SPOTLIGHT ON BRASS / LES CUIVRES DE PLUS PRÈS

The Care and Feeding ofYoung TrombonistsBrian Unverricht

Teachers of beginning band know that students start their bandstudies more or less on an equal footing, but over the next two to

three years some trombonists mysteriously seem to lose interest and/or fall behind their peers in technical and musical expertise. How andwhy does this happen? What are the hurdles to be conquered? Whatcan teachers do to enhance trombone playing in their groups?

Before StartingMeaningful selection of beginners is crucial, as students need to bematched to an instrument which will offer them a reasonable chanceto succeed. Having this process as part of instrument selectionbefore beginner band starts will already give trombone students(and their director) a fighting chance. Some sort of musical aptitudetest is invaluable, and must be coupled with assessments of studentpersonality, intelligence, and previous musical experience, offered byadults who already know the group of students. At the same time, careis needed to create balanced instrumentation, and here the teacher'sopinion, based on information about the potential band students, canbe a very powerful influence in promoting the trombone.

Characteristics of future trombonists should include: an ear forpitch, some basic piano knowledge so they can find their notes onthe keyboard and leam to match pitch, independence, the ability tosurvive in the back row. reasonable arm length, and suitable lips andteeth. Pre-testing should include the ability to create a sustainablebuzz both with and without the mouthpiece while not puffing out thecheeks.

In the BeginningAs the students begin to create their first few "tender" notes, focus isrightly on developing correct playing habits. Every trombonist musthave his/her own music stand, and the slide of the trombone shouldbe located approximately in the middle of the page of music, just tothe left of the stand. By stressing this slide position right from thebeginning, directors avoid the dull repetition of reminding students to"hold up your bells."

Very young players will sometimes have trouble draining thecondensation from the slide, even resorting to using their feet. Thiscan easily lead to slide damage and/or breaking otï" the water key.Insist from day one that students use only their fingers on the waterkey. It's reachable if short-armed youngsters lift the trombone upbehind their left ear with their left hand, and create the correct angleof slide so that the drain is at the very lowest point, then shake thewater out. Teacher guidance w ill be needed for this.

Because the slide is out in front of the student, it's easy for weakreaders to "cheat" and follow the slide positions of the person nextto them. Since most method books start off with unison playing, try

a mixed seating arrangement right from the beginning, alternatingneophyle trombonists with low woodwind instruments. This bothprevents slide watching and assists with pitch discrimination, forcingthe student to read the notation. Generally encourage young playersto find the notes by ear and muscle memory rather that using fingers/thumb against the bell as a crutch.

To encourage proper care and maintenance, including slide lubrication,reminders to students are not nearly as etrective as letters to parentsabout "protecting their investment." Plan to include cleaning and slidelubrication instructions, music advocacy thoughts, and future openhouse and/or concert dates in your memos sent home. A few weeksafter band starts, invite the parents to either a rehearsal or an openhouse, and have the students teach the basics (set-up, embouchure,breathing, posture, holding position, and slide care) to their parents.This is a wonderful tool for communicating with the family whilereinforcing basics and demonstrating to parents the learning curvetheir child faces. You, the teacher, will then know that the trombonist'sparents will know what to expect, and can more etïectively assist ona daily basis.

What's that Buzz?At the first few meetings of the beginning band class, enthusiasmruns high. Students are keen to make any sort of sound in any way,and even to play tunes right away. Of course, this doesn't happenovernight, and great teachers know that beginners must focus on thefundamentals first.

It's no different for trombone players, but the essential element at thisstage is producing, and repeating daily, a working mouthpiece buzz.Students should hold the mouthpiece with thumb and two fingers only,so that it's impossible to apply too much pressure. Practice various"pitches" right from the beginning, along with slides up and down,sirens, and other images. Include this as part of every class meetingand all evaluation practices, and encourage students to make thisa part of their daily routine. Try pitch echoes, rhythm echoes, andarticulation echoes right from day one, where the woodwinds play theunison notes of ihe method book while the brass buzz their pitches.

Alternating buzzing with playing will lead to a more successfulconnection to pitch creation, and assist with finding the centre of thepitch. Every student must play "solo" at this stage, and louder volumesthat can later be refined are preferable to barely audible tones. Simplygo up and down the row having each beginner play just one note atfirst, then one measure, so they leam to be comfortable searching forpitch and creating good tone from day one both on the instmment andw ith the mouthpiece alone. Students should strive to match each otherin pitch, tone, and volume. Mouthpiece buzzing to find pitch greatlyassists students in using their ears to find pitch on the trombone.

Hurdle No. 1: HarmonyTowards the end of the student's first year, the music moves fromsingle-line melody into basic harmony, which can make the musicsound more sophisticated but lead to possible pitch errors. It's anexciting time in the student's development, but not without stimcimportant considerations.

Imagine two elarinetists playing C and E. Each puts down the correct

72 Spring/printemps 2008 • Canadian Winds • Vents canodiens

THE CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUNG TROMBONISTSfingers and plays with their developing tone and articulation skills.Without using their ears at all, we should have close to a 100% chanceof harmonic success, a major third. Amazingly, two-part intervalscan easily be replicated by these two players throughout most of theircurrent playing range. This same simplification basically applies tothe complete woodwind family. How about the brass section?

Consider two trombonists who are required to play D and G. Unlikeour woodwind friends, the "fingerings" (slide positions) on thetrombone are identical: both notes are obtained in fourth position. Inaddition, these pitches are one partial apart, requiring subtle changesof embouchure tension, aperture size, and air speed. Unlike our pair ofclarinetists, the trombonists have about one chance in four of success:they could play two Gs, two Ds, each on the wrong note, or (we hope)each on the correct pitch. If the stars are truly unaligned, you mightalso hear a B and one trombonist will drop his slide.

There are some possible solutions to the mathematical advantagethe woodwinds have at this developmental stage. Many bandarrangements at this level use a convertible bass line (where a largegroup plays the same pitches), and this is certainly a good idea for ashort while. Low brass players can be taught to listen for their pitchplayed by the low woodwinds and blend with them. Seat placementcan be alternated again (brass, woodwind, brass, woodwind) so theyhave a better chance at hearing pitch accurately. Ultimately, of course,we will need like-instrument groups for concert performances, butthis short-term seating arrangement has proven very useftil in trainingyoung ears.

When the trombones (and other like-instrument brass) are required toplay harmony parts within the section (say D and G), start by havingthe whole section play the lowest note, in this case third-line D, andthen the fourth-space G to establish that there are in fact two differentpitches. Then the group on D plays alone, followed by the G groupalone. Next, altemate the two pitch groups (D - G - D - G), thenfinally put both notes together to create the harmony. Students needto be given a chance to hear their pitch alone first, feel comfortablefinding it, and only then fit it into the harmonic structure. Althoughtime-consuming, especially in the beginning, this will pay futuredividends in confidence and accuracy.

Hurdle No. 2: Boring PartsAs novice trombonists work through the next few years of schoolband, many are faced with music that is either way too easy ormuch too complex. Directors need to analyze the skill level of thetrombóne/lovt- brass section every September, and try to find a varietyof music suitable for the group they inherit. If the trombones haveweak listening skills, convertible bass lines are important, but if youhave selected players appropriately and their skills are developingwell, they will need to be challenged.

Remembering that nearly every one of us started into the world ofmusic primarily to play and perform music, young players are oftendiscouraged if they sense that their role is simply to cover the bassnote while everyone else gets the melody. How much interest willa trombonist have in practicing his whole notes if s/he knows thatothers always seem to get the tune. Avoid arrangements that placethe trombones consistently on only the root or fifth of chords,

or seem to give them mostly whole notes and half notes while theupper woodwinds and trumpets have more interesting parts. Foreach semester, select at least one tune that challenges your tromboneplayers, and give them a glissando every now and then, even if youhave to edit it into their part.

In addition to effective repertoire selection, this is a crucial time toencourage independence in the developing trombonist by having thestudent play lots of melodies with play-along books and CDs of allstyles, or sign up for SmartMusic^. As the trombonists skills expand,so too should the available music. The director's suggestions at thisstage can make or break a player's future in band.

Hurdle No. 3: Complex PartsAt the same time, much ofthe intermediate literature for school bandstakes a surprisingly large technical leap from simple to difficult. Ifthe director has not chosen repertoire carefully or followed methodbooks while watching for complete skill development specific to thetrombone, students can sometimes find themselves struggling. Theseare watershed moments for the developing trombonist, and mustbe conquered efl'ectively or youngsters will leam to "cheat" on theinstrument, strive to "hide" within the group sound, or give up becausethey "just don't get it." Never tell students that it's hard music ora tough new concept; simply find ways to guide them through theprocess of more challenging music and advanced techniques.

This may just be the time to re-arrange your seating for rehearsals,and consider bringing the trombonists right up to the front row.While educational research points out the benefits of specific seatingarrangements in the regular classroom, we band directors, hoping tocreate balanced sounds with great blend, sometimes become stuck inthe rut of traditional seating. Do you notice which players seem to payattention more and are advancing more quickly? Are some "goofingaround" more and/or suffering from "back-row syndrome?"

Try arranging the seating for your group into three approximately equalrows. Each rehearsal, change the placement ofthe rows: e.g., for thesecond rehearsal, the original back row comes up front; for the thirdrehearsal, they move to the second row; and for the fourth rehearsal.they retum to the back. As you work through this arrangement, thetrombones will be front and centre every third rehearsal, and you cangive them the special care and attention they need.

Hurdle No. 4: The SlurAnother key developmental point is the introduction ofthe slur. Formost instruments, it can be as simple as "don't tongue those twonotes," but there is an inherent problem for the trombonists in thegroup. They must leam to soft-tongue and create the semblance ofa slur without making a glissando, so it's important that the directorspend extra time with this concept until each individual trombonistgrasps the physical sensation required, understands how to produce it,and knows what it should sound like.

Start with a simple exercise such as F-E-F-E-F played slowly as halfnotes. Have the trombonist(s) play the notes while moving the slideas quickly as possible between notes with nonnal tonguing. The ruleis: slow tempo, quick slide movements. Repeat the exercise, but withno tongue, creating short glissandos, as this will ensure a sustained

Vents canadiens • Canadian Winds • Spring/printemps 2008 73

THE CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUNG TROMBONISTStone. Finally go for the soft "doo" tongue (halfway between tenutoand glissando), again with lighten ing-quick slide movements withina slow tempo. After several tries, ask students which soft-tongueexample was the smoothest, and have them work to repeat that sound.The director will need to assist with defining excellence. Extend thisexercise by using other pairs of notes one or two slide positions apart(E-D-E-D-E), and iater to slide positions three or more positions apart(F-D-F-D-F). Although some slurs will happen naturally becauseof crossing partials. encourage young trombonists to soft-tongue allslurs.

Now, baek to the mouthpiece buzz. Have students staccato-tongue fivenotes in a row on their mouthpiece, then play five tenuto notes, thenfive soft-tongued notes, eaeh time paying attention to ( I ) the muscularsensation of creating each articulation (was it less tongue motion or amore subtle, quick tongue movement?), (2) the physical image (wasit more like too, roo, ho, thoo or i/oo?), and (3) the differences inhow the articulations sound. Being able to create the articulationson the mouthpiece, then on single pitches with the instrument, thenwith easy pitch changes (like F-E-F-E-F) must be learned first, beforetransferring the new skill to slurs found in the music. Articulation willonly be successful when students understand what to look for in themusie, how to produce the desired articulation, and how each shouldsound. Mueh extra time will need to be spent on this one concept.

Hurdle No. 5: The Smooth SlideOf course, lightening-quick slide movements will be impossible if theslide is not in excellent working condition. Beginning and intermediatetrombonists need to have their slides checked every month, as mostwill allow grunge, dents, and lack of lubricant to gradually slow downslide movements. Poor slide condition directly atïects every- aspectof trombone playing from the embouchure to the slur, and must beaddressed regularly. Slide oil (not valve oil) may work for the firstyears, but moving to Slide-0-Mix* early on seems to provide manystudents with an easy and eftective way of keeping the slide in primeoperating condition. It comes with instructions and two bottles ofliquid, and could easily be kept in the band room.

With slides in optimum working condition, have the trombone sectionshow you various exercises and repertoire selections hy moving theslide silently to a beat. This way. one can easily check for smoothslides and. in many cases, the director will immediately "see" wherethe musical probiem areas lie, as the students either do or do not moveIheir slides in time or use quick, almost foreeflii movements. Ratherthan too much arm stiffness, begin early to have the players add wristmotions when the slide only moves through one position per note(Ab to G). Silent playing can also be eftective for the whole band asstudents work through complex rhythmic passages or "play along" toa recording.

Hurdle No. 6: RangeAs young musicians advance to more complex repertoire, moresophisticated rhythms and articulations, and a wider variety of stylesof music, the pitch ranges need to be extended. Regular attention to avariety ofunison scales in the whole band (not jus! B-flat concert) willgreatly assist developing trombonists to push themselves graduallyhigher and lower. Watch that students don't use too much mouthpieeepressure or distort the embouchure at the extremes. At first, they should

crescendo into the upper and lower ranges both on the instrument andbuzzing the mouthpiece (that keeps eoming back), then work to refinethe tone. By the high-school level, students will need specialty booksof exercises and festival repertoire. The director's assistance at thisstage will go a long way to encourage the developing musician topursue constant progress.

What about an F Attachment? Or Larger Bore? Or Mutes?There is some debate about the value of an F-attachment for the tenortrombone. For a few students, it's little more than a status symbol; forothers, it's of little real value, espeeially if they want to develop theupper register more, but the advantage is that it both extends the rangelower (connecting low E to pedal B-fiat) and eases the performanceof technical passages around low B and C. Learning the positionsconnected to the F-attachnient opens the way to creating future basstrombonists for the high-school band, as most trombones with iheattachment are a larger bore, and some students just might becomeinterested in the glory of being the lowest sounding trombone in theensemble.

As a student grows in physical stature and musieal sophistication,a larger-bore instrument should definitely be considered. Alongwith this change should come one of choosing a new, matchingmouthpiece. Many students advance from their beginner instrumentto a larger-bore trombone with F-attaehment. Consult with experts forcurrent model trends and prices, but do otTcr the choice to your seriousstudents. Remember to explain the reasons for the change to parents,reminding them ofthe limited depreciation on musical instruments,and letting them know that this next trombone could well be a lifelonginvestment.

Coneert-band music beyond the early levels often calls for mutes and,unless otherwise indicated, the first choice should be a straight mute.Metal mutes usually last longer, but they also cost more and do havea significant timbrai dilTerenee. Advanced jazz band will eall forseveral difterent kinds of mutes, but the basics can be covered with ametal straight mute, a stonelined cup mute, and a rubber plunger fromthe hardware store. Consider an all-purpose combined straight andcup mute for school purchase.

How About Creativity?At every step along the learning route, students can be their own bestteachers. Beginners can compose three-note pieces using the first threenotes they learn, and at each developmental stage creativity can beencouraged by having trombonists write short passages based on theskill or concept being studied. Young musicians are also surprisingiyadept at writing short passages that reflect mood or atmosphere, andcan ieam much about harmonic structure if they are simply asked towrite a four-measure duet based on a weli-known nursery song, andperform it with a fellow student.

As students progress into jazz, composition can take on a whoie newmeaning as the advancing musician iearns to deal with chord tonesand styles. A small amount of preparation along the everyday path oflearning makes each advancing phase so mueh easier to conquer.

The Trombone's Role in the BandYour trombonists can be frustrating or inspirational. They can heip the

74 Spring/printemps 2008 • Canadian Winds • Vents canadiens

THE CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUNG TROMBONISTSwhole band understand tuning at a very early stage by easily sliding inand out of tune on a unison to demonstrate intonation beats, yet theycan have difficulty locating an individual note. They can annoy youwith their antics during long rests in the back row, yet they can inspireaudiences with fun pieces and the excitement of the big ending. Theyhave the potential to become an effective, unique timbre in the group,adding powerful rich chords and great jazz harmonies, or they candestroy a mood with sloppy entries on the wrong note at the wrongtime with poor tone. To enjoy the benefits a mature trombone sectioncan provide, directors need to get the basics in place before the studentstarts, cover every aspect of the ftindamentals, and search out ways toovercome each hurdle along the way. The rewards are well worth theextra time and eifort.

Brian Unverricht taught band,choir, guitar, and jazz band for manyyears with the Saskatoon PublicBoard of Education and DND schoolsin Germany. He is currently a termassistant professor of music educationat the University of Saskatchewan,where he conducts the concert bandand supervises student teachers.He also plays trombone with theSaskatoon Symphony and otherperforming groups in Saskatoon.

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