Trevor Mansell
About
Trevor holds an undergraduate degree in Music Performance from Lynn University where he studied oboe with Joseph Robinson, former Principal Oboe of the New York Philharmonic, and composition with Thomas McKinley. He also holds a Master’s degree in Music Performance from Florida State University where he studied oboe with Eric Ohlsson, Principal Oboist with the Tallahassee Symphony, in addition to a Master's from the Tianjin Juilliard School where he studied with Scott Bell. He is currently Principal Oboe of the Great Falls Symphony and a member of the Chinook Winds.
In addition to having a vibrant performing career, Mansell is a successful composer and arranger. He has written for a variety of instrument ensembles, with a particular affinity for winds, brass, and piano. His Sonata for Oboe and Piano written in 2014 has been a staple of his repertoire and has been played numerous times. He has also received multiple commissions including his Divertimento for Orchestra, Six Variations on Arirang and Fantasy for Solo Oboe. Several of his compositions have been published and are available through TrevCo Music Publishing.
Mansell has had over 6 years of experience teaching oboe in addition to experience teaching theory and piano. Between 2018-2020 he was a graduate assistant at Florida State University where he taught chamber music and private lessons and from 2020-2021 he was a theory tutor at the Tianjin Juilliard School. Aside from teaching he has also had experience as an accompanist, with his most recent work with the Tianjin Juilliard Pre college program where he regularly accompanied students.
As a teacher, I aim to give high-level instruction that not only inspires the student, but also prepares them for the real world. My instruction revolves around building fundamentals and applying them to repertoire. I believe that excessive repertoire can easily reinforce bad habits and can be highly detrimental to a student’s progress. As a result, I focus on the quality of playing rather than the quantity. I am a huge advocate for practicing scales, arpeggios and studies and use these as the focus points of practice and lessons. I believe that once good intonation, breath control and finger technique are achieved, repertoire is simply a matter of applying these skills.
For my theory students I aim to make music theory approachable and reduce it to basic concepts. I specialize in species counterpoint, functional harmony, four-part writing, and musical form. My goal with every student is to enrich his/her appreciation of music through understanding, and apply these skills to music performance and composition.
Oboe:
Barret Oboe Method, Ferling Etudes
Piano:
Hanon, the Virtuoso Pianist, RCM Piano grades 1-10 (including scale and sight reading books). Piano Adventures for Beginners.
Theory:
The Complete Musician: An Integrated Approach to Theory, Analysis and Listening.
RCM Theory books for younger students.