Free Buzzing: Pitch Modulation

Once students can consistently produce sound, they must learn how to modulate that sound. As with their initial sounds, though, producing specific pitches is less important than experimenting with developing skills to modulate pitch up and down. Adding instruments...

Free Buzzing

Students must connect the formation of a fundamental embouchure with the air stream. The use of free buzzing introduces students to the concept without interference from a mouthpiece or instrument. In initial attempts, the most important aspect to free buzzing is the...

Embouchure Formation

While initial instruction does not have to take a great amount of time, it is essential that students understand and practice good embouchure formation immediately rather than experimenting with it themselves. With good fundamentals, each student will make small...

First Sequences

The initial physical habits that brass students form on their instruments have long lasting repercussions. Those that develop good technique from the start will experience faster progress, less frustration, and greater ease of playing on an instrument that still...

Development

Write down your top three management principles in an instrumental music classroom. What are the essential principles you want your students to understand and follow? Share these principles in small groups or as a class. Where do you and your classmates differ? Why...