

Other than that, I would say that playing a wind instrument should be fine!. Just make sure to keep up annual checkups with both his doctor and dentist (haha- his dentist will LOVE him! lol)!. And to address the poster above me- don't worry about marching band!.!.!. if he wants to, that's between you, him, and his doctor!. If he has a medical reason of why he CAN'T be in marching band, it WILL NOT exclude him from the prestegious bands!.!.!. in fact, if he becomes a great bassoon player, they likely won't care one way or the other, so long as he plays!

Sorry this was a book, but I hope it was helpful!

Good luck to you and your son!Www@QuestionHome@Com

I haven't, and I'm no doctor, but I suppose this is what I'd do:

I'd start my kid on clarinet and let them get used to that!. Then, I'd get them started on oboe!. There is a lack of oboes in the world, and it would be great to start a 9- or 10-year-old on one! Then, of course, since he's already in a double reed, I'd put him in a bassoon along with oboe!. Pretty much the same thing you're doing!. I really wouldn't go for brass though!. From my experience, a trombone is harder to blow through than a clarinet!. Trumpet might be okay though, but I wouldn't know!. So yeah, I would probably do the same thing you're doing right now!.

also, if you're really concerned, you can always ask the music teacher for an extension so you can see the doctor!. I'm sure you will have an exception made for your son!. And while you're at the doctor's, make sure you mention the possibility of your son's participation in marching band!. In high school (at least at ours), you have to be in marching band to be in any of the other good bands!. There is only one band that doesn't require participation in marching band, but it does not have a very good reputation at all!. also realize, though, that in order to be in any of the good bands (and thus in marching band), he has to play a marching band instrument!. Except for rare solo opportunities, neither the oboe nor the bassoon are marching band instruments!. If he does go into marching band, he would need to play the clarinet or some other instrument!. There are many out there, so I don't think you should be worried!.

I hope this helps, and I'm sorry I can't give you professional advice or anything!. I wish you good luck in finding an instrument for your son!Www@QuestionHome@Com