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Teaching New Students



 
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chris422mg
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Joined: 15 Jan 2016
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Location: Philadelphia

PostPosted: Mon Mar 25, 2019 8:47 am    Post subject: Teaching New Students Reply with quote

I am a music education major. I look forward to teaching more private lessons in the future. How do you suggest approaching a new student with no music background?
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Don Herman rev2
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Joined: 03 May 2005
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Location: Monument, CO

PostPosted: Mon Mar 25, 2019 10:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Most younger students will get some basic theory like "what are the notes" and such in their band class. Older students can be assigned primers. For playing lessons, I would start with something like Bill B's approach and have them make a sound, then work up to playing tunes in call and response format. E.g., play something, have them play it back, repeat. It has been years since I taught absolute beginners but at the time I would try to quickly get to having them play (echo) short tunes like "Mary Had a Little Lamb" so they are playing something other than just random notes. That should easily happen in the first lesson or two for most students.

HTH - Don
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chris422mg
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Location: Philadelphia

PostPosted: Mon Mar 25, 2019 10:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Don Herman rev2 wrote:
Most younger students will get some basic theory like "what are the notes" and such in their band class. Older students can be assigned primers. For playing lessons, I would start with something like Bill B's approach and have them make a sound, then work up to playing tunes in call and response format. E.g., play something, have them play it back, repeat. It has been years since I taught absolute beginners but at the time I would try to quickly get to having them play (echo) short tunes like "Mary Had a Little Lamb" so they are playing something other than just random notes. That should easily happen in the first lesson or two for most students.

HTH - Don

Thank you so much! I will keep this in mind when I start working with new students!
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Benson
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 25, 2019 12:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hello,

16 year beginning band director here - I've started oodles of trumpet students over the years. Don't be afraid to use their band method from school. They're excellent tools to get students to read rhythms and notes. Use from those books what's best for you and the student. But don't rely on it as the only piece. Eventually, you will move onto more advanced materials. The worst thing you can do is scare a beginner away.

On top of that, supplement supplement supplement! I have found the Bill Adam approach to work rather well with students. Of course, no method book out there will ever ask a student to pull off their tuning slide. However, my students pull it off every single lesson. It helps them so much to find the first pitch on the horn (I start on F or E, whatever sounds the best at the start). I'm not sure why everyone is stuck on kids starting on G or C. Play what works. Breathe in, put your lips together, make a sound (I avoid the word buzz).

Eventually, I have students play the Bill Adam long tones. I wrote them out without any notation and diatonically in C instead of chromatically. In my situation it gets the job done. Kids focus on TONE and moving AIR through the instrument. When you get to 3rd space C, pull the slide off and put it back on so the tuning slide is only attached to the leadpipe not the rest of the horn. The pipe will blow in your face. That should sound a concert Bb. I used this today and a student had a big beautiful 3rd space C pop right out of the horn. Why? Because he could feel the C first.

Write out lip slurs. Kids love them. But don't bog them down with writing out all the pitches. Leave it in C and just give them combinations. Write out Remmington exercises as G 2 G, G 1 G, G 12 G, and so on. Whatever you do, make it EASY to play "hard" stuff. No, I'm not saying teach them by rote, because that would be irresponsible. You can get elementary aged students to play above the staff if you introduce them to higher notes in an efficient way.

I cannot emphasize SOUND BEFORE SIGNS. No child was handed a book at 1 and asked to read it so they could communicate. Teach them to communicate so they can read. My Turn Your Turn games, simple melodies work best. The more they listen to you, the better they will hear.

For intermediate students, look into the Bill Knevitt materials. That's my new go to for developing students.

There are two books you should purchase:

Rhythm - David Newell's Teaching Rhythm: New Strategies and Techniques for Success. This book gives an outstanding logical progression in how to teach rhythm. You should buy this now.

Scales - Edward Lisk's Creative Director Beginner Intermediate (blue and gold) method. This book is an entirely different post all together. I've had 2nd year students play all major scales from memory using this book. Seriously. You should have purchased this book YESTERDAY. Actually, you should buy all of his texts if you're going to be a band director.

Let me know if you hit a snag! Have fun!
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Billy B
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Joined: 12 Feb 2004
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 25, 2019 12:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Benson wrote:
Hello,

16 year beginning band director here - I've started oodles of trumpet students over the years. Don't be afraid to use their band method from school. They're excellent tools to get students to read rhythms and notes. Use from those books what's best for you and the student. But don't rely on it as the only piece. Eventually, you will move onto more advanced materials. The worst thing you can do is scare a beginner away.

On top of that, supplement supplement supplement! I have found the Bill Adam approach to work rather well with students. Of course, no method book out there will ever ask a student to pull off their tuning slide. However, my students pull it off every single lesson. It helps them so much to find the first pitch on the horn (I start on F or E, whatever sounds the best at the start). I'm not sure why everyone is stuck on kids starting on G or C. Play what works. Breathe in, put your lips together, make a sound (I avoid the word buzz).

Eventually, I have students play the Bill Adam long tones. I wrote them out without any notation and diatonically in C instead of chromatically. In my situation it gets the job done. Kids focus on TONE and moving AIR through the instrument. When you get to 3rd space C, pull the slide off and put it back on so the tuning slide is only attached to the leadpipe not the rest of the horn. The pipe will blow in your face. That should sound a concert Bb. I used this today and a student had a big beautiful 3rd space C pop right out of the horn. Why? Because he could feel the C first.

Write out lip slurs. Kids love them. But don't bog them down with writing out all the pitches. Leave it in C and just give them combinations. Write out Remmington exercises as G 2 G, G 1 G, G 12 G, and so on. Whatever you do, make it EASY to play "hard" stuff. No, I'm not saying teach them by rote, because that would be irresponsible. You can get elementary aged students to play above the staff if you introduce them to higher notes in an efficient way.

I cannot emphasize SOUND BEFORE SIGNS. No child was handed a book at 1 and asked to read it so they could communicate. Teach them to communicate so they can read. My Turn Your Turn games, simple melodies work best. The more they listen to you, the better they will hear.

For intermediate students, look into the Bill Knevitt materials. That's my new go to for developing students.

There are two books you should purchase:

Rhythm - David Newell's Teaching Rhythm: New Strategies and Techniques for Success. This book gives an outstanding logical progression in how to teach rhythm. You should buy this now.

Scales - Edward Lisk's Creative Director Beginner Intermediate (blue and gold) method. This book is an entirely different post all together. I've had 2nd year students play all major scales from memory using this book. Seriously. You should have purchased this book YESTERDAY. Actually, you should buy all of his texts if you're going to be a band director.

Let me know if you hit a snag! Have fun!

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dillondeanparker
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Joined: 07 Apr 2019
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Location: Los Angeles area

PostPosted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 9:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've found it beneficial to make sure they can free buzz relatively on pitch, or at least on the mouthpiece, very early in the process. Even if it's a bit tedious, it's worth it.
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brassmusician
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Joined: 25 Feb 2016
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 11:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

In my experience get them reading music as soon as possible. Tried teaching beginners lots of catchy tunes by ear to begin with and it made getting them to read music later harder. No reason why you can't do ear training exercises at the same time, but start associating sounds to notes on the page asap.
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THE BD
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Joined: 17 Apr 2005
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Location: Columbus, Oh-hi-uh

PostPosted: Fri Apr 19, 2019 3:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Number one thing that you have to do is make it FUN! make them want t continue practicing and making noise.

Use their band methods the first few months with an extra page or two as needed, keep it simple. We have plenty of time the next few years in their development to be more detail oriented.

Incorporate simple games and challenges that will focus on air and tone support, rhythm, reading etc, it's a really easy way to make it fun, and push younger students to get more of the details of playing.

Always be positive! Even when their results on the last attempt were... not so great.

And always stay on the student's level. With beginner students we're more or less holding their hands, taking them step by step through the process. With intermediate students, we're teaching them how to continue working at home between lessons. With advanced students, we're fine tuning technique and delving deeper in the material and repertoire.
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OldDrumCorpDude
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Joined: 23 Mar 2019
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 30, 2019 4:29 pm    Post subject: Re: Teaching New Students Reply with quote

chris422mg wrote:
I am a music education major. I look forward to teaching more private lessons in the future. How do you suggest approaching a new student with no music background?


No advice here, but some words of encouragement for you in your music education career. I have been playing for 60 years, starting in fifth grade. There was no music program at my elementary school (K-6) but the music teacher from the junior high school across the street (grades 7 to 9) offered to give lessons after school to anyone who was interested in learning an instrument (she taught band and orchestra). I have no recollection of what approach she used with me as a raw beginner on trumpet, but I can tell you that she had an impact on my life that I could never put a value on. She was willing to start with me from absolute zero and encouraged me to work to get better each week. I was a good enough player to make the first trumpet section in seventh grade (chair eight of eight - I remember how cool I thought it was sitting with the big kids). I took private lessons thru junior high school and was awarded first chair first trumpet at the start of ninth grade. In the ensuing decades I have performed in drum and bugle corps, concert bands, brass quintets, as a solo performer and more. I currently play in a big band. All because a music teacher took the time to work with a kid who knew nothing. The work that you are embarking on will impact young lives in a way that you will probably never know. My teacher was Isadora Schweitzer. I hope your students are writing about you decades from now.
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