Hey, I’m Cory Barger,
and I work with musicians (like you!) who can’t wait to enjoy their practice sessions again.
I’m here to show you how to bring more consistency into your life without all the shame and fear. I give you all the tools you need to become your own best teacher and finally be able to trust yourself!
(We’re not a fan of relying on external validation around here because SPOILER ALERT: you need to be happy with your playing, too!)
I’m a born and raised Californian, so I know the importance of needing to get away and stick your toes in the sand every once in a while. Work is rewarding, but we work to support our lives.
I started my musical life as a flute player before wandering through the wind section and eventually being handed a bassoon in 9th grade. With that, I found my voice! I studied at UCLA, where I worked hard enough to give myself a terrible case of tendinitis. I was so afraid to tell my teacher that I waited until I literally could not move my thumbs (a HUGE problem for a bassoonist) when I finally burst into tears in a lesson.
Back then, injuries like this were still very common for musicians...we just didn’t talk about them.
Thankfully, my teacher had resources for me, but I had to completely rethink my relationship with practice and my instrument. I took a few months off, and for a long time I could only play for 15 minutes per day. I was terrified that my career as a bassoonist was over before it had even begun. But a few short years later, I graduated on time and went on to earn my Masters’ at the Royal College of Music in London.
Now, I’m the principal bassoonist in the filarmónica de Boca del Río in Mexico, and there’s always lots of music to learn, but I always make sure to make time for cocos fríos on the beach with my friends.
Throughout all of this I’ve had the occasional flare-up of tendinitis, as well as depression and anxiety. In fact, my fascination with my own mind and body led me to study Performance Health and Personal Development at the University of West London while working as a freelance bassoonist and teacher there! I could see how the ways I was taught affected my own trajectory and relationship to playing, and this motivated me to make sure my own students learned differently. I hope you do too.
