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Students of Barrick Stees at the Cleveland Institute of Music (��������) enjoy much more than just lessons. They receive real-world guidance on how to become a professional.  

Indeed, that why so many bassoonists choose ��������: for the chance to study with the assistant principal of The Cleveland Orchestra. Here, they know, they�ll train with the best to land and thrive in the job of their dreams. 

When it comes to choosing a music school, �I like to think we�re always at the top of the conversation,� said Stees, a 20-year veteran of both �������� and The Cleveland Orchestra. 

It true: like every department at ��������, the bassoon studio is highly selective. Stees, one of three Conservatory faculty bassoonists at ��������, all of whom are members of The Cleveland Orchestra, has just four students, half of the studio eight.  

That because he and his colleagues � principal bassoonist John Clouser and contrabassoonist Jonathan Sherwin, along with Preparatory and Joint Music Program faculty bassoonist Mark DeMio � have high standards. When considering applicants, they look not only for talent and seriousness but also for coachability, for evidence that a player can process and apply recommendations quickly.  

�That an important skill in an orchestra,� Stees explained. �You have to be able to change without asking questions. 

The benefits of admission and enrollment are considerable. Once enrolled at ��������, bassoon students receive an uncommon level of attention. They join a group that distinctly close-knit and committed to the success of each member.  

The training, certainly, is unique. Although the bassoon can be a solo instrument, many students at �������� are eyeing orchestral positions. For that reason, Stees spends almost as much time developing tutti or other less-prominent passages as he does preparing traditional excerpts.  

�They�re not just playing a single line,� he said. �They have to think about where they fit in.� 

No less special at �������� is the level of access students have to their teachers. Between private lessons, an orchestra repertoire class and expert reed-making instruction (Stees also sells his own line of reed-making tools), Stees regularly sees each student three times a week.  

Contact doesn�t end at graduation, either. Long after students have left ��������, when they�ve joined (or are preparing to join) any number of major ensembles or other groups, Stees remains in touch, freely offering advice, coaching and professional friendship.  

�I enjoy that part of the job very much,� Stees said. �It something we can afford to do because we�re a smaller conservatory. For all of us, this is a wonderful situation. We love teaching.�