Brass instruments are loud. Historically, they were used for signaling in hunting and battle, for ceremonial fanfares, and for other outdoor events. One teacher in a room will ruin her voice trying to consistently talk over just a few students playing brass instruments. Some ideas to consider in dealing with this challenge include non-verbal communication as well as emphasis on awareness and listening.
Expectations. Management begins with defined expectations. What do you as a teacher expect from students regarding organization in the classroom? Where do they put their bags and cases during class? Do they know what materials to have on hand for the lesson? How about routine? Behavior? Preparation? Effort? While students will forget a long laundry list of items more often than not, distilling thoughts into a few fundamental ideas will go a long way to achieving an environment in which students can learn. Each teacher needs to consider his priorities in this area and communicate them clearly to students.
Efficient Use of Words. Players who are actively playing their instruments are by definition not talking. Young teachers in particular are prone to using too many words in explanations and instructions. Developing an awareness of this tendency through feedback, video recording, or other technologies is one of the most fundamental lessons of management and pacing that pre-service teachers should learn in their methods classes. Less talking, more playing. One instruction or piece of feedback should be followed by immediate application rather than more instructions. Feedback, whether positive or critical, needs to be specific enough for students to make immediate application. Teachers need to focus on short, concise teaching moments and let players play. While more experienced groups typically have better ability to listen to longer, more detailed instruction, concise, specific feedback proves effective at all levels.
Modeling. Teachers can also make effective use of modeling on voice or instrument. What takes several sentences to describe in words can often be modeled in a fraction of the time and results in better comprehension. Modeling places the focus on musical behaviors rather than language use, but like verbal instructions, modeling should occur when students are listening rather than playing. Because of the volume of instruments, players are unlikely to hear a teacher while performing. Of course there is a difference between calling out rehearsal letters while sight reading versus trying to give actual instructions and feedback. The latter requires attention and assimilation not possible in the moment unless players are quite advanced. Visual cues through the use of gesture, face, and body are the most effective tools a music teacher has during active playing. Most players will not focus on these visual cues unless educated to do so. Playing an instrument involves so many concurrent skills that the process of learning another requires a systematic and deliberate teaching approach. Producing the correct sound with embouchure and air, pressing the correct valves, reading music, audiating the music, and all of the micro skills these require leave little room for paying attention to the teacher until they achieve a level of automaticity. In terms of communication and management, the potential outcomes are well worth the effort. A responsive class is a pleasure with regard to making music and efficient education. Teachers can introduce this type of communication in many different ways. They might start with basic gestures of stopping and starting without verbalizing the instructions while reinforcing expectations of behavior, e.g. no talking when stopping. From this foundation, introducing and reinforcing new visual vocabulary requires patience and persistence.
Varied Set-Ups. Occasionally varying classroom set-up regarding students’ locations in the room can provide benefits. While routine serves as an important component of management, it can also lead to inattention as students go through the motions rather than critically engage. Simple repositioning of students offers new perspective and opportunities for awareness (as well as management as a teacher may place specific students in strategic locations). Brass players who always occupy the last rows in an ensemble pay attention in a different way from players in the front row. A circular formation yields a different kind of classroom equality and new visual and aural perspectives. A teacher must prepare students for these types of changes and embrace patience during the first few attempts, but done well, the educational payoff comes in the form of increased perception, engagement, and ultimately musical skills.
Instrument Choice. Students who are coerced into playing an instrument they do not want will evidence far less motivation than those who start with a higher level of interest. The goal of beginning instrumental classes is often to build an ensemble program, which requires a certain instrumentation to perform standard literature. While classroom or ensemble needs represent a real consideration, how much coercion should teachers exert to achieve that instrumentation? Through what process do students choose instruments? Each teacher must develop procedures that address these questions. Some teachers will ask students for their top three choices and make determinations from there. Others will utilize interviews and tests like the Instrument Timbre Preference Test (more here) to guide students to instruments that align with their responses. Some programs require students to start on a wind instrument for a year before beginning percussion. Like everything in education, the details vary widely from situation to situation; however, the best interests of students should always exist as the common factor. Great programs offer great opportunities to students, but programs are never more important than individuals.