by Jeff Selesnick
There are lots of reasons to be excited heading into a new school year at Concord Community Music School. For many, it means a return to weekly lessons or ensemble gatherings or embarking on a new challenge with a new instrument or style of music. Oftentimes, it also means new faces among the CCMS faculty, adding to the collective knowledge and experience of the Music School musicians.
Jill Hoffmann joined the CCMS faculty ahead of the 2026-27 school year as the school’s newest oboe teacher. A Philadelphia native, Hoffmann’s music career has taken her from Bloomington, Indiana to Seville, Spain, to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania before eventually landing in New Hampshire in 2022. Hoffmann answered a handful of questions about her background to help the CCMS community get to know one of its newest members:
Talk about your musical journey – how did you develop your interest in music? Where did you study?
Hoffmann: I started piano lessons just before my fifth birthday, VERY much against my will! My parents made all their kids study piano, and worse than that, forced us to practice 30 minutes a day. I constantly begged to be allowed to quit, even though I liked my piano teacher. In fourth grade, I heard the elementary band play the song “Windy” at a school assembly and thought it looked fun. I changed schools a couple times, but I finally was able to start a band instrument during the summer before sixth grade. My piano teacher suggested bassoon or oboe, probably as revenge for having to teach such an unenthusiastic student! It was about that time that I realized what a gift my piano skills were, and I will be FOREVER grateful to my parents for making me learn.
I got both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Oboe Performance from Indiana University in Bloomington and I’m happy to report that I passed my piano proficiency exam (a degree requirement) with flying colors during my first semester.
What was a moment or moments during your musical career that was particularly memorable/influential?
Hoffmann: Oh, so many! I had the good fortune to sit next to my college teacher, Jerry Sirucek, for an IU Summer Festival Orchestra concert that featured Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade – a piece that has a lot of wonderful oboe solos. To this day, when I imagine the oboe part in my head, I hear Jerry’s interpretation, which was stunning. Ten years later, I played Scheherazade at a gala performance with the Royal Symphony Orchestra of Seville to dedicate the new theater in the presence of Queen Sofia of Spain.
What was your first job in music? What are your memories from it?
Hoffmann: In ninth grade, I was hired to play second oboe for a version of Vivaldi’s “Gloria” at a local church. I got paid $10 and was SO proud of that first professional check!
Do you have any styles/genres of music you enjoy teaching and/or playing the most?
Hoffmann: I enjoy teaching all styles. I especially like having a student start a piece that they think they don’t like that they come to love once they completely learn it. I also love when students introduce me to new music that they have found.
How did you find out about CCMS? What about CCMS appeals to you?
Hoffmann: (CCMS faculty member) Stephanie Jenkins told me about CCMS. The first time I came to visit, I loved seeing the energy of the students making all kinds of music throughout the building.
How would you describe your teaching style?
Hoffmann: I would describe it as – figure out where the student is, then figure out how hard and fast they can be pushed for improvement while keeping things fun.
What do you love most about teaching music?
Hoffmann: I’ve been playing the oboe for more than 50 years and I still love it. I’m still learning how to get better at it, and I’m never bored by it. It’s great to share that kind of skill set.
When you’re not teaching music, what keeps you busy?
Hoffmann: My husband and I have an elderly yipper dog and a personable calico cat who generously allow us to live in our house with them. We like to travel and we have some big flower gardens outside that we’re trying not to kill.
What are your hopes as a new faculty member at CCMS?
Hoffmann: I hope to keep the oboe students happy and playing well!
