The ability to play in the upper register eludes many young trumpet players and frustrates their teachers. Most people would consider this skill to be “difficult,” but I want to change the way in which we discuss and approach the upper register.
National Core Arts Standards: Meeting “Creating” Requirements in Rehearsal
I have always felt that introducing students to composition can dramatically improve their ensemble experience. NAfME agrees. The following is from the NAfME website pertaining to the National Core Arts Standards on the “Opportunity-to-Learn Standards as Needs Assessment for Ensembles at the Elementary and Secondary Grades” page:
The curriculum emphasizes the Performing process but also provides experiences in Responding and Creating to enable students to understand these two processes and their components, allowing them to transfer what they have learned in the area of Performing.
Teach Your Orchestra to Improvise
While there was a time when improvisation was seen as nonessential to string education, today most teachers agree that they would like to incorporate improvisation into their classrooms.
Embracing Similarities #2: What Orchestras Can Learn From Bands
Many commonalities exist between the band and orchestra, yet an unnecessary divide can develop between the two. In our previous post, we began to bridge this gap by looking at what bands can learn from orchestras.
Embracing Similarities #1: What Bands Can Learn From Orchestras
Many commonalities exist between the band and orchestra, yet an unnecessary divide can develop between the two. As leaders of large ensembles we are united by many common factors.
Tips for Improved Brass Fundamentals and Sound Practice
Editor’s note: As many of you know, Marie Speziale was the first female trumpet player to play in a major symphony orchestra.
Empowering the Fourth Finger in Beginning String Instruction
Do your students seem to find a thousand creative ways to thwart your attempts to get them to use their fourth finger?
The Dallas Brass: Improving Trombone Slide Technique
Upon first seeing a trombone, anyone can recognize that controlling the slide is going to be important.What few people realize is that the effects of slide technique extend well past the slide itself.
Tips to Help Your Students Transcribe Music
I frequently tell my students that I have learned more about music by transcribing it than any book could ever have revealed to me.
Five Ways to Celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month
April is Jazz Appreciation Month. It is also Mathematics Awareness Month and National Poetry Month, among others. Why should we choose to celebrate and appreciate jazz instead of trying to solve quadratic limericks or prove iambic pentameter?