Inquiry Workshop Proposal on Beginner Brass Band Outline
Janine & I presented a workshop on beginner brass (suitable for grades 8 & 9) this past week and introduced a wide array instructional methods during our 45-minute presentation. I have to give Janine so much credit on spearheading the project and without her expertise, the delivery of the plethora of information and research would not come anywhere close to first-rate. As for myself, though I’ve conducted brass sections (in various forms in orchestral and chamber ensembles), I’ve never really had the opportunity to present my knowledge of brass as a brass musicologist and historian. Working with such a great musician like Janine, with a formidable background in all things brass really solidified my aptitude and allowed me to grow even hungrier on picking up more on brass pedagogy.
As with pretty much all the presentations I have done at UBC these past couple of semesters, I record them. Unfortunately, for this presentation, neither Janine nor I prepared a video recording device, oddly, so in lieu of that, I present a primer on how to approach a brass instrument.
Embouchure, Buzzing, and Mouthpiece
Start with “natural face”—lips lightly together, jaw slightly dropped. Have students look at themselves in the mirror, noting where their corners are
Think about “the tripod” of the embouchure
Form the embouchure—pronounce a sophisticated “m” or think about spitting something off the tip of their tongue—corners firm slightly but stay in the same place as “natural face”
Take a breath and blow air through the embouchure
Breathing techniques further explained here: The Breathing Gym as demonstrated by Sam Pilafian & Patrick Sheridan