UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Date:___________________

I, _________________________________________________________, hereby submit this work as part of the requirements for the degree of:

in:

It is entitled:

This work and its defense approved by:

Chair: _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________

CURRENT TRENDS IN ALTO TROMBONE PEDAGOGY IN THE UNITED STATES

A document submitted to the

Division of Research and Advanced Studies of the University of Cincinnati

in partial fulfillment of the

requirements for the degree of

Doctorate of Musical Arts (D.M.A.)

in the Performance Studies Division of the College-Conservatory of Music

2005

by

DOUGLAS G. WARNER

B.M., University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, 1988 M.M., University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, 1997

Committee Chair: David Vining

ABSTRACT

This paper examined alto trombone pedagogy from three vantage points. First an

in-depth analysis of the alto trombone methods currently available was presented. The

methods were analyzed with regard to progressive arrangement, readability of text and

music, balance in the use of keys and registers, inclusion of a position chart and

orchestral excerpts, and the pedagogical and musical quality of the etudes. The second

part of this paper was a study of occurrences of the alto trombone on student recitals in

the United States as reported in publications of the International Trombone Association

from 1979-2004. The frequency of performances was analyzed as well as the frequency

of programming of specific pieces. Finally, a survey was conducted of college-level

trombone instructors in the United States. Respondents were asked to provide

information about their employment level as a university teacher (full- or part-time), their

own study of the alto trombone, their use of methods, solos, and orchestral excerpts to

teach the instrument, whether their institution owns an alto trombone, what they believe

to be the appropriate level of study to introduce the instrument to a student, their

mouthpiece recommendations, and their opinions of the alto trombone methods currently

available.

The examination of comprehensive alto trombone methods revealed that each one

differed in its areas of emphasis. Increased use of the alto trombone on student recitals in

the past twenty-six years was evident; the increase has occurred primarily at the graduate

level. The concerto by Wagenseil was, by far, the most frequently programmed work.

The results from the survey of trombone instructors revealed significant trends. There

were similarities between the materials used by teachers in their own study and those that

are commonly used to teach current students. The Wagenseil concerto was the most

popular choice for appropriate first solo for the alto trombone student. When instructors

were asked to rate alto trombone methods, the four volume method by Sluchin received

the highest scores by percentage, while the Anderson method was the most widely

known.

© 2005

Douglas G. Warner

All Rights Reserved

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank my teacher and advisor, David Vining for his direction and

insight. The assistance and advice of the other members of my committee, Randy

Gardner and Dr. Lizabeth Wing are acknowledged as well. I am grateful to the trombone

instructors across the country who participated in the survey for this project. The

administration of Lee University has supported my work by providing financial

assistance. My colleague, Michael Sturgeon contributed much needed technical

assistance.

I am most indebted to my wife, Melissa for her patience, support, encouragement,

and assistance. I offer my gratitude to my parents, Gerald and Sandra Warner for their

encouragement and to my in-laws, Donald and Ruth Ann Kuebler for their support and

for countless hours of childcare during the final months of this project. And finally, I

thank my two young daughters, Abigail and Morgan, for putting up with a father who has

had to spend so many evenings at the computer.

1

CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................2 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS............................................................................................4 CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................5 II. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ALTO TROMBONE RENAISSANCE................9 III. PEDAGOGICAL MATERIALS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ........................16 IV. RECENT TRENDS IN STUDENT PERFORMANCE ......................................56 V. CURRENT ALTO TROMBONE PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICE ......................78 VI. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS ....................112 BIBLIOGRAPHY.........................................................................................................117 APPENDIX I. ONLINE SURVEY ............................................................................................122 II. SURVEY SOLICITATION MATERIALS .......................................................130 III. RESPONDENTS’ COMMENTS ......................................................................132

IV. SURVEY RESULTS FROM RANDOMLY SAMPLED NON-RESPONDENTS ...............................................................................150

2

TABLES Table Page 1. Recitals that Listed Alto Trombone...........................................................................60 2. Recitals that Likely Used Alto Trombone .................................................................61

3. Doctoral and Master’s Recitals that Used Alto Trombone........................................63 4. Senior and Junior Recitals with Alto Trombone........................................................66

5. Other and Non-Specific Recitals that Used Alto Trombone .....................................68 6. Overall Percentages of Alto Trombone Use Throughout the Study

by Category.........................................................................................................70 7. Alto Trombone Literature: Frequencies and Percentages..........................................72

8. Instructors Who Play Alto Trombone........................................................................82 9. Instructors with Formal Alto Trombone Training .....................................................83 10. Teachers with Whom Respondents Studied Alto Trombone....................................84 11. When Respondents Began Playing Alto Trombone .................................................85

12. Methods Used by Respondents in Their Own Study of Alto Trombone..................86 13. Methods Used by Respondents in Teaching the Alto Trombone .............................88

14. Orchestral Excerpts Used by Respondents in Their Alto Trombone Teaching........90 15. Respondents’ Choices for the Most Appropriate First Orchestral

Excerpt for the Alto Trombone Student..............................................................92

16. Solo Literature Used by Respondents in Their Alto Trombone Teaching ...............94

3

17. Respondents’ Choices for the Most Appropriate First Solo for the Alto Trombone Student...............................................................................................95

18. School-Owned Alto Trombones by Brand ...............................................................97 19. Comparison of Schools with Alto Trombones Between Full- and

Part-Time Instructors ..........................................................................................98 20. Brand Preferences for Future School Alto Trombone Purchases .............................99 21. Level at Which Alto Trombone Should First Be Taught........................................100 22. Specific Mouthpieces Recommended by Respondents for Alto

Trombone Students ...........................................................................................101 23. Ratings for Anderson, Stephen: A complete Method for E-flat Alto Trombone ..........................................................................................................103 24. Ratings for Parow, Karsten: Initiation Complète au Trombone Alto......................103

25. Ratings for Slokar, Branimir: Methode Complete de Trombone Alto ....................104

26. Ratings for Sluchin, Benny: Study Material for Alto Trombone ............................104

27. Overall Ratings for Each Method ...........................................................................105

4

ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Three Possible Transposition Methods As They Appear in, Stephen C.

Anderson, A Complete Method for E-flat Alto Trombone, vol. I, Introduction, (no page number) ..........................................................................28

2. Roger Harvey, BrassWorkBook for Alto Trombone, Chapter 2-Tuning

and Slide Movement, Exercise 15, p.13 .............................................................35 3. Benny Sluchin, comp., Study Material for the Alto Trombone, vol. 1,

Chromatic Chart, page 14 ...................................................................................40 4. Giulio Marco Bordogni, Twelve Vocalises, no. 6 (measures 49-61),

Transcribed by Benny Sluchin in his Study Material for the Alto Trombone, vol. 2, page 49 ..................................................................................49

5. Wenzel Kopprasch, Eight Duos Concertants pour deux Cors, no. 2

(measures 1-12), Transcribed by Benny Sluchin, from his Study Material for the Alto Trombone, vol. 3, p. 25.....................................................51

6. Percentages of Recitals with Alto Trombone ............................................................62

7. Percentage of All Graduate Recitals Using Alto Trombone......................................65

8. Percentages of Senior and Junior Recitals Using Alto Trombone.............................67 9. Undergraduate Recitals with Alto Trombone—Comparison ....................................69

10. Wagenseil Concerto—Percentages of All Alto Trombone Literature by Year ........73

11. Wagenseil Concerto—Percentage Comparison........................................................74

5

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Purpose

The renaissance of the alto trombone in recent years has ignited an increasing

interest to learn the fundamental skills of playing the instrument in order to be able to

perform the solo, chamber, and orchestral literature that exists specifically for it. Very

little has been written, however, regarding how the instrument is currently being taught.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain how the alto trombone is being

approached pedagogically in the United States. Current pedagogical practices are

compared with those of the last thirty years1 to identify any observable trends. An

analysis and comparison of alto trombone method books currently published provides

insight into the strengths and weaknesses of each. It is hoped that this research and the

conclusions drawn will inspire further research and additional interest in the topic of alto

trombone pedagogy, enhancing the effectiveness of those who teach the instrument.

1 It should be noted that little research has previously been conducted on the subject, and most of what is known about pedagogical practices (especially those in the 1970s and 1980s) must be inferred from published student recital programs, the amount of pedagogical materials written specifically for the instrument, etc.

6

Reason and significance

In only one study has there been an examination of this aspect of trombone

pedagogy. David Mathie’s D.M.A. document, “The Alto Trombone: Twentieth-Century

Performance Practices and Pedagogy in the United States” (University of Georgia, 1993),

includes nine questions dealing with alto trombone pedagogy in a survey of professional

teachers and performers. Mathie’s research was completed nearly fifteen years ago.2

Since that time, at least two comprehensive alto trombone methods have been published.

With the increase in available methods and an increase in the number of alto trombone

students,3 more research is justified.

This research reexamined some of the areas explored by Mathie. Where

appropriate, current data are compared with that of his study, drawing conclusions based

on similarities and differences. Also addressed are several concepts not covered by

Mathie’s survey, including an analysis of what methods most teachers currently use with

their students and how these compare with the methods the teachers as a group used in

their own initial study of the instrument. Similar observations are made with regard to the

educational level at which teachers began studying the alto trombone and how that

compares with what teachers now believe to be the appropriate level at which to have a

student begin such study. Further research regarding pedagogical use of orchestral

excerpts for alto trombone is also included.

2 Although Mathie’s document was published in 1993, his survey was conducted in November 1990. 3 The increase in the number of alto trombone students is inferred, based on the data from recital programs listed in the ITA Journal. See chapter 4 for specific details.

7

Additionally, a detailed analysis and comparison of the comprehensive methods

currently available for the instrument would be of benefit to teachers and students alike.

No such in-depth analysis could be found.

Finally, a compilation of data and analysis of trends in alto trombone

performances by college students is included and may be useful to college teachers as

they seek to improve the way in which they teach this instrument.

Methodology

This research focused on three areas: an analysis and comparison of

comprehensive alto trombone methods currently available; a summary and analysis of the

use of the alto trombone on student recitals from 1979 to 2004, as reported in the

International Trombone Association Journal and the International Trombone Association

Newsletter; and a survey of college- and university-level trombone teachers in the United

States.

At the time this study was initiated, four comprehensive methods were identified

as written specifically to address alto trombone playing; a fifth method was discovered

during the research process. The analysis and comparison of these five methods addresses

the following issues: progressive organization of material, balance and readability of text

and music, inclusion of a position chart, adequate use of various keys, a balanced

approach to all registers, inclusion of appropriate orchestral excerpts, and the pedagogical

and musical quality of the etudes.

The second aspect of this study is a summary and analysis of alto trombone use

on student recital programs as reported in the ITA Journal and the ITA Newsletter. Data

8

are included since 1979, when the programs were reported in such a way as to make

distinction of student recitals clear. Trends are identified in student alto trombone solo

performances in the areas of frequency, choice of repertoire, and degree level

(baccalaureate, master’s, doctoral) at which alto trombone works were performed. From

this data, conclusions concerning past pedagogical practices and recent trends are drawn.

The third area of research is based on a survey of college-level trombone teachers

in the United States. Seven hundred seventy trombone teachers whose names were listed

in the “Trombone” category (63c) of the 2003-2004 Directory of Music Faculties in

Colleges and Universities, U.S. and Canada, published by The College Music Society4

were solicited via e-mail, post card, or in person and asked to complete an online or hard

copy survey. One hundred seventy-three completed the survey. The survey queried the

following areas: the respondent’s employment level as a university teacher (full- or part-

time); the respondent’s own experience with regard to the study of the alto trombone;

methods, solos, and orchestral excerpts used to teach the instrument; whether their

institution owns an alto trombone; appropriate level of study to begin teaching alto

trombone; mouthpiece recommendations; and opinions regarding the alto trombone

methods currently available. Based upon the results of the survey, conclusions are drawn

regarding current alto trombone pedagogical practices.

4 College Music Society, Directory of Music Faculties in Colleges and Universities, U.S. and Canada (Binghamton, NY: College Music Society, 2003).

9

CHAPTER II

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ALTO TROMBONE RENAISSANCE

In the last two decades, several authors, including Stephen Anderson,5 Mark

Hartman,6 David Mathie,7 and Will Kimball,8 have undertaken projects in which they

outlined the history of the alto trombone. Because this paper is not primarily concerned

with the historical aspect of the alto trombone, and because the instrument’s role in music

history has already been adequately documented, this chapter will not dwell on the early

history of the instrument. Rather, it was deemed appropriate that, in order to establish a

solid foundation for the following chapters, a brief description of the resurgence in

popularity of the alto trombone be given, citing the significant developments which have

marked this renaissance.

After becoming a member of the standard trombone section in the symphony

orchestra, the alto trombone began to lose favor with composers and, subsequently, with

performers during the middle of the nineteenth century. Several reasons have been

5 Stephen C. Anderson, “The Alto Trombone, Then and Now,” The Instrumentalist 40, no. 4 (November 1985): 54-62. 6 Mark Shafer Hartman, “The Use of the Alto Trombone in Symphonic and Operatic Orchestral Literature” (D.M.A. research paper, Arizona State University, 1985). 7 David Gordon Mathie, ““The Alto Trombone: Twentieth-Century Performance Practices and Pedagogy in the United States” (University of Georgia, 1993). 8 Will Kimball, “The Rise and Fall…and Rise of the Alto Trombone,” NACWPI Journal 48 (Spring 2000): 23-28.

10

suggested as to why this decline occurred, but the most significant is that the growth in

the size of the Romantic orchestra necessitated a larger volume of sound than the alto was

able to produce. Not only could the larger tenor trombone produce more sound, but it

was, in the hands of a capable player, able to negotiate the high tessitura commonly

required in alto trombone parts. By the end of the nineteenth century, the instrument had

become virtually nonexistent in European and American orchestras. Principal trombonists

used the tenor trombone exclusively, even when performing works originally written for

the alto.

The beginning of the renewed interest in the alto trombone is difficult to

document, as little was written regarding it until some years later. Will Kimball, in “The

Rise and Fall…and Rise of the Alto Trombone” (NACWPI Journal, Spring 2000), writes

that, “After a long period of subsequent obsolescence, the alto trombone had a rebirth in

the second half of the twentieth century.”9 Stephen Anderson, in his article “The Alto

Trombone: Then and Now” (The Instrumentalist, Nov. 1985), cites the 1960s and 70s as

the time during which the instrument again began to be used as a solo instrument and

during which principal trombonists in symphony orchestras began to consider

reintroducing the alto trombone into the orchestral section. He writes:

In the 1960s and 70s the discovery and publication of major solo works for the instrument led to the renaissance of interest in the study and performance of the alto trombone. Interest blossomed from the finding of 18th-century concerto repertoire with such works as Wagenseil’s Concerto (c. 1755), Leopold Mozart’s Concerto (c. 1762), Michael Haydn’s Larghetto (1763), Adagio and Allegro molto, and Divertimento in D (1764), and Albrechtsberger’s Concerto (1769). Trombonists were anxious to perform these works but soon discovered that it was impossible to play them correctly10 on the tenor instrument. At the same time symphonic players began to experiment with using the alto in order to

9 Ibid, 23. 10 Presumably, Anderson means, “with an historically accurate sound.”

11

reintroduce it in performances of appropriate symphonic and operatic literature. Thus, a rebirth of interest in the alto trombone, its literature, and performance techniques began.11

Interestingly, this occurred within a generation of the move by orchestral tenor

trombonists toward larger equipment. Until the middle of the twentieth century,

orchestral tenor trombonists generally performed on relatively small bore (.500 in.)

instruments. Modern tenor trombonists use large bore (.547 in.) trombones. While these

larger instruments are capable of producing a very large, broad sound, the extreme upper

register (the range found in the alto trombone parts of the classical period) sounds rather

heavy and somewhat forced. No doubt this fact, along with the modern interest in

performances using authentic or period instruments, was a significant catalyst in the

return of the instrument to prominence.

In his “The Use of the Alto Trombone in Symphonic and Operatic Orchestral

Literature,” Mark Hartman quotes Stuart Dempster regarding the use of the alto trombone

in symphony orchestras in the 1960s, writing that, “During the period from 1962-1966,

when I performed with the Oakland Symphony under Gerhard Samuel, I used an alto

trombone for Mozart, Beethoven, and certain other composers’ works, but I certainly felt

that I was not conforming to the norm at all.”12 Hartman later quotes Jay Friedman,

principal trombonist with the Chicago Symphony: “I started using an alto in 1965 in the

Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The alto trombone projects more than tenor [trombone]

and the type of music written for alto does not require a large volume of sound.”13

11 Anderson, 56-7. 12 Stuart Dempster quoted in Hartman, 58. 13 Jay Friedman quoted in Hartman, 96.

12

Although it was not common, the alto trombone was being used in the symphony

orchestra in the 1960s.

Further evidence of the increasing use of the alto trombone throughout the 1960s

is provided by Reginald Fink14 and Denis Wick,15 two highly respected authors, who, in

the early 1970s, each published important texts on the trombone. Both wrote of the alto

trombone as having already regained some importance in the realm of professional

performance. Reginald Fink observed, “Recently there has been renewed interest in

playing the works originally written for alto trombone on an alto trombone and the

serious trombonist may consider the purchase of such an instrument.”16 Specifically

addressing the instrument’s orchestral use, Denis Wick stated, “Although until recently

only the B-flat [tenor] was in general use, there has been a revival of interest in the alto

trombone in the last decade in Britain and the U.S.A. …. Because of this revival interest

the alto trombone is now often seen in symphony orchestras. First trombone players will

be expected to be familiar with it, and we should consider the various aspects of playing

it, and its use in the modern symphony orchestra.”17 (emphasis added)

Little was written about the alto trombone throughout the rest of the 1970s.

Interest in the instrument and its use, however, must have continued to grow, even to the

point that those “first generation” alto trombone players were now beginning to teach the

instrument to others, as the early 1980s witnessed the publication of three methods of

study completely devoted to the teaching of alto trombone. Karsten Parow’s Initiation 14 Reginald H. Fink, The Trombonist’s Handbook: A Complete Guide to Playing and Teaching (Athens, OH: Accura Music, 1970). 15 Denis Wick, Trombone Technique (London: Oxford University Press, 1971). 16 Fink, 45. 17 Wick, 93.

13

Complète au Trombone Alto (1982), Branimir Slokar’s Methode Complete de Trombone

Alto (1983), and Stephen Anderson’s A Complete Method for E-flat Alto Trombone

(1984), each takes a unique approach to mastering the instrument.18

In 1985, Mark Hartman authored a D.M.A. research paper, “The Use of the Alto

Trombone in Symphonic and Operatic Orchestral Literature,” (cited above) in which he

wrote about the alto trombone’s use in the symphony orchestra. In it, he summarized

interviews he had conducted with twenty principal trombonists in major symphony

orchestras throughout the United States regarding their use of alto trombone. Eighteen of

the twenty trombonists interviewed confirmed that they had used the alto trombone in

their respective orchestras.

In the same year, Ralph Sauer, principal trombonist of the Los Angeles

Philharmonic, published a brief article in the ITA Journal,19 advocating the expanded use

of the alto trombone, not only in orchestral works of the Classical composers, but also in

much of the early Romantic literature which, until that time, was still usually being

performed on the tenor trombone.

Two additional doctoral papers were published in 1993, each analyzing a different

aspect of the alto trombone and the renewed interest in the instrument. David Johansen’s

“An Essay Consisting of an Examination of Alto Trombone Use in Metropolitan and

Regional Symphony Orchestras in the United States and of Pedagogical Materials and

Curricula Currently Available for that Instrument” (University of Iowa, 1993), focused

on the practice of principal trombonists in smaller orchestras regarding alto trombone.

David Mathie’s D.M.A. document, “The Alto Trombone: Twentieth-Century

18 These three resources will be discussed extensively in chapter 3. 19 Ralph Sauer, “The Alto Trombone in the Symphony Orchestra,” ITA Journal 12, no. 3 (1984): 41.

14

Performance Practices and Pedagogy in the United States” (University of Georgia, 1993),

is the most extensive study to date dealing with the alto trombone and how it was being

used in performance and pedagogy in the early 1990s. Part of Mathie’s research included

a survey of teachers and performers. Their responses indicated an increase in popularity

of the instrument even in the short time since Hartman’s study.

Another indication of the continued growth of interest in and use of the alto

trombone is the significant increase in literature for the instrument. The last decade has

witnessed the publication of two additional methods specifically written for alto

trombone. The BrassWorkBook for Alto Trombone, written by Roger Harvey and

published in 1998, and the extensive Study Material for the Alto Trombone by Benny

Sluchin (published from 2000-2002) have both contributed to the array of high quality

materials available for the teaching and study of the instrument. There has also been a

growth in newly composed solo and chamber literature for the alto trombone. Anderson,

in his 1985 article, listed only fifteen modern solo works for alto trombone. Currently,

there are nearly one hundred such solos listed on Robert Kehle’s The Alto Trombone

Homepage.20 Mathie stated in 1993 that there were only three known original chamber

compositions for alto trombone. Kehle lists more than forty. Kehle does not provide dates

of publication for these works and, thus, some of them may have existed but were

unknown to Anderson and Mathie. It is doubtful, however, that such is the case with all

of these additional works.

The alto trombone renaissance is also evident in the numerous recordings of solo

and ensemble works for the instrument by many high profile trombonists in recent years.

20 Robert Kehle, The Alto Trombone Home Page; available from http://www.pittstate.edu/music/altotrombonehomepage.html; Internet; accessed 20 May 2005. Kehle’s is currently the most extensive database of its kind.

15

Solo literature has been recorded by such prominent artists as Joseph Alessi, Christian

Lindberg, Alain Trudel, Mark Lawrence, Steve Witser, Branimir Slokar, and Ronald

Barron. Several of these soloists have produced recordings of music exclusively for alto

trombone.

Finally, the effects of this continuing renaissance of the alto trombone can be

demonstrated by a few statistics. In Mathie’s study, only 52.2% of respondents said that

they played or had played an alto trombone. In the survey conducted for this study and

described in chapter 5, the respondents who said that they play alto trombone totaled

70.5%, a substantial increase in less than fifteen years. The earlier study revealed that, of

those who played alto, “87% were self-taught.”21 After more than a decade, it was found

in this study that half (50.8%) of the respondents who played alto trombone had some

formal study of the instrument. Not only have the numbers of alto trombone players

increased, but it has quickly become part of the formal education of many players.

Certainly, the alto trombone renaissance is more than mere perception. The

remainder of this study will help to further establish that fact. The statistical data

contained herein could then serve as a point of comparison for future studies concerning

the instrument.

21 Mathie, 114.

16

CHAPTER III

PEDAGOGICAL MATERIALS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE

Introduction

As documented above, the renewed interest in the alto trombone was formally

recognized by 1970. It was not until a decade later, however, that any pedagogical

methods were written for the instrument. In the early 1980s, three alto trombone methods

were published within the space of as many years: Initiation Complète au Trombone Alto

by Karsten Parow (1982), Methode Complete de Trombone Alto by Branimir Slokar

(1983), and A Complete Method for E-flat Alto Trombone by Stephen C. Anderson (1984-

86). Until recently, these three methods were the only ones readily available. Roger

Harvey published his BrassWorkBook for Alto Trombone in 1998, and between 2000 and

2003, Benny Sluchin has published a four-volume method for alto trombone entitled

Study Material for the Alto Trombone.

Parow, Karsten: Initiation Complète au Trombone Alto

Published in 1982, this is the earliest of the alto trombone methods. The

introductory notes state that, “This collection of studies and orchestral excerpts is

addressed to all trombonists that play the alto trombone as a secondary instrument to the

tenor trombone. It is directed to beginners as well as to students and professionals who

17

need material for practicing solos or orchestral parts.”22 The instructive text at the

beginning is somewhat brief—four pages—and appears in French, German and English.

Parow advocates using a mouthpiece with a rim identical to one’s tenor mouthpiece rim,

but provides no rationale or research to support this recommendation. He suggests the

possibility of acquainting oneself with the instrument by practicing exercises intended for

tenor trombone, using the slide positions that one would use if playing on tenor, but

producing pitches a perfect fourth higher. He then cautions, however, that this approach

can lead to the danger of “overtaxing oneself in higher pitches.”23 The student is

admonished to practice a large number of long tones and scales in order to achieve a good

sound, endurance and accurate slide positions. Parow’s final introductory paragraph

informs the student that, although the facilitation of high pitches is easier on alto

trombone than on tenor trombone (because high pitches occur lower in the harmonic

series on the alto), the effort to produce those pitches remains the same.

A position chart follows. The chart comprises a full page and is laid out in such a

way that the pitches ascend chromatically, with each harmonic series occupying a

separate line. The seventh partial is clearly marked to indicate that those pitches need to

be raised to compensate for their inherent flatness, and the C-sharp5/D-flat5 in first

position is crossed out, indicating its lack of usability.24 A line separating alternate from

22 Karsten Parow, Initiation Complète au Trombone Alto (Gérard Billaudot, 1982), 1. 23 Ibid., 4. 24 Pitches are identified here and throughout the text with a system based on the piano keyboard. The three lowest pitches on a standard piano keyboard are designated as A0, A-sharp0, and B0. Beginning with the next higher pitch, designated C1, all of the pitches in the octave above are labeled with a superscript “1.” Each consecutive C begins a new octave, labeled with the next higher integer as its superscript. The example below provides further clarification.

18

“regular” positions provides further clarification. This format is easy to use, as it clearly

delineates which pitches fall within each partial and what is the most common position

for each pitch.

The next page contains major scales and arpeggios in all twelve keys. Key

signatures are indicated for the arpeggios (which appear first in each key); “reminder”

accidentals are provided for the scales. The scales are printed only in their ascending

form.

The next fifteen pages contain twenty-one etudes arranged progressively. A wide

variety of styles and keys is represented, including F, B-flat, E-flat, A-flat, D-flat, C, D,

and A, as well as A minor and D minor. The latter etudes are quite challenging, utilizing

a great deal of chromaticism and numerous wide leaps. Several well-known composers

are represented, with etudes adapted from the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

(1756-1791) and Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915), as well as two composers familiar to

trombonists, namely Giulio Marco Bordogni (1789-1856) and Giuseppe Concone (1801-

1861). Other composers represented are Jean Douay, Gilles Senon (b. 1932), Friedrich

Dotzauer (1783-1860), and Anatol Liadow (1855-1917). Some of the exercises,

especially those by Mozart, Bordogni, and Concone, are tonal. Others contain extensive

chromaticism and push the limits of tonality. The use of melodic etudes rather than

sequential and repetitive exercises provides interest for the student.

19

Probably due to the vocal origin of many of these exercises, a preference is shown

for legato, lyrical playing. Only three of the etudes contain significant amounts of

detached playing.

The middle and upper middle registers of the instrument are thoroughly

addressed. However, these exercises do not explore the true upper register of the alto

trombone. Nothing higher than C5 can be found until the final etude, which has several

D5s.

The second half of Parow’s book contains alto trombone excerpts from the

orchestral repertoire. This is a valuable resource, as it contains some pieces that are not

found in Keith Brown’s collection25. Notable examples include Cantatas nos. 64 and 68

by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), Iphigenia in Tauris by Christoph Willibald

Gluck (1714-1787), the first trombone part from the Requiem, K. 626 of Wolfgang

Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), Mass no. 6 by Franz Schubert (1797-1828), and Hamlet

by Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896). Works that can also be found in the Brown collection

include Bach’s Cantata no. 4, Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Symphonies nos. 5 and 9 and

the Missa Solemnis by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), The Creation by Franz

Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), Schubert’s Mass no. 5 and Symphonies nos. 8 and 9, and all

four symphonies by Robert Schumann (1810-1856). None of the pieces written in the

twentieth century that specifically call for alto trombone are included.26 Copyright

limitations probably make it financially unfeasible to include them. The inclusion of the

25 Keith Brown, Orchestral Excerpts from the Symphonic Repertoire for Trombone and Tuba, 10 volumes (New York: International Music Company, 1964-70). This collection remains the most comprehensive compilation of low brass orchestral excerpts. 26 Examples of such pieces would include Schoenberg’s Pelleas und Melisande and Gurrelieder, Berg’s Three Pieces for Orchestra and Wozzeck, Stravinsky’s Threni, and Britten’s The Burning Fiery Furnace.

20

excerpts in this section enhances the method’s pedagogical value, as the instructor has

immediate access to many of the difficult passages in the most commonly performed

orchestral works for the alto trombone. The parts can be learned well in advance of

auditions and performances.

It should be noted that these alto trombone parts are exclusively in alto clef, in

spite of the fact that trombonists who perform these pieces will sometimes encounter

other clefs, depending on the edition used. For example, Bach’s Cantata no. 4 appears in

treble clef in the Brown excerpt collection27 and, in the edition of Mozart’s Requiem

published by Barenreiter, the alto trombone part is entirely in tenor clef. Parow makes no

reference to these possibilities.

The notation of this method is clear and legible. Some expression indications are

given only in French.

Slokar, Branimir: Schule für Altposaune.

Originally published in 1983, under the title Methode Complete de Trombone

Alto, the currently available version of Branimir Slokar’s method now bears a 1991

copyright (the publisher, Editions Marc Reift, remains the same), a new title (which

appears on the front cover in German, French, and English), updated biographical notes

about the author, and a humorous trombone cartoon. Otherwise, the resource is

unchanged from its original form.

The method begins with a brief biographical sketch of the author in German,

French, and English. The introductory text that follows (again in German, French, and

English) is labeled, “Some Preliminary Notes by Branimir Slokar.” The author explains 27 Brown, vol. III, 3-8.

21

that this method is designed to build endurance on the alto trombone by placing the

student on a strict, fourteen-day regimen of gradually increasing practice time.

Like Parow, Slokar warns against the use of tenor trombone exercises adapted to

the alto trombone by playing them a fourth higher than written, stating that, “these

exercises, if played a fourth higher all the way through, would have a harmful effect on

the strength of the lips.”28

Slokar advises students to warm-up in their usual manner on tenor trombone

before beginning the exercises in this method each day. Slokar notes that, for those who

already have achieved some familiarity with the alto trombone, he has included some

warm-up exercises at the end of the book. The author goes on to admonish the student to

strictly follow the suggested length of daily practice times, insisting that doing so will

bring success. Slokar asserts that, “serious musicians have been able to play the alto

trombone in the orchestra after having accomplished this school,”29 although he does not

name any of the players to whom he refers.

Like Parow, Slokar recommends using a mouthpiece whose rim is the same as the

rim on one’s tenor trombone mouthpiece. He suggests that the cup of the alto mouthpiece

be different (presumably smaller) than that of the tenor.

Immediately following is a chart that delineates the exact exercises to be practiced

each day, as well as the time one should spend covering the material. Twenty minutes is

required the first day, with the time increasing by five or ten minute increments each day

thereafter. (There is a fifteen-minute increase between the eleventh and twelfth days.)

The chart’s labels and brief instructions are given only in French. A quick comparison of

28 Branimir Slokar, Schule für Altposaune (Switzerland: Editions Marc Reift, 1991), 3. 29 Ibid., 4.

22

the chart and the layout of the exercises in the book, however, prove the instructions to be

intuitive. After the chart, Slokar offers a reason for the order of the first 50 exercises:

The first 50 exercises mainly deal with the horizontal (chromatics) and vertical (natural tone row) technique.

As on the alto trombone the positions are very close, it is—in favour of an exact intonation—of advantage to learn them in the succession indicated.30

The exercises begin with simplicity, the first two remaining in first position and

covering the second, third and fourth partials in half notes. The next two exercises are the

same as the first two, merely being transposed down a step, so as to be played entirely in

third position. Second and fourth positions are introduced next, using the same two

exercises. The ninth exercise requires the student to play repeated B-flat3s, alternating

between first and sixth positions, presumably to teach the location of sixth position,

although no such explanation is offered. The two original exercises are then repeated in

sixth position. The three exercises that follow utilize the five positions introduced to that

point.

The author introduces seventh position in the same manner that he introduced

sixth position, this time having the student play A3 alternately in second and seventh

positions. As with the previously introduced positions, he then presents the first two

exercises transposed to seventh position.

Fifth position is introduced by alternating E-flat4 in first and short fifth positions.

This is in keeping with Slokar’s method of using alternate position notes to demonstrate

the location of the longer positions. With this example, however, the student locates a

shortened fifth position rather than the regular one. Slokar does not comment on this,

30 Ibid., 5.

23

except to indicate (with a “+”) that the E-flat4s should be played slightly higher. As

expected, the two original exercises are presented in fifth position.

The next three exercises (21-23) are all in the key of D and utilize all but first and

sixth positions. Exercise 24 contains long tones with gradual crescendos and

diminuendos, beginning with B-flat3 and continuing downward chromatically to A2.

Having introduced the positions one at a time, the author then presents exercises

of increasing difficulty, with growing demands of dynamics, range, and flexibility. Those

exercises emphasizing flexibility continue to be organized by position. The other

exercises are sequential patterns derived from chromatic scales. Slide positions are

indicated for every pitch in exercises 25-33. Additionally, pitches of the fifth partial are

labeled with +s, indicating that they must be raised slightly. No similar indications are

given for those pitches that need to be lowered because they are naturally sharp in the

harmonic series.

Exercises 34-37 are sequential patterns derived from scales and arpeggios in the

keys of E-flat and D. Exercises 38-45 include expanding intervals and alternate positions;

these elements are combined to focus on accuracy with slide placement. Exercises 46 and

47 present major arpeggios derived from the harmonic series in each of the seven

positions (E-flat, D, D-flat, C, C-flat, B-flat, and A). Exercise 48, like 24, combines long

tones with gradual dynamic changes; the range is now expanded upward to include B-

flat4.

Immediately following, the range ascends to E-flat5, as exercises 49 and 50

include major arpeggios (again, based on the harmonic series and organized by position)

that ascend to the eighth partial. In exercise 51, the student is required once more to drill

24

alternate positions, as the entire exercise consists of repeated pitches with alternate

positions placed adjacent to the corresponding traditional positions. Exercise 52 increases

in difficulty by placing pairs of chromatically adjacent major arpeggios in succession.

The arpeggios begin on A2 and progress in range all the way to F5.

The next six pages contain a slow scale and arpeggio exercise, beginning with the

key of C and continuing through all the major keys. Slokar’s brief instructions preceding

this section admonish the student to “gradually increase the tempo, but never at the

expense of accuracy.”31

Modal scales in all twelve major keys are then presented in two different patterns

of 8th and 16th notes. These are nearly identical to some of the modal scale exercises

found in the Arban method.32 Again, the author cautions against practicing these scale

etudes too fast. Because these modal scale patterns are sequential and presumably to

conserve space, the second pattern in each key is introduced but not written out in its

entirety. Additional space is saved by listing alternate key signatures for the exercises in

B-flat, E-flat, A-flat, D-flat, and G-flat, allowing each of them to be played a half step

higher in their corresponding sharp keys.

The book concludes with seven pages of warm-up exercises. Slokar has placed

these at the end of the book rather than at the beginning, because he intends for them to

be used by players who have already completed the preceding fourteen-day method. His

31 Ibid., 26. 32 Charles L. Randall and Simone Mantia, eds., Arban’s Famous Method for Slide and Valve Trombone and Baritone (New York: Carl Fischer, Inc., 1936), 63-78.

25

brief instructional comments indicate that these exercises are to be used as a warm-up

before playing etudes or concertos.33

The first two warm-up exercises incorporate an alternation of regular and “faked”

pitches (pitches buzzed by the player’s embouchure while the slide is in a position other

than the one required to resonate that pitch). No explanation is provided as to how to

achieve these pitches, nor to the benefit of such exercises. The third exercise is an exact

duplication of exercise 24, combining long tones with gradual crescendos and

diminuendos. Exercises 4-6 consist of slow lip slurs within the harmonic series of each

position. The range gradually increases to span from A2 to F5. The final exercise is a

chromatically expanding interval exercise that begins on B-flat3 and is repeated at each

ascending half step to E-flat5. The exercise requires maximum intervallic leaps of two

octaves.

Because most of the exercises in Slokar’s method are either chromatic sequences

or arpeggios based on the harmonic series of each slide position, an analysis of the keys

covered is irrelevant. Most of the exercises are not intended to be in any particular key.

The major scales, of course, are an exception. When tonalities are implied (through the

use of scales or arpeggios), they are always major. Articulations are sufficiently varied

between legato playing and detached playing, often within the same exercise. No further

distinction (other than slurred or non-slurred) is made. Slokar’s materials cover the entire

commonly used range of the alto trombone (A2 to F5). The upper range, however, does

not ascend above B-flat4 until the 11th day. The student is constantly reminded that the 5th

and 7th partials need to be played higher, as a “+” appears over these pitches. For reasons

33 Slokar, 36.

26

unexplained, no indication is given to lower pitches from the 6th partial which are usually

sharp.

The layout of the music is clear and legible. The English translation of Slokar’s

text is sometimes awkward and not idiomatic, requiring occasional inferences by the

reader to determine the author’s meaning. The systematic, gradual approach reflected in

this method helps to ensure consistent building of endurance for the student. None of the

exercises, however, are lyrical. Consequently, the student who uses this method

exclusively receives no melodic training on the alto trombone.

Anderson, Stephen C.: A Complete Method for E-flat Alto Trombone (in two

volumes)

Volume I

Of the three methods published in the 1980s, the method written by Stephen C.

Anderson is the most extensive. The method is published in two volumes. The first

volume contains an introduction, warm-ups and scales, technical and melodic etudes,

extended etudes and three of the most popular alto trombone concerti transposed down a

perfect fourth. It begins with three pages of text which include a preface, an introduction

and a conclusion. In the preface, Anderson clearly states his purpose in writing this

method:

Despite the fact that a few 20th century composers have used the alto trombone in major orchestral and operatic works, the instrument has remained virtually unused by the majority of modern trombonists until recently. Now there is a renewed interest in the alto trombone and therefore, there is a need for a

27

method book specifically designed to help the performer overcome the problems encountered with the instrument. It is towards this end that this book is written.34 The aspect that makes this method unique is Anderson’s threefold approach to

learning to read music on the alto trombone. Each of these methods is described in detail

in the introduction. The first method treats the alto trombone as a transposing instrument,

necessitating reading music that has been previously transposed down a fourth and

written in bass clef. Anderson writes:

Using this method, simply play the instrument as though you are playing a B-flat tenor trombone. When you play a written B-flat however, it will sound the E-flat a perfect fourth above. As you play the written pitches… the instrument will sound the pitches written in the alto clef [in the original key]… This may seem odd at first, but stay with it and go slowly to be certain that you have started on the correct pitch. As you progress it will become easy.35

Anderson’s second method is to simply read alto trombone music in alto clef (or,

presumably, in whatever clef it happens to be written) and play the actual pitches that

appear.

Like the first method, the third utilizes transposition. There is no need, however,

to actually rewrite the original music. Instead, the player must visualize the notes up or

down a given interval, mentally place the notes in a different clef, and then use the

positions those newly visualized notes would be in if they were played on tenor

trombone. The author’s clarification of these three possibilities appears in Figure 1.

34 Stephen C. Anderson, A Complete Method for E-flat Alto Trombone, vol.1 (Modern Editions, 1984), preface. 35 Ibid., introduction.

28

Figure 1. Three possible transposition methods as they appear in, Stephen C. Anderson, A Complete Method for E-flat Alto Trombone, vol. I, introduction, (no page number). Copyright © 1984 Stephen Anderson. Used with permission.

Because Anderson’s first method of reading requires that the music be transposed

down a fourth, every one of the exercises and etudes appears in both alto clef (on the

right facing page) and in transposed bass clef (on the left facing page). All of the music

appears in handwritten, but legible manuscript.

The warm-ups and scales, by Anderson’s own account, consist mostly of

exercises adapted from the warm-up studies of Emory Remington.36 Included are some

long tones, two articulation exercises, some lip slurs and flexibility exercises. In

contradiction to the opinions of Slokar and Parow, Anderson has adapted these warm-ups

by simply transposing them up a perfect fourth from their original setting for tenor

trombone. The section is short enough to serve as a warm-up, while still providing some

systematic work on fundamentals. Major, harmonic minor, and melodic minor scales are

36 Ibid.

29

then presented in single octave form in every key. No position chart is provided, although

positions are indicated for every note in the initial long tone exercise and for the first

several measures of each of the remaining warm-up exercises.

The technical and melodic etudes in the next section are progressively arranged

by both difficulty of key and technical level. These beginning etudes are short (most not

more than three lines long), in keeping with the progressive arrangement of the book. The

author states that “the technical studies are derived from the many exercises developed by

Arban, Mueller, and Kopprasch. They have been transposed, edited, and otherwise

adapted for use with the alto trombone.”37 Most of the melodic etudes are folk melodies

from various countries, similar to those found in sight-singing books, and a few are

written by the author.

Etudes in this section are grouped by key, with one page of technical, scale-

oriented etudes and one page of melodically oriented etudes in each key. The keys used

and their order of presentation are: E-flat, F, G, A-flat, B-flat, C, D-flat and D. In addition

to these major keys, single etudes in F minor and G minor are included with those of their

parallel major keys, and single etudes in A minor and B-flat minor may be found with

those of their relative major keys. The etudes are tonal, with little chromaticism.

The “Extended Etudes” are predictably longer and more difficult than those which

precede them. They are melodic with some technical challenges including flexibility and

articulation. Composers whose music has been adapted for this section include Jaroslav

Cimera (1885-1972), Sigmund Hering (1899-1986), and Giuseppe Concone (1801-1861).

They are again presented roughly in progressive order of length and technical difficulty.

The major keys represented by these etudes include C, F, B-flat, E-flat, and D. The keys 37 Ibid.

30

of F minor and B-flat minor are also used. Overwhelming preference is demonstrated for

flat keys, with the keys of B-flat, E-flat, and B-flat minor comprising 75% of the etudes.

The final section includes transposed (down a perfect fourth, in bass clef) versions

of what are arguably the three most popular alto trombone concerti, those by Johann

Georg Albrechtsberger (1736-1809), Georg Christoph Wagenseil (1715-1755), and

Leopold Mozart (1719-1787). These are of use only to those who choose to utilize

Anderson’s first method of reading music for the instrument. A list of published editions

of these works available at the date of writing (1984) is included. This is necessary

because, as the author states, students “will need to purchase the other versions to obtain

the accompaniments.”38

Volume II

In his introduction to the second volume, Anderson states that “the purpose of this

volume is to provide advanced materials for study on the Eb alto trombone.”39 The book

contains more difficult etudes than those found in the first volume. With a few exceptions

such as J. S. Bach and George Frideric Handel (1685-1759), the composers represented

are somewhat obscure. The content, however, is both musically satisfying and well

rounded, as a wide variety of styles and techniques is covered, while using interesting

melodic material. Anderson asserts that “generally, the exercises become progressively

more difficult, but there are a few restful exceptions.”40 Indeed, by the end of the volume,

38 Ibid., 59. 39 Anderson, vol.2 (Modern Editions, 1986), introduction. 40 Ibid.

31

the etudes encompass many wide leaps and arpeggios. The first nine etudes, however, are

arguably less challenging than the final extended etudes from the first volume.

Three of the etudes in the second volume (nos. 10, 11, and 23) are by C.

Kopprasch and can be found in Volume I of Kopprasch’s Sixty Selected Studies for

Trombone.41 Anderson has adapted them by transposing them up a fourth and placing

them in alto clef.

Major keys represented in this volume include C, F, B-flat, E-flat, A-flat, D-flat,

G, and D. Twenty-two of the thirty-three etudes are in major keys. The other eleven

encompass the keys of C minor, F minor, B-flat minor, E-flat minor, G minor and B

minor. The more difficult etudes exhibit increasing chromaticism and modulations and a

variety of articulations are represented.

One significant area of technique that is underrepresented in this volume is that of

the upper register. Only nine of the thirty-three etudes ascend above C5. Additionally, the

manuscript is smaller, more crowded and less precise than that of the first volume,

making it more difficult to read.

Overall, the two volume method by Anderson is a valuable pedagogical resource.

The progressively arranged etudes are melodically well-constructed and musically

satisfying. There is, however, little use of sharp keys in either volume. Few minor

tonalities appear in the first volume, although they do constitute a third of the material in

the second volume. The use of handwritten manuscript instead of computer-generated

notation makes reading the music more difficult than the other methods analyzed here.

Anderson’s method for reading alto trombone music in pre-transposed bass clef has never

41 C. Kopprasch, Sixty Selected Studies for Trombone, volume I (New York: Carl Fischer, Inc., 1905), 5-8.

32

become widely practiced, and very little of the growing repertoire of alto trombone

literature can be found in the transposed version required for this method.

Harvey, Roger: BrassWorkBook for Alto Trombone

The briefest of the methods presented here, Roger Harvey’s method is part of a

series of similar methods published for various brass instruments. In the preface, a

clarification is provided as to the purpose of the volumes in this series:

The BrassWorkBook series is aimed at those who have reached at least a moderate standard of performance skill on their instrument and now have the desire to develop their ability, in some cases, on an alternative related instrument. The books will not, therefore, dwell on the basics of brass playing; it will be assumed that the player has already acquired a reasonable knowledge of:

-embouchure formation -breath control -articulation and legato

Reminders of the basic requirements of a good set-up will, though, be made when applicable. The main focus of the books will be on the particular technical requirements of the instrument.42

The author goes on to list some of the specific elements that will be included in each

volume. No list is provided as to which instruments are addressed in the series, and no

volume number is provided for the alto trombone book.

Immediately following the preface is a section simply titled “The Alto

Trombone.” Here the author provides a brief history of the alto trombone and its use in

orchestral music. He also includes a few paragraphs in which he outlines his preferred

approach to practicing the instrument. In addition to encouraging the student to become

truly comfortable with the alto trombone and to practice it regularly, Harvey provides

further clarification as to the purpose of this volume: 42 Roger Harvey, BrassWorkBook for Alto Trombone, BrassWorkBooks (Essex: BrassWorks, 1998), 3.

33

It is assumed that the player is already aware of how to work on basic embouchure formation, production, legato and breath control. The exercises here should be used to develop a familiarity with the particular feel of the instrument and its tuning, to strengthen the high register, to become adept at reading in different clefs and to learn some of the repertoire.43

The remainder of the book is divided into six brief chapters; the first is titled

“Basic Exercises.” This chapter contains ten progressively arranged exercises. The first is

entirely in first position and uses only the second, third, and fourth partials in the

harmonic series. The second exercise uses only first and second positions and moves at a

slightly quicker pace than the first. Although this exercise is not technically difficult,

tonality is ambiguous, as the pitches seem to be chosen more for their slide placement

challenges than to create a melodic line. This establishes the trend for the rest of the

section; each successive exercise incorporates an additional slide position, while

becoming increasingly more difficult in terms of rhythmic complexity, abundance of

wide leaps, and the abandonment of tonality (in spite of the provided key signatures), in

order to constantly test and improve the student’s familiarity with the slide positions.

After introducing sixth position in exercise no. 6, Harvey waits until no. 9 to require the

use of seventh position. By this point, the exercises are quite challenging, no. 9

containing numerous 16th notes at a tempo marking of 132 beats per minute. The final

exercise continues this pattern. Before each exercise in this chapter, a sentence or two of

instruction is provided but, rather than comment on the exercises at hand, the statements

admonish the student to be diligent in pursuing solid fundamental elements of playing,

such as clear articulation and a focused sound. The range covered in this section is B-flat2

to B4.

43 Ibid., 4.

34

Chapter 2 is titled “Tuning and Slide Movement;” it contains scale and arpeggio

exercises, as well as those that drill specific intervals. The seventeen brief etudes that

constitute this section are, therefore, tonal and more predictable to the ear than those in

the previous chapter. The first nine etudes cover the keys of E-flat, F, G, A-flat, A, B-flat,

C, D-flat, and D, in that order. Some exercises use scale patterns while others use

arpeggios or various diatonic intervals. The tenth moves through the major arpeggios of

each key. Number 11 carries the heading, “Melodic minor scales.” It covers the melodic

minor scale in every key. Interestingly, the scales appear only ascending or descending,

never both directions in any one key. Exercises 12-17 each address a different interval,

from the second to the octave. As the intervals expand, the rhythmic complexities

increase, providing great challenge to the student. The range covered in chapter 2 is A2 to

D5. Figure 2 displays the challenging nature of these exercises.

35

Figure 2. Roger Harvey, BrassWorkBook for Alto Trombone, Chapter 2-Tuning and Slide Movement, Exercise 15, p.13. © Copyright BrassWorks 1998. Used with permission.

Development of the upper register is addressed in chapter 3. Harvey’s

introductory remarks stress the importance of a reasonable approach to this type of

practicing, cautioning the student against overexertion and recommending the playing of

some low notes between each exercise in order to stay relaxed. The two pages of

exercises that follow are similar to other methods in the techniques employed, using a

mixture of long tones, lip slurs, and wide intervals. Not until the final three exercises does

the range ascend above B4; exercises 6-8 all require the student to play up to E-flat5.

The fourth chapter contains material in clefs other than alto. The author’s remarks

provide a concise justification for their inclusion in this method:

Although almost all of the music that will be played on the alto will be in alto clef, it is useful to be comfortable in other clefs. Some parts are published in tenor or even treble clef and you may occasionally want to use the alto in high passages of a part written in bass clef. In Renassiance [sic] and early Baroque music you

36

may be given a part in any of a number of clefs; if you can read these parts easily you will be much appreciated.44

Eight short exercises follow. Four are in tenor clef, two are in treble clef (at concert

pitch), and two are in bass clef. The exercises are tonal and somewhat simpler in

technical demands than those in the preceding chapters. The range is also narrower (G3 to

C5).

Like Parow’s method, Harvey’s volume contains (in chapter 5) alto trombone

excerpts from the orchestral repertoire. Included in this section are Mozart’s Requiem and

his Mass in C, Gluck’s Alceste, Schumann’s Symphony no. 3, The Flood by Igor

Stravinsky (1882-1971), and The Burning Fiery Furnace by Benjamin Britten (1913-

1976). Harvey’s selection of excerpts (especially those by Stravinsky and Britten) make

this method even more unique. The twentieth century examples demonstrate the vastly

different way in which modern composers treated the alto trombone from their eighteenth

and nineteenth century counterparts. Although no such explanation is offered, it appears

that the excerpts were chosen for their representation of the various ways in which the

instrument has been used by orchestral composers. Most of the excerpts include a

sentence explaining how the alto trombone is used in that piece. In the two Mozart

examples, Harvey warns the student that, although the printed excerpt is in alto clef,

some editions use tenor clef or treble clef.

The final chapter consists of six extended and challenging etudes that have

apparently been composed by Harvey. Widely varied in style and containing difficult

chromaticism, wide leaps, shifting meters and complex rhythms, this section is a

culmination of the entire method. The range of the etudes extends from B-flat2 to D5.

44 Ibid., 16.

37

The BrassWorkBook for Alto Trombone is unique in the fact that the musical

material it incorporates is extremely demanding, especially in terms of the aural skills

required of the student to negotiate the difficult leaps contained in many of the atonal

exercises. Even the tonal exercises are quite technical in nature. Although the exercises

are arranged progressively within each chapter, the level of difficulty rises too quickly for

all but the most experienced of players. As quoted above, the preface does indeed state

that the volumes in this series are intended for those who have already acquired “a

moderate standard of performance skill on their instrument and now have the desire to

develop their ability…on an alternative related instrument.”45 Because, however, the slide

positions on the alto trombone are not only different for most pitches, but also shorter

than their corresponding tenor positions, the re-training of gross motor skills in the right

arm will likely necessitate a slower approach for most students, even those who already

have attained a high level of technical accuracy on the tenor trombone. The method

would be well suited for those players who have already become comfortable with the

alto trombone but are looking for more challenging material. Additionally, the inclusion

of some lesser known orchestral excerpts is an asset to this method.

Sluchin, Benny, comp. Study Material for the Alto Trombone (in four volumes)

Published from 2000 to 2002, the four volume method, Study Material for the

Alto Trombone, compiled by Benny Sluchin is by far the most extensive such work to

date. Although the material is generally arranged progressively throughout the four

volumes, there is some overlap in level of difficulty, as the volumes are arranged

45 Ibid., 3.

38

according to genre. Each volume will first be considered individually, after which, the

method as a whole will be summarized.

Volume 1

Sluchin’s first volume is also his longest. Like the other methods by European

authors (Parow and Slokar), this one contains text in more than one language.

Specifically, all of Sluchin’s text appears both in French and English. In his preface he

provides a brief overview of the volume’s contents:

This book provides study material for the alto. An introductory text gives facts and up-to-date details about the instrument. Following this, are etudes for the instrument, partly original (Victor Cornette) in a modern revision, partly arranged especially. The studies allow us to use known material in a comfortable register with legato and staccato articulations. Several studies are presented in a form of a duo with an accompaniment of a tenor trombone, common practice in the 19th century. In this way, special attention can be put on intonation. The Bordogni’s vocalises, in the original tonalities, have piano accompaniment to stress phrasing and musicality. Finally Bleger’s 31 studies, transposed up a fourth, are perfect to extend the register and concentrate on articulation.46

In the Table of Contents, Sluchin’s text is simply labeled “The alto trombone.”

These remarks begin, appropriately, with the introduction in which Sluchin states reasons

for using the alto trombone when performing appropriate literature. Sluchin points to the

current trend toward historically authentic performance practice and limitations of the

large bore tenor trombones commonly used today. The author cites supporting sources

from a brief (fifteen entries) bibliography at the end of the text. Sluchin cautions that, “It

is not a matter of owning an alto trombone to overcome register problems but of being

46 Benny Sluchin, comp., Study Material for the Alto Trombone, vol. 1 (Warwick, England: Warwick Music, 2000), 3.

39

able to use it effectively.”47 The purpose of his extensive (compared to other methods)

preliminary text is clarified by his statement that “it aims to provide practical information

as well as general reference material on the subject.”48

In the following section of Sluchin’s text, titled “Different types of high

trombones,” he provides a description of the various types of trombones pitched higher

than the B-flat tenor, including the B-flat soprano, F alto, E-flat alto, D-flat alto, and the

alto valve trombone. A diagram of the harmonic series for each type of trombone is

included. Sluchin asserts that the reason that the E-flat alto has come to be the favored

member of the alto trombone family is because many of the major works that are scored

for alto trombone are in E-flat. He mentions Schumann’s Symphony no. 3 (“The

Rhenish”), the Symphony no. 2 (“Lobgesang”) and “Ruy Blas” overture by Felix

Mendelssohn (1809-1847), and Schubert’s Mass in E-flat.

The following section of the text is titled simply “Description.” Here the author

gives a more detailed description of the E-flat alto trombone. He discusses dimensions,

explains why the alto is a non-transposing instrument, and again cautions that, although

the high register is slightly easier on alto than on tenor, it is “not a magic remedy for the

problematic high passages.”49 A chart that lists pitches by position and by the partial of

the harmonic series follows. Sluchin also includes a chromatic scale encompassing the

entire range of the instrument for which he includes all possible slide positions, a

practical reference for finding alternate positions. Figure 3 shows the chromatic chart as it

47 Ibid., 8. 48 Ibid. 49 Ibid., 13.

40

appears in the text. The layout of the positions in layers distinguishes the different

partials.

Figure 3. Benny Sluchin, comp., Study Material for the Alto Trombone, vol. 1, chromatic chart, page 14. © 2000 Warwick Music. Used with permission.

A third table shows all the executable glissandos on the instrument. Sluchin

concludes the section with a fourth chart that contains all the lip trills a minor third and

smaller that are attainable on the alto trombone. No positions are given, requiring one to

cross-reference the position chart or chromatic scale chart.

In the final section of the text, titled “Practical Problems,” Sluchin begins by

pointing out that the alto trombone is difficult to master for two reasons. First, it is

generally a second instrument, being played by someone whose primary instrument is

tenor trombone. Secondly, it is non-transposing, requiring the alto trombone student to

41

learn new positions for nearly every pitch. Additionally, the slide is shorter and positions

are closer together.

He then discusses two approaches to reading alto trombone music. The first

approach is simply to learn the new positions. In contrast, one can write out the part a

perfect fourth lower and use tenor trombone positions, making it a transposing

instrument. This approach is essentially the same as the first one in Anderson’s method,

although Sluchin makes no reference to the previously published method. He cautions,

however, that although the second method would allow for quicker initial progress, the

student must avoid the misconception that mastering the instrument means merely

producing the correct pitches, noting the shorter slide positions and unique response of

the alto.

Sluchin then addresses the concern of mouthpiece choice, bringing up the

challenge of finding the right balance between a mouthpiece that is proportional to the

smaller bore of the instrument and one that is similar in size to the player’s tenor

mouthpiece, making rapid changes between instruments easier. Following the wisdom of

both Parow and Slokar, he suggests a shallow mouthpiece with a rim identical in shape

and size to one’s tenor rim.

The purpose of the method is summarized in the final paragraph in which Sluchin

states that “to overcome the intonation problem on the alto, the player must know its

tuning tendencies, blow in proportions [sic] to the size of the tube and develop a correct

sense of centering the note. Correct slide positions and a knowledge of alternative

positions will also be necessary.”50

50 Ibid., 19.

42

The musical content is divided into four large sections, each one representing a

different source from which Sluchin has drawn the material. The first section is titled

“Exercises, Scales and Short Studies for the alto trombone with an accompaniment for

bass trombone,” taken from Méthode de Trombone alto, tenor et basse (ca. 1841) by

Victor Cornette (1795-1868). Standing at the front of this section is a reproduction of the

alto trombone position diagram from Cornette’s original. The illustration of the alto

trombone is not scaled to the dimensions of modern instruments, with locations of

positions relative to the bell being totally different. For each position, partials 2-7 of the

harmonic series are notated. At the bottom of the page, a simple, whole-note exercise

spanning partials 2-4 appears notated for each position. The next two pages contain more

exercises organized by position, with each one using ever-increasing intervallic leaps

between partials.

Two pages of scales follow. Major and melodic minor scales in every key are

printed in one octave, ascending and descending form. Positions are listed for every note;

however, many of the slide positions listed would be considered “alternate” positions

(any slide position other than the shortest possible one for that pitch) by many. Sluchin

offers no explanation for this, nor does he acknowledge that these are considered

alternate positions; close examination, however, reveals that most of these positions seem

to be used in order to place pitches a half step apart in the same partial. Others are used to

avoid the inherently flat seventh partial in the harmonic series. There are also seven notes

whose given slide positions are completely incorrect. Another significant typographical

error is present on the second page. The minor scales are presented in the order of the

circle of fifths, beginning with A minor. The key of D-sharp minor falls in its proper

43

place, and the correct key signature and slide positions are given. The printed pitches,

however, are all a whole step too low.

A chromatic scale spanning the commonly used range of the instrument (A2-

E-flat5) occupies the following page. Slide positions are provided for each note and,

again, the seventh partial is avoided through the use of alternate positions.

The next two pages contain exercises that address the intervals of a 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th,

7th, and octave as they occur in the key of Eb. A two-octave range (E-flat3 to E-flat5) is

covered.

Completing the first section of musical material are “Twelve short studies for the

alto trombone.” These etudes are all in the form of duets for alto trombone and bass

trombone.51 The bass trombone parts do not descend below F and are easily playable on

tenor trombone. The duets are progressively arranged, with alto trombone parts that

increase in rhythmic difficulty from half notes and whole notes in the early duets to

eighth and sixteenth notes near the end. Wide intervals and chromaticism are

predominant in the final duet. Four of the etudes are in E-flat, three are in B-flat, and two

are in F, with the remaining three being in C, C minor, and G minor. The range of the alto

trombone parts is E-flat 3 to C5.

Another pedagogical resource by Cornette, his Méthode de Trombone (ca. 1831),

is drawn upon by Sluchin for his second large musical section, “20 Lessons in the most

common keys.” Each “lesson” includes a solo etude and a duet for alto and tenor

trombone. The lessons are short, most occupying a single page. Each major key lesson is

immediately followed by the lesson in its relative minor, usually on the facing page. The

51 Although the lower part is in bass clef, it is not specifically indicated for bass trombone. However, the instrumentation is to be inferred from Sluchin’s title for the first section of music (“Exercises, Scales and short studies for the alto trombone with an accompaniment for bass trombone”).

44

keys are arranged in the following order: B-flat, G minor, E-flat, C minor, A-flat, F

minor, F, D minor, D-flat, B-flat minor, C, A minor, G, E minor, D, B minor, A, F-sharp,

G-flat, and E-flat minor. The etudes are arranged progressively, evidenced not only by

the order of presentation of the keys, but also by the increasing rhythmic complexities,

modulation and chromaticism. The range of these lessons is A2-C5.

The succeeding collection of 24 etudes is adapted from the vocalises of Bordogni.

Sluchin has placed them all in alto clef. He states in the preface that these vocalises are

in the original keys and that they have piano accompaniment, although the piano

accompaniments are not included in this method. Presumably, Sluchin means that the

vocalises may be played with the standard accompaniments, if so desired.

Students who are familiar with the collection of Bordogni vocalises compiled by

Johannes Rochut52 will recognize many of these etudes. All but one of them can be found

in the first 25 etudes in Rochut’s collection; most are in the same key. These etudes focus

primarily on development of a lyrical style in the low and middle registers of the alto

trombone. The overall range encompassed by these etudes is A2 to B-flat4.

The keys used in these etudes include C, G, D, A, F, B-flat, E-flat, A-flat, D-flat,

G minor, F minor, and A minor. The entire section has a major-to-minor ratio of 7:1 and

three times as many exercises in flat keys as those in sharp keys.

Completing Sluchin’s first volume is a collection of 31 Studies from Michel

Bléger’s Méthode de Trombone à Coulisse (ca. 1883). According to Sluchin, these

“studies, transposed up a fourth, are perfect to extend the register and concentrate on

52Marco Bordogni, Melodious Etudes for Trombone, vol. I, transcribed and arr. Joannes Rochut (New York: Carl Fischer, Inc., 1928).

45

articulation.”53 In contrast to the preceding vocalises by Bordogni, these etudes are more

technical in nature and focus on detached playing. They are somewhat predictable in

melodic construction, many of the melodies being generated by sequential patterns, and

they are primarily diatonic with numerous arpeggiated leaps. Tempo markings for most

of them are “Allegro,” with a predominance of 8th and 16th notes.

The first 20 exercises are progressively arranged, especially with regard to the

speed and flexibility required to navigate the expanding intervals and overall range. Four

of them (nos. 1, 2, 3, and 7) are also used by Anderson in his second volume (nos. 29, 33,

31, and 17, respectively). Exercises 21-29 are much shorter (two on each page) and less

melodic than the previous ones. They consist of a modal scale exercise presented in the

most common major keys. (Only the keys of E, B, and G-flat/F-sharp are excluded.)

These scale exercises are simple in design, but challenging in range, ascending to E-flat5.

The final two studies are melodic and quite challenging in flexibility, range and

articulation.

The tonalities used in these 31 studies include C, G, D, A, F, B-flat, E-flat, A-flat,

D-flat, G-flat, G minor, C minor, B-flat minor, B minor, and D minor. In total, 21 of the

exercises are in flat keys, 7 are in sharp keys, and 3 are in C. The major-to-minor ratio is

roughly 5:1 (26 majors, 5 minors).

In summary, Sluchin’s first volume is well-balanced in content and well-

organized in its presentation. The author’s text at the beginning is easy to read, being

informative and accurate, but not overly technical. The musical material is computer

generated and, therefore, highly legible. The volume is progressively arranged. There is a

balance of upper and lower registers, with the more extreme upper register pitches (those 53 Sluchin, 3.

46

above C5) not being introduced until the final section with the studies by Bléger. The

technical demands required of the student (especially those involving accuracy with wide

intervallic leaps) increase throughout the book as well. The mixture of sharp keys and flat

keys is well balanced. Because the modern alto trombone is pitched in E-flat, and because

much of its prominent literature is written in flat keys, it is not surprising that Sluchin has

chosen material that is predominantly in flat keys. All but the most difficult sharp keys

are, however, given adequate attention. Minor tonalities, granted nearly equal treatment

in the first half of the volume, appear much less frequently in the final two sections

(etudes by Bordogni and Bléger), the ratio of major to minor etudes being roughly 6:1.

Volume 2

Sluchin begins the preface to his second volume with the following:

In volume 1 of Study material for the alto trombone we combined an explanatory text concerning the instrument with various exercises. These exercises were written by authors of the 19th century (Victor Cornette, Michel Bléger et Jiulio-Marco Bordogni). The present volume follows the same guiding lines, it contains more difficult material from historical brass pedagogical sources. The studies exploit various aspects of playing: articulation, legato and reading different clefs, to enhance and motivate the alto trombone player.54

In order to attain his goal, Sluchin draws again from materials already proven to

be successful to trombone study. He uses etudes by Georg Kopprasch, more vocalises by

Bordogni, solfège exercises by Ambroise, and duets by W. A. Mozart.

The first section of musical material contains 24 studies taken from 60 Études

pour le Cor alto, Op. 5 (ca. 1832/33) by Georg Kopprasch. Sluchin has adapted these by

placing them in alto clef. These studies are primarily technical in nature, addressing

54 Benny Sluchin, comp., Study Material for the Alto Trombone, vol. 2 (Warwick, England: Warwick Music, 2000), 3.

47

issues such as intervals, flexibility, and articulation. Four of the etudes (nos. 3, 5, 6, and

12) bear striking similarities to etudes (nos. 4, 8, 9, and 14, respectively) found in the

popular Sixty Selected Studies for Trombone referenced above.55

This section includes etudes in the following keys: F, B-flat, E-flat, A-flat, D-flat,

D minor, C minor, F minor, and B-flat minor. Eleven of the 24 etudes are in B-flat, and

four are in F. Chromaticism can be found in varying degrees in all of the etudes. The

major-to-minor ratio is 5:1. The range requirement is A2 to D5.

The second section of this volume contains 12 vocalises by Bordogni. According

to Sluchin, these are taken from Bordogni’s “Book E.” They are in the original keys and

may be used with the piano accompaniment. (As in the first volume, no accompaniments

are provided.) These vocalises are considerably more difficult than those included in

Volume 1, requiring more interpretive expression, as well as a familiarity with more

complex meters and rhythms. Their extended length requires more endurance. The

tonalities of B-flat, E-flat, A-flat, G, A, and F minor are used, with 10 of the 12 being in

flat keys. The range spans from D3 to E-flat5. The increased creative and technical

demands of these etudes are clearly discernable in Figure 4.

The third part of this volume contains 18 studies taken from Léçons de Solfège à

changements des clef composées pour les examens & concours du Conservatoire de

Musique (1872-1896) by Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896). According to the preface,

Sluchin’s purpose in including these studies is primarily to improve the student’s ability

to read clefs other than alto clef. These etudes change clef constantly (often once or twice

55 C. Kopprasch, Sixty Selected Studies for Trombone, volume I (New York: Carl Fischer, Inc., 1905), 4-7, 10. This collection is an adaptation of Kopprasch’s 60 études pour le cor basse, Op. 6, accounting for the similarities. According to John Q. Ericson, “The Original Kopprasch Etudes,” The Horn Call: Journal of the International Horn Society 27, no. 2 (1997): 19, the discrepancy in the first name/initial is a result of an error by an early editor, Friedrich Gumpert, who “misread his [Kopprasch’s] first initial as ‘C.’”

48

in each line) between treble, alto, tenor, and bass. Like the similar section in Harvey’s

method, this is a valuable resource, as there are orchestral pieces in which the Trombone

I parts are often played on alto trombone, even though they are scored in a different clef.

The continuous shifting of clef provides a significant challenge. Mastery of these

exercises would ensure that the student is playing the instrument while thinking of and

hearing each pitch, rather than by simply memorizing positions for each note in the alto

staff. Adding further difficulty, these etudes push the limits of the student’s range,

ascending to F-sharp5, with an optional G5. The keys of F, B-flat, E-flat, A-flat, G, A, and

D minor are represented, with a flat key-to-sharp key ratio of 2:1. Chromaticism,

however, is prevalent, as are temporary modulations.

49

Figure 4. Giulio Marco Bordogni, Twelve Vocalises, no. 6 (measures 49-61), transcribed by Benny Sluchin in his Study Material for the Alto Trombone, vol. 2, page 49. © Warwick Music. Used with permission. The fourth and final section of Sluchin’s second volume contains 12 duets

by W. A. Mozart. Originally for two horns, Sluchin has adapted them for alto and tenor

trombone. According to the preface, some of the keys have been altered in order to place

the parts in a range accessible to alto and tenor trombones and to “provide some

variety.”56 Like the duets in the first volume, these are valuable teaching tools, as they

allow opportunity for the student to develop good intonation habits by playing with a

teacher or colleague. The demands of flexibility are not as great in this section as in the

preceding ones. Once again, a preference is seemingly demonstrated for flat keys, with

56 Sluchin, vol. 2, 4.

50

nine of the twelve exercises being in B-flat, E-flat, or F minor. Of the remaining

exercises, two are in C, and one is in D. The tessitura of the alto trombone parts is quite

high, rising to G5 while only occasionally descending to F3.

Volume 3

Sluchin’s third volume consists entirely of duets for alto and tenor trombone or

for two alto trombones. The duets encompass a wide range of musical styles, with

examples from the late Middle Ages through the early 19th century. The duets are

grouped by composer and are arranged roughly in chronological order.

In the preface, Sluchin lists the original instrumentation for the duets and provides

a concise biographical sketch for each composer whose works are represented. The

composers from whose repertoire the material is drawn include Johannès Ciconia (1335-

1411), Francesco Guami (1543-ca. 1602), Wenzel Kopprasch (ca. 1750-after 1832),

Louis-François Dauprat (1781-1868), Michel Correte (1709-1795), Carl Stamitz (1746-

1801), and Ludwig van Beethoven.

The two duets by Ciconia are adapted from his two-voice madrigals. The works of

Guami are represented by two ricercari from his Ricercari a due voci (1588). These first

four duets are, of course, modal rather than tonal.

Sluchin draws upon the works of Wenzel Kopprasch for eight of the duets in this

volume. Wenzel Kopprasch, father of Georg Kopprasch, composed a collection of duets

for horns entitled 8 Duos Concertants pour deux Cors. Sluchin has taken all of these

duets and placed the upper parts in alto clef and the lower parts in bass clef, while

maintaining the original keys. Four of the eight duets are in E-flat, two are in A-flat, and

51

the remaining two are in E-flat minor and C minor. Figure 5 demonstrates the tonal,

Classical style of these duets.

Figure 5. Wenzel Kopprasch, Eight Duos Concertants pour deux Cors, no. 2 (measures 1-12), transcribed by Benny Sluchin, from his Study Material for the Alto Trombone, vol. 3, p. 25. © 2003 Warwick Music Ltd. Used with permission.

The duet by Dauprat is taken from his 6 Duos opus 13 pour cor alto et cor basse

en mib. Because the original was composed for two distinctly different registers (alto and

bass), the transcription for alto and tenor trombone is logical. The piece is in E-flat.

The two duets that follow were both originally for similar instruments. The

Sonate in C major by Corrette was originally written for two cellos. Stamitz’ Duo in E-

flat Major was originally intended for performance by two violas. Both of these works

have been adapted by Sluchin for two alto trombones.

The volume concludes with a little-known work by Beethoven. In his preface,

Sluchin offers an explanation:

52

The humourous title “Duet with two obbligato eye-glasses” was probably intended for two musicians, friends of Beethoven, who wore eye-glasses. This piece, written for viola and cello, was composed between 1795 and 1798 and was found in a sketchbook of Beethoven’s early works conserved in the British Museum in London. …In this present adaptation, we avoided chords and transposed a few passages up or down an octave.57

The allegro movement (in E-flat) has been extracted and included in this collection.

The works in this third volume are largely in flat keys (especially E-flat) and

major tonalities. This is attributable to the fact that many of these works were originally

for E-flat horn, and Sluchin has endeavored to retain the original key wherever possible.

The lack of diversity in tonalities does not, however, lessen the pedagogical value of

these duets, as their technical demands are significant. Wide leaps, trills, and a range that

ascends with regularity to E-flat5 and even to F5, all combine to challenge the alto

trombonist beyond most of the material in the first two volumes.

This volume is useful, not only for teaching the alto trombone, but also to

challenge the professional and advanced student. Having been taken from the repertoire

of known and respected composers, the duets found here could also be used for chamber

music on a recital program.

Volume 4

Sluchin’s final volume58 contains 18 solo works for horn from the eighteenth and

nineteenth centuries. (Two of the works are actually the horn parts from horn quintets.)

The horn parts have been rewritten in alto clef and in concert pitch to adapt them for

57 Sluchin, vol. 3 (Warwick, England: Warwick Music, 2003), 5. 58 It is possible that Sluchin will continue to publish additional material. Although he does not indicate any such intention, he does not refer to this volume as his final one.

53

performance on alto trombone. The justification and reasons for providing this resource

are best conveyed by Sluchin’s own words:

The alto trombone was a fully-fledged solo instrument in a period dominated by Austro-Germain culture. Several concerti from this period are well known today (i.e. Albrechtsberger, Wagenseil, Leopold Mozart, Michael Haydn…). The instrument subsequently fell into disuse, and was not employed again as a solo instrument until modern times.

This particular situation motivated the present publication, the aim being to provide the alto trombone players with musically gratifying pieces written at different periods in order to develop and improve solo playing.

The French horn was much used as a solo instrument. Hand techniques made it chromatic and over the centuries important composers have written concertos for it. Most of these pieces were written in E-flat (a preferred tonality at the time according to J. F. Dauprat). The alto trombone, today mainly constructed in E-flat, is very well adapted to perform these pieces. The original tonality is thus conserved and the sound is close to that of the horn.59

The works included are as follows:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Concerto no. 1 in D, K. 412, 514 Concerto no. 2 in E-flat, K. 417 Concerto no. 3 in E-flat, K. 447 Concerto no. 4 in E-flat, K. 495 Rondo in E-flat, K.371 Concerto Movement in E, K. 494a Horn Quintet in E-flat, K. 407 (386c)

Franz Anton Hoffmeister (1754-1812) Horn Quintet in E-flat

Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) Concerto no. 1 in D, Hob VIId:3 Concerto no. 2 in D, Hob VIId:4

Jan Krtitel Jiri Neruda (c. 1708-1780) Concerto in E-flat

Carl Stamitz (1745-1801) Concerto in E-flat

Carl Reinecke (1824-1910) Notturno

Franz Danzi (1763-1826) Concerto in E-flat

Christoph Förster (1693-1745) Concerto in E-flat

Franz Strauss (1822-1905) Concerto, Op. 8

Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773) Concerto in E-flat

Francesco Antonio Rosetti (1750-1792) Concerto no. 2 in E-flat

59 Sluchin, vol. 4 (Warwick, England: Warwick Music, 2003), 3.

54

This is a practical resource. Before publication of the volume, alto trombonists

who desired to perform horn repertoire on their instrument had either to rewrite them in

alto clef, or read the original horn parts, transposing at sight or visualizing an obscure

clef, such as mezzo-soprano clef. By rescoring these pieces, Sluchin has, in effect,

expanded the available solo repertoire for the instrument. Of course, the concept of

borrowing from the horn repertoire for the alto trombone is not new. No other resource,

however, makes so much of this literature easily accessible to the alto trombone soloist.

Accompaniments are not included, as the previously published versions for horn are

readily available elsewhere.

Summary

Taken as a whole, the four-volume method by Sluchin is, by far, the most

thorough one available. Not only does the method address the expected areas of technical

development, such as learning of new slide positions, flexibility, various types of

articulation, and multiple styles, but it also contains several unique and practical

resources, including concise but informative introductory text at the beginning of each

volume, numerous duets for the perfecting of intonation and development of ensemble

playing, and adapted versions of solo horn repertoire. The notation is clean and legible.

Each volume is spiral bound for durability and ease of use.

Conclusion

The methods analyzed above each take a different approach to mastering the alto

trombone. Each method contains one or more practical elements that are unique. Parow’s

55

method contains orchestral excerpts from pieces commonly performed on alto trombone.

The book by Slokar focuses on developing physical endurance with its strict, two-week

regimen of increasing amounts of practice time. The Anderson method includes

transposed bass clef versions of every exercise to facilitate use of an alternate approach to

reading music for the instrument. Harvey’s method presents orchestral excerpts that are

not as common and exercises of great technical challenge. Finally, Sluchin, in his four-

volume collection, provides extensive duet materials, as well as adapted versions of well-

known repertoire for solo horn. Instructors who are familiar with these methods can make

informed choices concerning which, if any, they choose to incorporate into their

pedagogical approach to the instrument. Statistics from the survey of college and

university trombone instructors are presented in chapter 5; from them, conclusions can be

drawn regarding teachers’ familiarity with these methods and the frequency with which

they are currently being used in the United States.

56

CHAPTER IV

RECENT TRENDS IN STUDENT PERFORMANCE

Introduction

Since its inception in 1972, the International Trombone Association has published

the ITA Journal. Originally an annual publication that contained only scholarly articles,

the ITA Journal was expanded in scope in 1982 to include not only scholarly research,

but also news, regular columns, and feature articles; in its new format, the ITA Journal

became a quarterly publication. Many of the newly added items had previously been

included in a separate publication, the ITA Newsletter, published from 1973 to 1981. One

of the regular features of the ITA Newsletter was a section titled “Programs,” which

included program information from recent performances by International Trombone

Association members. Submission of programs was entirely voluntary. Program

information was sometimes reported in a relatively standardized typewritten format.

Occasionally, the actual programs were simply photocopied and reduced in size in order

to fit several on each page of the newsletter.

For the first few years, no formal distinction of recital types (faculty, student, etc.)

was made, and such information could only be gleaned from the programs that made

those aspects clear. It was not until 1979 that clear determinations could be made as to

which of the reported recitals were performed by students. Since that time the recital

programs have been listed by the categories: “Faculty and Professional,” “Ensemble

57

Concerts,” and “Student Recitals.” Since 1979, all student recitals have been listed in a

standard format that includes: the student’s name; instrument (“trombone,” “bass

trombone,” “alto and tenor trombones,” etc.); name of the college, university, or other

venue; the type of recital (“senior,” “junior,” “graduate,” etc., if such information was

printed on the submitted program); and the date of performance. Immediately following

is a list of pieces performed, with titles on the left and composers’ last names on the right.

In 1982, when the ITA Newsletter was discontinued and its contents incorporated into the

newly expanded ITA Journal, the reporting of recent recital programs became a

permanent feature of the “Literature” department of the ITA Journal.

Given the aforementioned ongoing alto trombone renaissance, one could expect to

identify trends of the instrument’s increasing popularity on student recitals. This

renaissance can be identified through an examination of the literature performed on

recital programs across the United States.

Methodology

Data were recorded from lists of student recitals published in the ITA Newsletter

from 1979-1981, and in the ITA Journal from 1982-2004. When collecting data regarding

the total number of recitals reported in a given year, several parameters were observed.

Because the scope of this project is limited to trends in alto trombone pedagogy in the

United States, no recitals presented in foreign countries were considered. Those recitals

that listed only bass trombone as the player’s instrument were also excluded. Recitals that

included only jazz literature were not included. Finally, because of their unique nature

and specific subject matter, all recitals designated as “lecture recitals” were not counted.

58

Recitals were counted in the year that they were reported, not necessarily in the

year in which they were performed. Recitals were classified in one of seven categories

based on type:

Doctoral: Includes all recitals specifically associated with any doctoral degree (D.M.A., Ph.D., etc.)

Master’s: Includes all recitals specifically referred to as “master’s” Graduate: Includes all recitals specifically referred to as “graduate” Senior: Includes all recitals specifically referred to as “senior” Junior: Includes all recitals specifically referred to as “junior” Other: Includes all recitals listed by some type not specifically

listed above (“student,” “sophomore,” “elective,” etc.) Non-Specific: Includes all recitals whose type was not listed in any way

Results were calculated for each category. Since, however, the term “Graduate

Recital” could refer to the master’s or doctoral level, obtaining comprehensive data for

either of those two categories (master’s and doctoral) was obviously impossible.

Therefore, a category titled “Total Graduate” was created which includes combined data

from all three of the categories. Likewise, for purposes of comparison with the “Total

Graduate” category, data were combined from the “Senior,” “Junior,” “Other,” and

“Non-Specific” categories and reported under the heading, “Total Undergraduate.” In so

doing, the assumption was made that recitals listed as “Student Recital” or “Elective

Recital,” as well as those for which no type was specified, were all undergraduate

recitals.

Determining which recitals used alto trombone presented a significant challenge.

Those recitals which specifically listed alto trombone were obviously included. There

59

were, however, many recitals that listed simply “trombone” as the instrument but

included literature that is commonly performed on alto trombone, such as the concertos

by Wagenseil, Albrechtsberger, and Leopold Mozart. These were recorded separately and

overall percentages of recitals that used alto trombone were tabulated both with and

without them. In tabulating the percentages for the individual categories, all recitals that

listed alto trombone along with those that included common alto trombone repertoire

were assumed to have used alto trombone.

When compiling data regarding alto trombone literature performed on recitals,

Robert Kehle’s online resource, The Alto Trombone Home Page,60 was consulted as the

primary source61 for determining which pieces were intended for performance on alto

trombone. Of the 137 recitals that listed alto trombone from 1979-2004, thirteen included

no literature from the standard alto trombone solo or chamber repertoire as listed by

Kehle. Because these recitals clearly indicated alto trombone, they were still counted as

having used the instrument, although no assumption was made as to which pieces were

actually performed on the alto trombone. It was assumed that there was at least one alto

trombone piece performed on each of these recitals; therefore, in calculating literature

frequency percentages, one piece from each of these recitals is included and the title

designated as “indeterminable.”

All percentages were rounded to the nearest tenth of a percentage point

throughout the study. 60 Robert Kehle, The Alto Trombone Home Page; available from http://www.pittstate.edu/music/altotrombonehomepage.html; Internet; accessed 9 March 2005. Kehle’s is currently the most extensive database of its kind. 61 One piece, Alma ingrate, by Joseph I, Emperor of Austria could not be found in Kehle’s lists, but has been recorded by Christian Lindberg on alto sackbut. (Trombone and Voice in the Habsburg Empire, Monica Groop, mezzo-soprano and Christian Lindberg, trombone, BIS CD-548 STEREO.) This was considered sufficient grounds for including the piece in the literature tabulations.

60

Results: Alto trombone inclusion statistics

Table 1 shows how many recitals were reported each year and what percentage of

them listed alto trombone. The steady increase in percentage that was anticipated does

not exist. When comparing the percentages from the last two decades, a significant

increase can be seen. The more than half of the percentages from 1985-1994 were less

than 6%. In contrast, most of the percentages from 1995-2004 were greater than 10%.

Table 1. Recitals that listed alto trombone

Year Recitals reported

Recitals listing alto trombone

Percentage with alto trombone

1979 39 3 7.7 1980 50 4 8.0 1981 34 1 2.9 1982 42 10 23.8 1983 41 5 12.2 1984 56 4 7.1 1985 60 5 8.3 1986 68 2 2.9 1987 67 3 4.5 1988 67 2 3.0 1989 46 2 4.3 1990 42 4 9.5 1991 68 3 4.4 1992 55 3 5.5 1993 63 6 9.5 1994 67 7 10.4 1995 57 11 19.3 1996 67 12 17.9 1997 51 2 3.9 1998 49 5 10.2 1999 59 4 6.8 2000 57 9 15.8 2001 55 5 9.1 2002 48 7 14.6 2003 49 11 22.4 2004 62 7 11.3

61

When recitals that included common alto trombone literature (even though alto

trombone was not specifically listed) are added to the totals, the resulting percentages

exhibit similar tendencies. Table 2 provides percentages for those recitals that likely used

alto trombone.

Table 2. Recitals that likely used alto trombone

Year Recitals reported

Recitals listing alto trombone

Recitals with alto trombone

literature

Percentage that likely used alto

trombone 1979 39 3 9 30.8 1980 50 4 7 22.0 1981 34 1 5 17.6 1982 42 10 3 31.0 1983 41 5 3 19.5 1984 56 4 7 19.6 1985 60 5 6 18.3 1986 68 2 11 19.1 1987 67 3 10 19.4 1988 67 2 8 14.9 1989 46 2 2 8.7 1990 42 4 14 42.9 1991 68 3 9 17.6 1992 55 3 6 16.4 1993 63 6 7 20.6 1994 67 7 7 20.9 1995 57 11 8 33.3 1996 67 12 5 25.4 1997 51 2 4 11.8 1998 49 5 4 18.4 1999 59 4 1 8.5 2000 57 9 5 24.6 2001 55 5 2 12.7 2002 48 7 3 20.8 2003 49 11 2 26.5 2004 62 7 4 17.1

Here again, the percentages exhibit no consistent upward or downward trend.

Even when comparing percentages over the last two decades, no significant trends are

62

observable. Figure 6 compares the percentage of recitals that listed alto trombone with

the percentage of recitals that likely used alto trombone.

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Recitals listing alto trombone Recitals that likely used alto trombone

Figure 6. Percentages of recitals with alto trombone

With the exception of 1990, the year-by-year trends are similar for those recitals

that listed alto trombone and those that likely used alto trombone. No explanation could

be found for the sharp rise in the percentage that likely used alto trombone in 1990. It

should be noted that, in the past decade (1995-2004) the gap between the two percentages

has significantly declined, possibly indicating a trend toward more specific indications by

students of instruments used on recital programs. Another possible explanation could be

that, in the earlier years, some of the recitals assumed to have used alto trombone because

of the literature listed were actually played entirely on tenor trombone.

63

As previously stated, comparing the percentages of recitals using alto trombone

between doctoral and master’s students is difficult to do with accuracy, as many students

listed their recitals simply with the designation, “graduate recital.” For comparison, the

percentages of doctoral and master’s recitals that used alto trombone are listed in Table 3,

below.

Table 3. Doctoral and master’s recitals that used alto trombone62

Year Doctoral recitals reported

Doctoral recitals with

alto trombone

Percentage of doctoral recitals

with alto trombone

Master’s recitals reported

Master’s recitals with

alto trombone

Percentage of master’s recitals

with alto trombone

1979 2 2 100.0 1 0 0.0 1980 4 0 0.0 3 2 66.7 1981 7 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 1982 4 2 50.0 7 4 57.1 1983 1 0 0.0 1 1 100.0 1984 5 2 40.0 4 0 0.0 1985 6 1 16.7 1 0 0.0 1986 4 2 50.0 1 0 0.0 1987 12 5 41.7 9 2 22.2 1988 8 4 50.0 9 3 33.3 1989 5 0 0.0 11 1 9.1 1990 5 2 40.0 9 5 55.6 1991 6 2 33.3 8 1 12.5 1992 7 1 14.3 16 4 25.0 1993 16 6 37.5 9 1 11.1 1994 19 7 36.8 15 3 20.0 1995 10 6 60.0 13 8 61.5 1996 7 3 42.9 12 4 33.3 1997 8 1 12.5 12 4 33.3 1998 3 2 66.7 16 4 25.0 1999 6 1 16.7 15 1 6.7 2000 6 4 66.7 14 6 42.9 2001 5 3 60.0 12 3 25.0 2002 8 5 62.5 8 2 25.0 2003 6 2 33.3 7 3 42.9 2004 13 4 30.8 18 5 27.8

62 From this point forward, unless otherwise indicated, all references to recitals that used alto trombone will include both those that specifically listed the instrument and those recitals that had no such indication but which contained common alto trombone literature.

64

Again, there was no steady upward trend, as had been expected. If the percentages

for the last two decades (1985-1994 and 1995-2004) are compared, however, an overall

upward trend can be observed. In eight of ten years during the first decade (1985-1994)

the percentages of doctoral recitals using alto trombone were less than 42%. In the next

ten years (1995-2004) a majority of the percentages are greater than 42%. An even

greater difference is evident in master’s recitals. Only three of the ten years in the first

decade had percentages of 25% or greater, while nine years in the last decade had

percentages of 25% or greater. The percentage of master’s recitals using alto trombone

was lower than the percentage for doctoral recitals in all but nine years throughout the

study.

Because a significant amount of recitals were reported simply as “graduate”

recitals, these data cannot be ignored. By combining the data from all three categories

(doctoral, master’s, and “graduate”), trends in programming of all graduate recitals can

be examined. Figure 7 demonstrates the notable trends.

65

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Figure 7. Percentage of all graduate recitals using alto trombone

With the exception of 1979, when there were only six graduate recitals reported

altogether, the chart demonstrates a gradual increase in alto trombone use. A comparison

of the last two decades confirms this. Six of the ten percentages from 1985-1994 were

below 30%; during the next ten years, eight of the percentages were above 30%.

The data for undergraduate recitals indicate mixed trends in the use of alto

trombone. Table 4 shows the raw numbers as well as the corresponding percentages for

both senior and junior recitals.

66

Table 4. Senior and junior recitals with alto trombone

Year Senior recitals reported

Senior recitals with alto trombone

Percentage of senior recitals

with alto trombone

Junior recitals reported

Junior recitals with alto trombone

Percentage of junior recitals

with alto trombone

1979 10 1 10.0 4 1 25.0 1980 13 1 7.7 2 1 50.0 1981 18 4 22.2 1 0 0.0 1982 19 4 21.1 1 0 0.0 1983 13 2 15.4 3 0 0.0 1984 19 3 15.8 5 0 0.0 1985 24 3 12.5 8 1 12.5 1986 21 3 14.3 13 1 7.7 1987 21 5 23.8 7 0 0.0 1988 18 2 11.1 9 0 0.0 1989 13 1 7.7 3 0 0.0 1990 9 2 22.2 4 1 25.0 1991 21 3 14.3 9 1 11.1 1992 14 1 7.1 2 0 0.0 1993 21 1 14.3 0 0 0.0 1994 14 1 7.1 4 1 25.0 1995 11 1 9.1 11 3 27.3 1996 19 3 15.8 8 1 12.5 1997 19 1 5.3 4 0 0.0 1998 10 1 10.0 10 1 10.0 1999 11 0 0.0 11 3 27.3 2000 16 3 18.8 9 0 0.0 2001 21 0 0.0 6 1 16.7 2002 16 1 6.3 7 0 0.0 2003 10 0 0.0 12 4 33.3 2004 16 1 6.3 8 0 0.0

The percentage of senior recitals using alto trombone has declined in recent years.

Seven of ten senior recital percentages from 1985-1994 were above 10%, while only two

percentages from the following decade (1995-2004) were greater than 10%.

Conversely, the percentages for junior recitals reveal a trend toward increased use

of alto trombone. Only four of the ten percentages from 1985-1994 were greater than

10%, while six of ten percentages were 10% or above in the following ten years. Figure 8

permits a comparison between the trends for senior and junior recitals.

67

0.0

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60.0

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Senior recitals Junior recitals

Figure 8. Percentages of senior and junior recitals using alto trombone. It should be noted that in 1993, no junior recitals were reported.

From this chart, the general downward trend in senior recital percentages is

clearly visible. Drawing conclusions regarding junior recital percentages is more difficult.

Although the swings from high to low have increased in recent years, four times in the

past decade, no junior recitals have included alto trombone. No explanation can presently

be offered for the relatively wide shifts in percentages from year to year. Also

unexplainable is the fact that the upward and downward shifts in both categories since

1999 are directly opposite of each other.

The data for the recitals categorized as “Other” and “Non-Specific” are shown in

Table 5. The low numbers of reported recitals in the “Other” category (except for 1979,

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no year contained more than eight) make a meaningful analysis of the resulting

percentages difficult. The 100% of “Other” recitals that used alto trombone in 1981, for

example, has little significance, since there was only one recital reported in this category.

The numbers of reported recitals in the “non-specific” category are slightly larger. Only

six years in twenty-six, however, contain ten or more reported recitals. Furthermore, both

categories are widely defined, making any attempt at explaining trends or lack thereof for

these individual categories little more than speculation.

Table 5. Other and non-specific recitals that used alto trombone

Year Other

recitals reported

Other recitals with alto trombone

Percentage of other recitals

with alto trombone

Non-specific recitals reported

Non-specific recitals with

alto trombone

Percentage of non-specific recitals with

alto trombone 1979 16 4 25.0 4 1 25.0 1980 5 0 0.0 9 1 11.1 1981 1 1 100.0 1 0 0.0 1982 1 0 0.0 3 0 0.0 1983 4 0 0.0 5 1 20.0 1984 2 0 0.0 3 0 0.0 1985 4 0 0.0 6 1 16.7 1986 2 0 0.0 7 1 14.3 1987 2 0 0.0 15 1 6.7 1988 1 0 0.0 16 0 0.0 1989 3 0 0.0 9 2 22.2 1990 2 0 0.0 10 6 60.0 1991 3 1 33.3 13 1 7.7 1992 8 1 12.5 6 0 0.0 1993 5 0 0.0 8 2 25.0 1994 3 0 0.0 10 2 20.0 1995 5 0 0.0 7 1 14.3 1996 7 0 0.0 11 6 54.5 1997 2 0 0.0 6 0 0.0 1998 3 0 0.0 7 0 0.0 1999 7 0 0.0 7 0 0.0 2000 4 0 0.0 5 0 0.0 2001 2 0 0.0 7 0 0.0 2002 1 0 0.0 6 2 33.3 2003 7 1 14.3 5 2 40.0 2004 2 0 0.0 4 0 0.0

69

It is likely that most, if not all, of the recitals in these two categories are

undergraduate level recitals. Those in the “Other” category are mostly recitals labeled as,

“sophomore,” “freshman,” “elective,” or simply, “student.” It is difficult to declare with

certainty that all the recitals that are “non-specific” are actually undergraduate recitals.

Figure 9 shows that the inclusion of the “other” and “non-specific” recital data along with

those of senior and junior recitals have little effect on the overall percentages. Regardless

of whether or not the data from the “other” and “non-specific” recitals are included, a

gradual but definite downward trend can be observed.

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All undergraduate (incl. "other" and "non-specific") Senior and junior

Figure 9. Undergraduate recitals with alto trombone—comparison

70

Finally, overall percentages for alto trombone use during the period of the study

were calculated. These percentages were obtained for each category by dividing the total

number of recitals with alto trombone (from 1979-2004) by the total number of recitals

reported in that same period. Because these percentages include data from the entire time

span of the study, they cannot demonstrate trends over time. They are of value for

comparison of the general tendencies between categories. The results are presented in

Table 6.

Table 6. Overall percentages of alto trombone use throughout the study by category

Category PercentageDoctoral recitals with alto trombone 36.6 Master’s recitals with alto trombone 29.0 Total graduate recitals with alto trombone 32.6 Senior recitals with alto trombone 12.0 Junior recitals with alto trombone 12.4 Total undergraduate (including “other” and “non-specific”) recitals with alto trombone 12.4

Clearly, the theory that most trombone instructors believe the graduate level to be

the appropriate time to begin the study of alto trombone is supported by the results above.

While nearly a third of all graduate recitals used alto trombone, the instrument was used

on only about one in eight undergraduate recitals. A significantly higher percentage of

doctoral recitals contained alto trombone than did those at the master’s level.

71

Results: Alto trombone literature statistics

There were 273 pieces from the standard alto trombone repertoire (as defined

above) reported from 1979-2004. In addition, there were thirteen recitals that listed alto

trombone but contained no literature from the standard repertoire. As stated above, it was

assumed that each of these recitals contained one piece for alto trombone. These thirteen

“indeterminable” pieces were therefore added to the total number of alto trombone pieces

reported, bringing the total to 286. Of these, 132 were performances of the Concerto in E-

flat by Wagenseil.63 Albrechtsberger’s Concerto in B-flat was a distant second, with fifty-

seven occurrences. The Concerto in D, by Leopold Mozart appeared on nineteen

programs and the Sonata in E-flat by Gottfried Finger was listed twelve times. Table 7

lists, in descending order of frequency, all of the alto trombone pieces that were included

on recital programs from 1979-2004.

63 The popularity of this piece is not surprising, as it is in E-flat and contains little technically demanding material, making it a common choice as the first alto trombone solo piece.

72

Table 7. Alto trombone literature: frequencies and percentages

Piece Performances Percentage of total performances (286)

Wagenseil: Concerto in E-flat 132 46.2 Albrechtsberger: Concerto in B-flat 57 19.9 L. Mozart: Concerto in D 19 6.6 Finger: Sonata in E-flat 12 4.2 M. Haydn: Adagio and Allegro molto 8 2.8 Besozzi: Sonata 7 2.4 M. Haydn: Larghetto 5 1.7 Anonymous/Wagner: Sonata 4 1.4 Hornoff: Suite 4 1.4 Joseph I: Alma Ingrate 3 1.0 Fux: Alma redemptoris mater 2 0.7 Appert: Maskil 2 0.7 Hindemith: Sonata for Alto Horn 2 0.7 Vejvanovsky: Sonata Tribus Quadrantibus 2 0.7 Albinoni: Concerto 1 0.3 Haydn: Adagio64 1 0.3 M. Haydn: Concerto 1 0.3 Loillet: Sonata in G Minor 1 0.3 Marini-Bassett/Chasanov: Sonata for Alto and Tenor Trombones 1 0.3

Potter: Canzonetta for Alto Trombone 1 0.3 Schumann: Romances 1 0.3 Strauss: Concerto no. 1 for Horn 1 0.3 Tartini: Concerto 1 0.3 Vejvanovsky: Sonata a 5 1 0.3 Wagenseil: Memoriam from Confitibor 1 0.3 “Indeterminable” pieces 13 (1 each) (0.3 each)

No trends regarding choice of literature were observable over the course of the

study. Even when looking at the data for the Wagenseil concerto, there is no clear

increase or decrease in its use. Figure 10 demonstrates the fluctuations and lack of clearly

discernable upward or downward trends in the performances of the Wagenseil concerto.

64 This is probably another occurrence of the Adagio et Allegro molto by M. Haydn.

73

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Figure 10. Wagenseil concerto—percentages of all alto trombone literature by year

Not surprisingly, there are no observable trends for the Wagenseil concerto even

when the data for individual categories of recitals are analyzed. Figure 11 shows the

comparison of percentages for the Wagenseil between graduate and undergraduate

recitals.

74

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Figure 11. Wagenseil concerto—percentage comparison. With the exception of the graduate data from 1996, all percentages of 0 and 100 occurred in years for which only one alto trombone piece was recorded in that category.

Assertions can be made, however, regarding the choices of literature when

comparing graduate and undergraduate recitals. Of the 286 total alto trombone pieces

reported, 180 were listed on graduate recitals, and 106 were listed on undergraduate

recitals. Of the 180 pieces on graduate recitals, only 69 (38.3%) were the Wagenseil

concerto. In contrast, 63 (59.4%) of the 106 alto trombone pieces listed on undergraduate

recitals were performances of the Wagenseil concerto. If the assumption is made that the

Wagenseil concerto is often the first piece performed on the alto trombone by students,

then it is likely that more of the graduate students had previous experience on the

75

instrument and, therefore exhibited more diverse literature choices. The lower difficulty

level of the Wagenseil may also have contributed to the stronger tendency of

undergraduates to choose the piece.

A contrasting tendency is evident from the data regarding the choice of the more

difficult Albrechtsberger Concerto in B-flat. Graduate students performed the piece

21.1% of the time (38 of 180 pieces performed), while the piece accounted for only

17.9% (19 of 106) of all undergraduate alto trombone performances. The percentages for

the third ranking piece, the concerto by Leopold Mozart, are nearly identical (graduate

recitals, 6.7%; undergraduate recitals, 6.6%), but the sonata by Finger (the fourth most

commonly performed piece) was largely chosen by graduate students (ten of the twelve

performances were on graduate recitals). The pieces ranking lower on the list of total

repertoire choices were performed so few times as to make any such analysis of no value.

Conclusion

The voluntary, self-reporting of information regarding student recital programs in

the publications of the International Trombone Association must be noted when

analyzing the data contained therein. Reporting statistics may have been significantly

influenced by the level of students’ interest, involvement, and participation in the

International Trombone Association. The level of involvement by teachers likely

influenced the reporting of results as well. Given the scope of this study and the resources

available, it is impossible to determine what impact, if any, these and other factors have

had on the results of the study. Therefore, any conclusions that are drawn must be viewed

with these factors in mind.

76

The most surprising results of the study were the lack of strong upward trends in

the percentage of alto trombone use on recitals across the categories. A slight fluctuation

from year to year was to be expected. The fact that there was only a slight increase in the

last decade (as compared to the previous decade) of the percentage of recitals that likely

used alto trombone is an indication that, perhaps the renewed interest in the instrument,

as discussed in chapter 2, has not had the impact on teachers’ and students’ decisions to

study the instrument that was expected.

The upward trend in alto trombone performance on the graduate level (when

comparing the last decade with the previous decade), coupled with the downward trend in

alto trombone performance on senior recitals (from the same decade-by-decade

comparison), would seem to indicate that teachers are, in recent years, delaying their

introduction of the instrument until the graduate level.

The increase in alto trombone programming on doctoral recitals, along with the

fact that doctoral recitals had the highest percentage of alto trombone use, is probably an

indication of the assumption by teachers and students alike that adequate knowledge of

the instrument is becoming an increasingly valuable skill to possess when seeking a

university teaching position.

The slightly higher percentage of alto trombone inclusion on junior recitals than

on senior recitals is likely due to the fact that junior recitals are often only required for

performance degrees, thus implying that students performing on these recitals were

generally more advanced as performers and more likely to begin alto trombone study at

an earlier point in their careers. Degree programs were not indicated in the data reported,

preventing verification of this premise.

77

Regarding literature choices, a preference continues to exist for the traditionally

popular pieces, especially the concertos of Wagenseil and Albrechtsberger. This

preference exists in spite of the fact that the available repertoire for the alto trombone

grows each year, as modern composers continue to write for the instrument. It is likely

that many of today’s teachers utilize, in their teaching of the instrument, the literature

with which they themselves are familiar. As teachers begin to perform some of these

newer works, they will likely recognize their pedagogical value and incorporate some of

them into their instruction. When this occurs, alto trombone programming on recitals will

become more diverse.

78

CHAPTER V

CURRENT ALTO TROMBONE PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICE

Hypothesis

In an attempt to ascertain the manner in which alto trombone is currently being

taught on the college or university level in the United States, a survey of trombone

instructors was designed and implemented. It was hypothesized that the survey would

reveal certain tendencies among trombone instructors at the university level and that

these tendencies would be evident in areas such as how teachers had learned the

instrument and, in turn, how they taught it to students. Certain pieces (both solo literature

and orchestral excerpts) were expected to be dominant as choices for the beginning alto

trombone student.65 Tendencies were also anticipated with regard to teachers’ equipment

preferences for their alto trombone students. Finally, it was expected that teachers’

ratings of those alto trombone methods with which they are familiar would reveal which

methods are the most popular and why.

65 The concerto by Wagenseil and the chorale from the fourth movement of Schumann’s Symphony no. 3 (“The Rhenish”) were expected, because of their key (E-flat) and relative technical ease, to be the most common choices by teachers for first solo and first orchestral excerpt respectively.

79

Methodology

In order to attract the maximum number of participants, a convenient, easy-to-use,

online survey was devised. It was activated in late May 2004,66 and on June 9, ten

trombone instructors who are acquaintances of the author were invited by e-mail to pilot

test the survey. This was done in order to ensure that the items and instructions were clear

and that responses produced the desired information. Seven of the ten instructors

responded between June 9 and June 14.67 College and university trombone instructors

were solicited in person to complete a paper version of the survey at the International

Trombone Festival, June 16-18, 2004, at Ithaca College in Ithaca New York. Twenty-

three instructors completed the survey during that three-day period.

One November 3, 2004, postcards68 soliciting participation in the online survey

were mailed to every trombone instructor (770 names) in the United States who was

listed in the “Trombone” category (63c) of the 2003-2004 Directory of Music Faculties

in Colleges and Universities, U.S. and Canada, published by The College Music

Society.69 The names of those instructors who had already responded to the survey (either

electronically as part of the test run, or in person at the International Trombone Festival)

were purged from the list before the postcards were mailed. As a result of the mailing,

seventy-seven instructors completed the online survey from November 5 to November

23.

66 The survey may be found in appendix I. 67 An eighth instructor responded, but not until June 27, after the initial testing period was over. 68 Copies of solicitation materials may be found in appendix II. 69 College Music Society, Directory of Music Faculties in Colleges and Universities, U.S. and Canada (Binghamton, NY: College Music Society, 2003).

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A second postcard was mailed to those who had not yet responded on November

23, 2004. In order to encourage prompt participation, instructors were asked to complete

the survey by December 6. From November 26, 2004 to February 20, 2005, an additional

sixty-five instructors completed the online survey, bringing the total number of

respondents to 173.

In order to determine if there were any systematic differences among those who

did not respond, a random sample of twenty non-respondents was selected70 and attempts

were made to contact them by phone from April 22 to May 13. Those who were

contacted were asked to answer the survey questions over the phone. A minimum of three

attempts were made to contact each instructor, with callback messages being left

whenever possible. One of the twenty no longer taught at the institution to which the

solicitation correspondence had been sent. One was on a sabbatical leave, and another no

longer taught trombone at all. One instructor called back, but did so after the study was

completed. Six were contacted and agreed to complete the survey. None of the remaining

ten returned the phone calls, despite the fact that several messages had been left. The

tabulations and subsequent findings of the study do not include the responses of those

who were contacted by phone in this random sampling, as the results are very similar to

those of the 173 who participated initially. Their responses were tabulated and appear in

appendix 4. The A few observations regarding the demographics of those who

participated and how the random sampling helped provide clarity are included in the

analysis near the end of this chapter.

70 Random non-respondents were selected by using the Research Randomizer random number generator available from http://www.randomizer.org; Internet; accessed 17 April 2005.

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Respondents were given the opportunity to request a copy of the results of the

study upon its completion. When results were tabulated, the names of all respondents and

their institutional affiliations were separated from the remaining data. Personal

information was retained only to ensure that no duplicate responses would be tabulated

and to enable the contacting of those who indicated a desire to receive the results of the

survey.

In conducting this study, several general assumptions were made. It was assumed

that the most accurate and complete listing of college and university trombone instructors

in the United States was contained in the College Music Society’s 2003-2004 Directory

of Music Faculties in Colleges and Universities, U.S. and Canada. Furthermore, it was

assumed that the most accurate listing of trombone instructors could be found in the

“Trombone” category (63c) of the Directory. No doubt there are those who are only

listed in the broader categories of “Low Brass” or “Brass.” Those classifications,

however, contain many more teachers than just those who teach trombone, and there was

no valid way to determine which of the instructors in these categories taught trombone.

Three of the 173 respondents stated that they were employed both full-time and

part-time. Two of these respondents listed a full-time institution and a part-time

institution. The other apparently mistakenly indicated both full- and part- time, as it was

verified through the College Music Society’s online Directory of Music Faculties71 that

the respondent was a full-time faculty member. All three of these respondents were

counted only as full-time faculty, as it was assumed that their responses reflected their

71 “Directory of Music Faculties,” College Music Society: Member Services, [database online]; available from http://www.collegemusicsociety.org/infoserv/FacDir/Search/FacDirsearch.idc?id=220751; Internet; accessed 9 May 2005.

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pedagogical practices at their primary place of employment. Other assumptions specific

to particular questions are addressed below.

All percentages were rounded to the nearest tenth of a percentage point

throughout the study.

Results: Demographics

Of the 173 respondents, 110 (63.6%) were employed full-time at a college or

university, while 63 (36.4%) were employed as part-time instructors. One hundred

twenty-two of the respondents (70.5%) play alto trombone. Table 8 provides a

breakdown of the percentages for full-time versus part-time instructors. A significantly

higher percentage of respondents who teach full-time play alto trombone than do the

respondents who teach part-time at their respective institutions.

Table 8. Instructors who play alto trombone

Type of employment Total respondents Play alto trombone Do not play alto

trombone Full-time 110 85 (71.3%) 25 (22.7%) Part-time 63 37 (58.7%) 26 (41.3%)

There were 129 responses to the question, “Did you receive any formal training

on alto trombone?” Sixty-three responded that they had received formal training, while

sixty-six did not. There is a discrepancy between these data and that stated above, in

which only 122 respondents said that they played alto trombone. The difference is

accounted for as follows: four respondents selected both that they had formal training and

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that they did not; two respondents explained that, although they do not currently play alto

trombone, they did at one time study the instrument formally; and, one respondent

selected “No” in addition to recording that he/she does not play alto trombone.

(Respondents who indicated that they do not play alto trombone were instructed to skip

the questions regarding their own training on the instrument.) In order to analyze the data

accurately, these anomalies were handled in the following ways: because the question

was worded, “Did you receive any formal training on alto trombone?” (emphasis added),

and because all four of the respondents who chose both also listed teachers with whom

they had studied alto trombone, it was assumed that their responses should have been

only “Yes.” Their “No” responses were eliminated. Likewise, the indication of “No” by

the respondent who clearly had no experience with alto trombone was eliminated.

Because the other two respondents indicated that they had, at one time in the past, studied

alto trombone, their responses were retained, bringing the adjusted number of total

responses to 124. Table 9 shows the results. Nearly half of all those respondents who

have studied the instrument have apparently done so in an informal, presumably

unstructured manner.

Table 9. Instructors with formal alto trombone training

Instructors who have studied alto trombone

Instructors with formal training on alto trombone

Instructors with no formal training on alto trombone

124 63 (50.8%) 61 (49.2%)

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Nevertheless, when respondents were asked to provide the names of those

teachers with whom they had studied the alto trombone, many indicated more than one

name. Table 10 lists all teachers named by respondents in descending order of frequency.

Table 10. Teachers with whom respondents studied alto trombone

Teacher Respondents who studied with them

Kagarice, Vern 5 Marcellus, John 5 Baker, Buddy 4 Chipurn, Tony 4 Lumpkin, Royce 4 Ashworth, Thomas 3 Kohlenberg, Randy 3 Swallow, John 3 Wilson, Gail 3 Witser, Steven 3 Borror, Ronald 2 Brevig, Per 2 Brickens, Nathaniel 2 Chasanov, Elliot 2 Hofacre, Marta 2 Kellogg, Mark 2 Seidel, John 2 Smith, Dennis 2 Vining, David 2 Anderson, Scott 1 Baker, Tony 1 Beversdorf, Thomas 1 Bonecutter, Max 1 Borden, Larry 1 Brown, Keith 1 Brown, Leon 1 Campbell, Larry 1 Conklin, Raymond 1 Crisafulli, Frank 1 Davis, Jo Dee 1 Dempster, Stuart 1 Drew, John 1 Duchi, Joe 1 Fisher, Mark 1 Flora, Sim 1

Continued… Gifford, Robert 1 Hansen, Jan 1 Hill, John David 1 Hummel, Donald 1 Hunt, Paul 1 Jackson, Keith 1 Jameson, Phil 1 Kagarice, Jan 1 Keelon, Nick 1 Lawrence, Mark 1 Lusk, Mark 1 Maddox, Harry 1 McQuen, Stephen 1 Miller, James 1 Morrison, Audrey 1 Olin, Jim 1 Olson, Curtis 1 Pickering, Roy 1 Premru, Raymond 1 Richardson, William 1 Smith, Susan 1 Sporny, David 1 Stevens, Mike 1 Stewart, Dee 1 Streeter, Tom 1 Stuart, David 1 Swanson, Thomas 1 Tychinski, Bruce 1 Vaughn, Matt 1 Wagner, Irvin 1 Welcomer, Paul 1 Wolfinbarger, Steven 1 Wright, Doug 1

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Most of the respondents began playing the alto trombone either during their

master’s degree study or after their formal education. Stage of study is illustrated in Table

11. The sum of the percentages does not equal 100 because one respondent who played

alto trombone did not provide an answer to this question

Table 11. When respondents began playing alto trombone

Level of study Respondents who began at this level

Percentage of total who play alto trombone (122)

High School 3 2.5 Undergraduate 26 21.3 Master’s 41 33.6 Doctorate 14 11.5 After formal education 37 30.3

Trombone instructors who participated in the survey were asked which published

methods for alto trombone they had used in their own study of the instrument. When the

survey was written, only four of the methods covered in chapter 3 were known to this

author, those by Anderson, Parow, Slokar, and Sluchin. These four were listed as options

for the respondents. In addition, a choice of “Other (Please specify)” was provided along

with room to list any other methods used. The most popular of the four methods listed

was the one by Anderson, being used by thirty-two respondents. Slokar’s method had

been used by twenty-four of the instructors, with the methods by Sluchin and Parow

being selected by ten and seven teachers, respectively. Many respondents listed

additional methods and resources that are not specifically designed for use with the alto

trombone. Reginald Fink’s Introducing the Alto Clef for Trombone72 and Twenty Studies

72 Reginald H. Fink, Introducing the Alto Clef for Trombone (North Greece, NY: Accura Music, 1969).

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for Tenor Trombone by George Maxted73 led in this category with ten and eight votes

respectively. In all, 108 votes were divided among twelve different methods. Table 12

includes all methods cited by respondents in descending order of frequency. A significant

number of respondents used the “Other (Please specify.)” space to further explain the

way in which they learned the instrument. Their comments appear in appendix 3.

Table 12. Methods used by respondents in their own study of alto trombone

Method Respondents who used each method

Percentage of total methods reported

Anderson: A Complete Method for E-flat Alto Trombone 32 29.6 Slokar: Methode Complete de Trombone Alto 24 22.2 Fink: Introducing the Alto Clef for Trombone 10 9.3 Sluchin: Study Material for the Alto Trombone 10 9.3 Maxted: Twenty Studies for Tenor Trombone 8 7.4 Bordogni/Rochut: Melodious Etudes for Trombone 7 6.5 Parow: Initiation Complète au Trombone Alto 7 6.5 Sauer: Clef Studies for Trombone74 5 4.6 Randall/Mantia: Arban’s Famous Method 2 1.9 Blazhevich: Studies in Clefs75 1 0.9 Kahila: Advanced Studies76 1 0.9 Webster: Method for Piccolo Trumpet77 1 0.9

73 George Maxted, Twenty Studies for Tenor Trombone (London: Boosey & Hawkes, Ltd., 1954). 74 Ralph Sauer, Clef Studies for Trombone (Century City, CA: Wimbledon Music, 1977). 75 Vladislav Blazhevich, Studies in Clefs for Trombone, ed. Allen Ostrander (New York: International Music Company, 1957). 76 Kauko Kahila, Advanced Studies (In Tenor and Alto Clefs) for Trombone (North Easton, MA: Robert King Music Company, 1948). 77 Gerald Webster, Method for Piccolo Trumpet (Nashville, TN: Brass Press, 1980).

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Results: Pedagogical practice

The majority of the survey addressed pedagogical practice and preferences among

those instructors who participated. Respondents were asked if they had ever taught alto

trombone to a student. Nine of the respondents answered both “Yes” and “No” to this

question. In each case, the respondent’s answers to additional questions were analyzed,

especially those regarding literature used in teaching alto trombone and whether or not

the respondent played alto trombone. In seven of the nine cases in question, the

respondent listed literature used in teaching. It was therefore assumed that those

respondents had taught the alto trombone to at least one student. The other two

respondents who had selected both answers provided no data to justify such an

assumption, having never studied the instrument themselves and having answered none

of the questions regarding literature choices. It was therefore assumed that those two

respondents had not taught alto trombone to another student. With these adjustments, the

results were that ninety-four (54.3%) of the participating instructors had taught alto

trombone to a student, while seventy-nine (45.7%) had not.

The question regarding which published methods for alto trombone were used by

respondents in their teaching yielded similar results to the previous question about the

methods they had used in their own study. Once again, the Anderson, Parow, Slokar, and

Sluchin methods were listed, with a fifth choice of “Other,” and space to list additional

methods used. Not surprisingly, the methods by Anderson and Slokar again proved to be

the most popular, with those by Fink and Sluchin a somewhat distant third and fourth.

These data are displayed in Table 13.

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Table 13. Methods used by respondents in teaching the alto trombone

Method Respondents who used each method

Percentage of total methods reported

Anderson: A Complete Method for E-flat Alto Trombone 26 28.6 Slokar: Methode Complete de Trombone Alto 21 23.1 Fink: Introducing the Alto Clef for Trombone 10 11.0 Sluchin: Study Material for the Alto Trombone 9 9.9 Sauer: Clef Studies for Trombone 6 6.6 Bordogni/Rochut: Melodious Etudes for Trombone 5 5.5 Parow: Initiation Complète au Trombone Alto 5 5.5 Blazhevich: Studies in Clefs 2 2.2 Randall/Mantia: Arban’s Famous Method 2 2.2 Concone78 1 1.1 Maxted: Twenty Studies for Tenor Trombone 1 1.1 Remington/Hunsberger: Warm-Up Studies79 1 1.1 Shifrin: Orchestral Excerpts for Alto Trombone80 1 1.1 Voxman: Selected Studies for Trombone81 1 1.1

Respondents who stated that they used no published methods for alto trombone

were then asked to briefly describe how they approach the instrument pedagogically.

Several general themes emerged as recurring strategies. The most common was to simply

have the student play etudes intended for tenor trombone. Some teachers advocated

having the student play tenor trombone etudes as “transposed” music, reading the pitches

and playing the positions that would correspond on tenor trombone, with the actual

sounding pitch being a perfect fourth higher than the printed pitch. This is, in essence, the

same approach that Anderson advocates in his method. Teachers who teach the alto

trombone in this way stressed the importance of the student quickly learning the positions

78 Several collections of music by Concone have been adapted and published for trombone. The respondent did not specify which collection was being cited. 79 Donald Hunsberger, Remington Warm-Up Studies for Trombone (North Greece, NY: Accura Music, 1980). 80 Ken Shifrin, Orchestral Excerpts for Alto Trombone (Nottingham, England: Virgo Music Publishers, 1986). 81 Himie Voxman, Selected Studies for Trombone (Chicago: Rubank, Inc., 1952).

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and feeling comfortable with the intonation tendencies of the instrument. Other

instructors agreed with the use of tenor trombone methods for teaching alto trombone, but

were opposed to using any kind of transposition, preferring instead to have the student

read and play the printed pitches. Still others use tenor trombone materials, but have the

student read the music as if it were in alto clef, adjusting the key signature accordingly.

Whatever the approach, many who advocated the use of tenor trombone etudes for

teaching the alto trombone stated that one of the advantages was that the student is able to

play music that is already familiar.

Another common pedagogical approach was to use scales and arpeggios, stressing

accurate intonation and a familiarity with various keys. Others required their students to

write out the various harmonic series or a position chart for the instrument and then

practice long tones to learn proper intonation.

Many respondents stated that they forego any formal etudes, preferring instead to

move immediately to the solo and orchestral literature that the student is likely to

perform. The actual responses to this question may be found in appendix 3.

The next two questions on the survey dealt with instructors’ use of orchestral

literature in the teaching of alto trombone. Respondents were asked what alto trombone

orchestral excerpts they include in their teaching. Several orchestral pieces were listed for

respondents to select. It was assumed that these would be the most commonly used pieces

by instructors. A category labeled “Other” could also be checked and space was provided

for respondents to add more titles to the list. Many pieces were listed, comprising much

of the Classical and early Romantic orchestral literature. The results appear in list form in

Table 14; they are placed in descending order of frequency.

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Table 14. Orchestral excerpts used by respondents in their alto trombone teaching

Piece from which excerpt is taken Respondents

who used each excerpt

Schumann: Symphony no. 3 69 Mozart: Requiem, K.626 66 Beethoven: Symphony no. 5 60 Beethoven: Symphony no. 9 46 Brahms: Symphonies 38 Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique 23 Schubert: Symphony no. 9 5 Berg: Three Pieces for Orchestra 4 Mendelssohn: Symphony no. 5 4 Beethoven: Missa Solemnis 3 Haydn: The Creation 3 Mozart: Mass in C minor, K.427 3 Schumann: All symphonies 3 Bach, J. S.: Cantata no. 4 2 Britten: The Burning Fiery Furnace 2 Mendelssohn: (no specific works) 2 Mendelssohn: Elijah 2 Mozart: Confessorial Vespers, K.339 2 Mozart: Mass in C major, K.317 2 Mozart: Operas 2 Mozart: The Magic Flute,K.620 2 Bach, J. S.: Cantata no. 121 1 Beethoven: Symphony no. 6 1 Brahms: A German Requiem 1 Bruckner: Symphonies 1 Dvořák: Symphony no. 6 1 Haydn: (no specific works) 1 Mendelssohn: Ruy Blas Overture 1 Mozart: Masses 1 Mozart: Overtures 1 Schoenberg: Gurrelieder 1 Schubert: (no specific works) 1 Schubert: Masses 1 Schubert: Symphonies 1 Schumann: Symphonies nos. 2 & 4 1 Schutz: Fili Mi Absolom 1 Stravinsky: The Flood 1 Wagner: Early works 1 Weber: Overture to Der Freischütz 1

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The pieces are listed as they were provided by respondents. There are several

instances where certain separately listed pieces could fit into another category (e.g., The

Symphony no. 3 by Schumann clearly could also be placed in the category titled,

“Schumann: All symphonies.”); however, to consolidate such categories would obscure

the data. The top six choices were those provided for the respondents to select by name.

Given the disparity in the numbers of respondents who chose those pieces and the

numbers who chose the other works, it is likely that the listing of those pieces and not

others produced a bias in favor of the ones whose titles were provided. Therefore, to

compare the results without qualification would be misleading. It is important, however,

to observe that Schumann’s Symphony no. 3, Mozart’s Requiem, and Beethoven’s

Symphony no. 5 were all used by approximately two-thirds of the ninety-four

respondents who teach alto trombone. Eleven respondents used the “Other (please

specify)” space to comment on their use or omission of orchestral excerpts in their

teaching of alto trombone. Their specific comments appear in appendix 3.

Respondents were then asked what, in their opinion, was the most appropriate

first orchestral excerpt for the alto trombone student. The same six choices listed for the

previous question were again provided, with an opportunity to select “Other (Please

specify.).” As with the previous question, providing the titles for some pieces and not

others may have unintentionally produced a bias toward those pieces, as most of the

highest scoring excerpts were from the six works listed by name. One small exception is

Mozart’s The Magic Flute which ranked above Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique. The

data are presented in Table 15.

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Table 15. Respondents’ choices for the most appropriate first orchestral excerpt for the alto trombone student

Excerpt Respondents who selected this excerpt

Schumann: Symphony no. 3 25 Beethoven: Symphony no. 5 24 Mozart: Requiem, K.626 20 Brahms: Symphonies 14 Beethoven: Symphony no. 9 6 Mozart: The Magic Flute, K.620 2 Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique 1 Mozart: Confessorial Vespers, K.339 1 Beethoven: Symphony no. 6 1 Mozart: Zorastro's aria (The Magic Flute, K.620) 1 Dvořák: Symphony no. 6 1 Bach: Cantata no. 4 1 Mozart: Mass in C minor, K.427 1

Respondents were asked to explain why they believed this to be the most

appropriate first excerpt. Reasons generally fell into one of several general categories.

Pieces such as Schumann’s Symphony no. 3 and the Brahms symphonies were chosen

primarily for their relative technical simplicity. Others such as Beethoven’s Symphonies

nos. 5 and 9 were chosen because of their popularity and the fact that students would

have a higher likelihood of encountering them in a performance setting. Pieces like those

by Mozart were selected because of their idiomatic scoring for the alto trombone as well

as their technical challenges. The comments appear in appendix 3.

The survey’s next two questions dealt with alto trombone solo literature and its

use by the respondents in their teaching. In a similar manner to the way the subject of

orchestral excerpts was addressed, the section on solo literature asked of respondents

what alto trombone solo literature they use in their teaching and what, in their opinion, is

the most appropriate first solo for the alto trombone student.

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Four prominent alto trombone concertos from the early Classical era—those by

Albrechtsberger, Michael Haydn, Leopold Mozart, and Wagenseil—were listed for them

to select. A selection labeled “Other (Please specify.)” was also provided. The data are

displayed in Table 16.

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Table 16. Solo literature used by respondents in their alto trombone teaching

Solos Respondents

who used each solo

Wagenseil: Concerto 84 Albrechtsberger: Concerto 73 Mozart, Leopold: Concerto 51 Haydn, Michael: Concerto 36 Besozzi: Sonata in C major 10 Finger: Sonata in E-flat 9 Albinoni: Concerto in B-flat 6 Appert: Maskil 5 Hidas: Baroque Concerto 5 Mozart: Horn concertos 5 Anon./Wagner: Sonata, "St. Thomas" 3 Haydn, Michael: Larghetto 3 George, Tom Ritter: Sonata 2 Haydn, Michael: Adagio and Allegro molto 2 Strauss, Richard: Horn concertos 2 Tuma: Various pieces 2 Zianni: Various pieces 2 Albinoni: Concertos and double concertos 1 Appert: Canticle 1 Bellini: Concerto 1 Biber: Sonatas 1 Cossaboom: Statements and Transformations 1 Handel: Sonata in G minor 1 Haydn: Horn concertos 1 Hindemith: Sonata for Alto Horn and Piano 1 Kenny: Sonata 1 Koetsier: Choralpartita "Die Tageszeiten" 1 Loeillet: Sonata 1 Mendelssohn: Songs Without Words 1 Schumann: Romances 1 Schumann: Various pieces 1 Strauss, Richard: Horn Concerto no. 1 1 Tartini: Concerto in D minor 1 Telemann: (no specific piece) 1 Various Baroque transcriptions 1 Vejvanovsky: Various pieces 1 Wagenseil: Memoriam from Confitibor 1

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Not surprisingly, the four solos listed on the survey once again scored the highest.

It is not as likely, however, that their being listed had too much of an impact on the

distribution. A quick comparison with the results of the survey outlined in chapter 482

reveals that the concertos by Wagenseil, Albrechtsberger, and Leopold Mozart

dominantly occupy the top three positions in both surveys. The frequency of

programming of these three works would certainly imply that they are the pieces most

often taught.

The respondents were then queried as to what solo they held to be the most

appropriate first solo for alto trombone students. The results appear in Table 17.

Table 17. Respondents’ choices for the most appropriate first solo for the alto trombone student

Solo Respondents who selected

this solo Wagenseil: Concerto in E-flat major 73 Albrechtsberger: Concerto in B-flat major 9 Finger: Sonata in E-flat major 4 Mozart, Leopold: Concerto in D major 4 Albinoni: Concerto in B-flat major 1 Besozzi: Sonata in C major 1 Haydn, Michael: Concerto in D major 1

Because it is so well suited for the alto trombone, the Wagenseil Concerto is the

overwhelming favorite of trombone instructors as a first piece for the alto trombone

student.83 As with their choice for a first excerpt, respondents were asked to give a brief

82 See Table 7. 83 The piece is in the key of E-flat, the key in which the instrument is pitched. Additionally, the technical demands required of the performer are relatively simple in comparison with most other pieces.

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explanation as to why they chose the solos they did. All comments may be found in

appendix 3.

The next four questions on the survey addressed the issue of whether a

respondent’s institution owned an alto trombone for students to use. The first question

asked simply if the respondent’s school owned an alto trombone. Of the 173 respondents,

sixty-two (35.8%) said that their schools did own an alto, while 111 (64.2%) said that

their school did not.

Respondents whose schools owned an alto trombone were asked to identify the

brand of the school-owned instrument. Five brands (those presumed to be the most

popular) were listed for respondents to select, with a sixth choice of “Other (Please

specify.)” allowing for reporting of any brands not already included on the survey form.

The brands listed were Bach, Conn, Courtois, Edwards, and Yamaha. Yamaha led all

brands, with Conn placing second. Several schools owned more than one alto trombone.

The raw data, as well as the resulting percentages, appear in Table 18.

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Table 18. School-owned alto trombones by brand

Brand Schools that own this brand

Percentage of total

Yamaha 32 44.4 Conn 17 23.6 Bach 15 20.8 Edwards 3 4.2 Courtois 2 2.8 Lätzsch 2 2.8 Mirafone 1 1.4

Respondents whose schools owned alto trombones were asked if they had chosen

the brand. Thirty-two (51.6%) chose the brand; twenty-eight (45.2%) did not. Two

respondents did not answer the question.

The next question was “Would you like your school or department to purchase an

alto trombone?” Sixty-four respondents (37.0% of the 173 total respondents) answered

that they would like their school or department to purchase an alto trombone, while fifty-

three (30.6%) of the total respondents) did not.84 Of the sixty-seven who would like their

institution to purchase an alto, only twenty-four (35.8%) have requested that their

institution do so; forty-two (62.7%) have not. One respondent chose not to answer the

question.

84 There were a total of 117 responses to this question, but only 111 respondents whose schools do not own an alto trombone. The discrepancy is explained as follows: Although respondents whose schools already owned alto trombones were instructed to skip this question, five whose schools owned an alto trombone still stated that they would like their school to purchase a new instrument. All five of these respondents had not been able to choose the brand of their school-owned instrument, and all five selected a different brand for their preference than what was already owned by their institution. Additionally, one respondent selected both, “Yes” and “No,” in response to the question.

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Further light is shed on these statistics when they are divided between respondents

who are employed full-time and those who are employed part-time. The differences are

illustrated in Table 19.

Table 19. Comparison of schools with alto trombones between full- and part-time instructors

School owned alto trombone? Would like school to purchase alto trombone? Type of

employment Yes No Yes No

Full-time 49 (44.5%) 61 (55.5%) 42 (63.6%) 24 (36.4%) Part-time 13 (20.6%) 50 (79.4%) 22 (44.0%) 29 (58.0%)

Not only do a higher percentage of institutions with a full-time trombone

instructor own an alto trombone, but a significantly higher percentage of those employed

full-time are interested in having their institution purchase an alto trombone.

Respondents were asked “If you could have an alto trombone purchased by your

school, what brand would you have them purchase?” The same five brands listed

previously were again provided for respondents to select, with an option for them to list

additional brands. Several respondents selected more than one brand. The results appear

in Table 20. The numbers further confirm the popularity of the Yamaha and Conn brands

among trombone instructors in this country.

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Table 20. Brand preferences for future school alto trombone purchases

Brand Respondents preferring this brand Percentage of total

Yamaha 28 35.9 Conn 20 25.6 Bach 9 11.5

Edwards 9 11.5 Courtois 6 7.7

Thein 4 5.1 Getzen 1 1.3 Lätzsch 1 1.3

The final question regarding a respondent’s school and its need for students who

can perform on alto trombone was “Does the orchestra at your school regularly perform

works for which the alto trombone could be used effectively?” Four respondents did not

answer the question; three selected both answers. Seventy-five instructors (43.4%) said

that their school’s orchestra regularly performed works on which the alto trombone could

effectively be used. Ninety-seven (56.1%) reported that their orchestras did not regularly

perform such works.

A few respondents offered further commentary on their answers to the questions

regarding school-owned instruments. Those comments appear in appendix 3.

The next question on the survey sought to establish at what point in a student’s

academic career (i.e., at what degree level) the alto trombone should be taught, if at all.

Specifically, the question was worded “At what level of study do you think the alto

trombone should first be taught?” Respondents could select “High School,”

“Undergraduate,” “Master’s,” “Doctorate,” “Other (Please specify.).” Of the 173 total

respondents, 152 selected one of the first four categories; others chose to use the last

category as a place to state an opinion or to summarize a response that would not fit

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squarely into one of the pre-defined categories. Some selected a category but also offered

a qualifying comment. The overwhelming preference was for alto trombone to be

introduced first at the undergraduate level. The master’s level was the second choice. The

data are displayed in Table 21. Respondents’ comments can be found in appendix 3.

Table 21. Level at which alto trombone should first be taught

Level of study Respondents who chose this level

Percentage of total respondents

High School 2 1.2 Undergraduate 102 59.0

Master’s 45 26.0 Doctorate 3 1.7

Participants were asked if they believe that it is important for the alto trombone

student to play a mouthpiece with a rim that is identical to that of his/her tenor trombone

mouthpiece. Thirty-nine respondents (22.5%) stated that they believe it is important for a

student to use a mouthpiece with the same rim, while 129 (74.6%) believed that it was

not important. Six respondents did not answer the question; one selected both answers.

The follow-up question asked instructors to record what mouthpiece or

mouthpieces they recommend for their alto trombone students. When the survey was

constructed, it was decided that the range of mouthpiece choices was too great to provide

a list from which participants could choose. Mouthpiece choice being as personal as it is,

it was deemed best to allow respondents to express their preferences in their own words.

Naturally, this created some difficulty in data compilation and analysis. Those responses

that listed one or more specific sizes or models of mouthpieces were counted as votes for

those particular mouthpieces. When a respondent voiced an opinion that could not be

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adequately expressed in a quantitative table, that opinion was recorded in appendix 3.

Table 22 lists the mouthpieces that were mentioned by name and provides a basis for

comparison, if not truly revealing the reasoning behind the opinions presented.

Table 22. Specific mouthpieces recommended by respondents for alto trombone students

Mouthpiece Respondents who recommended it

Bach 7C or equivalent 27 Bach 12C or equivalent 25 Bach 6 ½ AL or equivalent 19

Bach 11 or equivalent 14 Bach 9 or equivalent 5 Doug Elliot C cup 5 Yamaha 48 5 Bach 15C or equivalent 4 Conn 3 2 Greg Black 5C 2 Greg Black Alessi A3 2 Griego 11 2 Wick 9BS 2 Bach 12E 1 Bach 15E 1 Bach 4C 1 Bach 5 1 Bach 5GS or equivalent 1 Bach 6 ½ AM 1 Griego 7 1 Schilke 45B 1 Schilke 47 1 Schilke 51B 1 Stork T2 1 Wick 10CS 1 Wick 6BS 1 Wick 7BL (7BS?) 1

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Most respondents who said that it was not important for students to keep the same

rim when switching between alto and tenor trombone recommended the small to medium

mouthpiece sizes, such as the Bach 7C, 9, 11, 12C or 15C. Those who advocated the

keeping of an identical rim primarily recommended mouthpieces with large rims and

small cups. This profile was more difficult to categorize, as few mouthpiece

manufacturers mass produce mouthpieces with large rims and small cups. Therefore,

many of these respondents preferred the mouthpieces of Doug Elliot, as they are modular

and, thus, have parts that are interchangeable, allowing the player to customize a rim and

cup combination that works for the individual. Another exception are the alto trombone

mouthpieces manufactured by Greg Black (e.g., his 5C and the Alessi A3) specifically for

those who prefer to combine the rim to which they are accustomed with a relatively

shallow cup. This combination may achieve what many believe to be a more appropriate

alto trombone sound than is possible on a deeper mouthpiece.

Results: Ratings of alto trombone methods

The final part of the survey asked respondents to rate available alto trombone

methods in ten categories. The four methods listed previously in the survey as specific

choices in earlier questions (those methods by Anderson, Parow, Slokar, and Sluchin)

were those that respondents were asked to rate. A rating scale of “Excellent,” “Good,”

“Fair,” “Poor,” and “Very Poor” was used for each category. The specific categories

appear in the tables below. Instructors were asked only to rate those methods with which

they were familiar. The response rate was relatively low, as many apparently felt that

they were not sufficiently acquainted with any of the methods to fairly evaluate them.

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The data that were provided have been tabulated and presented in table form below. With

each table, the total number of participants who responded for each particular method is

noted. Some participants chose not to respond to certain categories, presumably because

they were not sufficiently knowledgeable concerning those aspects of the method.

Therefore, the individual percentages have been calculated for each category based only

on those who responded to that category.

Table 23. Ratings for Anderson, Stephen: A complete Method for E-flat Alto Trombone,

two volumes

Total respondents: 33

Excellent Good Fair Poor Very Poor Category Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Progressive arrangement 14 42.4 16 48.5 2 6.1 1 3.0 Balance of text and music 7 23.3 14 46.7 8 26.7 1 3.3 Readability of text 10 32.3 16 51.6 5 16.1 Readability of music 8 27.6 16 55.2 4 13.8 1 3.4 Clear, easy-to-read position chart 5 20.0 14 56.0 3 12.0 1 4.0 2 8.0 Adequate use of various keys 9 29.0 21 67.7 1 3.2 Balanced approach to all registers 6 18.8 18 56.3 7 21.9 1 3.1

Inclusion of appropriate orchestral excerpts 2 7.7 9 34.6 6 23.1 5 19.2 4 15.4

Pedagogical quality of etudes 9 28.1 19 59.4 4 12.5 Musical quality of etudes 6 20.7 16 55.2 7 24.1

Table 24. Ratings for Parow, Karsten: Initiation Complète au Trombone Alto

Total respondents: 12

Excellent Good Fair Poor Very Poor Category Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Progressive arrangement 2 16.7 6 50.0 4 33.3 Balance of text and music 3 27.3 5 45.5 2 18.2 1 9.1 Readability of text 2 18.2 7 63.6 2 18.2 Readability of music 3 27.3 8 72.7 Clear, easy-to-read position chart 2 20.0 5 50.0 3 30.0 Adequate use of various keys 3 27.3 7 63.6 1 9.1 Balanced approach to all registers

4 33.3 7 58.3 1 8.3

Inclusion of appropriate orchestral excerpts

3 33.3 4 44.4 1 11.1 1 11.1

Pedagogical quality of etudes 5 45.5 4 36.4 2 18.2 Musical quality of etudes 3 25.0 7 58.3 2 16.7

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Table 25. Ratings for Slokar, Branimir: Methode Complete de Trombone Alto, volume 1

Total respondents: 23

Excellent Good Fair Poor Very Poor Category Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Progressive arrangement 9 39.1 11 47.8 2 8.7 1 4.3 Balance of text and music 5 25.0 8 40.0 5 25.0 2 10.0 Readability of text 8 40.0 10 50.0 2 10.0 Readability of music 15 68.2 6 27.3 1 4.5 Clear, easy-to-read position chart 5 27.8 8 44.4 2 11.1 1 5.6 2 11.1 Adequate use of various keys 7 33.3 12 57.1 1 4.8 1 4.8 Balanced approach to all registers 5 23.8 11 52.4 5 23.8

Inclusion of appropriate orchestral excerpts 2 11.8 6 35.3 3 17.6 6 35.3

Pedagogical quality of etudes 9 39.1 7 30.4 6 26.1 1 4.3 Musical quality of etudes 6 28.6 3 14.3 10 47.6 2 9.5

Table 26. Ratings for Sluchin, Benny: Study Material for Alto Trombone, four volumes

Total respondents: 8

Excellent Good Fair Poor Very Poor Category Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Progressive arrangement 5 62.5 3 37.5 Balance of text and music 5 62.5 2 25.0 1 12.5 Readability of text 5 62.5 3 37.5 Readability of music 7 87.5 1 12.5 Clear, easy-to-read position chart 3 42.9 3 42.9 1 14.3 Adequate use of various keys 6 75.0 2 25.0 Balanced approach to all registers

4 50.0 4 50.0

Inclusion of appropriate orchestral excerpts

1 25.0 1 25.0 1 25.0 1 25.0

Pedagogical quality of etudes 6 75.0 2 25.0 Musical quality of etudes 5 62.5 3 37.5

In order to more easily compare overall ratings from one method to the next,

average percentages were calculated in each rating (Excellent, Good, Fair, etc.) for every

method. This allows for a general comparison between methods which demonstrates how

each method fared overall in the survey. It does not, of course, take into account the

individual strengths and weaknesses of each method. The results appear in Table 27.

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Table 27. Overall ratings for each method

Method Excellent Good Fair Poor Very Poor

Anderson 25.0% 53.1% 16.0% 3.3% 2.6% Parow 27.4% 54.3% 16.3% 2.0% 0.0% Slokar 33.7% 39.9% 17.9% 2.4% 6.1% Sluchin 60.5% 31.8% 5.2% 2.5% 0.0% When comparing the high scores received for Sluchin’s method in Table 27 with

the small number of respondents who use the method (as documented in Table 13 above),

a seeming contradiction emerges. This is most likely attributable to the fact that the

method by Sluchin is relatively new.

Analysis

When the data concerning the demographics of the respondents are analyzed,

several notable statistics emerge. The percentage of full-time teachers who participated

was considerably greater than the percentage of part-time teachers. Yet, an informal

investigation of the random sample of twenty non-respondents who were called at the

conclusion of the survey indicates that the instructors in that sample were approximately

evenly divided between full- and part-time. If the random sample is an accurate cross

section of the entire body of college and university level trombone instructors in the

United States, then the percentages of full- and part-time respondents would be expected

to be nearly the same. The discrepancy is likely explained by one or more factors.

Because of the significance placed on having a terminal degree in modern hiring

practices for full-time university faculty, it is likely that a higher percentage of the full-

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time respondents hold the doctorate degree. Having done educational research in pursuit

of their own degrees, they would be more sympathetic toward and, therefore, more

inclined to assist in such a study than someone who has not done so. Additionally, many

part-time instructors teach at more than one institution and perform in additional venues,

severely limiting the time they have to participate in such a study.

That a majority of the respondents play alto trombone may or may not be an

accurate indicator of the practices of all college-level instructors in the United States. The

fact that one plays the instrument would cause one to be more interested in participating

in such a study. The random sampling provides little additional insight, as those who do

not play alto and have little interest in the instrument would be less likely to return a

phone call regarding a survey about its pedagogy. Indeed, this may account for some of

the unreturned calls from that sampling.

The fact that such a high percentage of respondents began playing the alto

trombone after their formal education is probably attributable to the fact that many of

them had completed their formal education before the recent surge of renewed interest in

the instrument.

Regarding pedagogical practices, the similarities in which methods (including

those not specifically intended for alto trombone, such as those by Fink and Sauer) were

used by the most respondents and which methods are now most popular among teachers

is surely not coincidental. It merely lends credence to the assumption that teachers teach

as they themselves have been taught.

The correlation between those alto trombone orchestral excerpts that were most

popular and those that were respondents’ choices for a student’s first excerpt was

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predictable. Likewise, the questions concerning solo literature preferences yielded similar

relationships. The Wagenseil concerto is clearly the top choice for a first solo. When this

statistic is compared with the literature frequency study of student recitals in the past

twenty-six years from chapter 4, it can be observed that teachers’ preferences are borne

out in practice, as the Wagenseil concerto was dominant as a favorite piece to program.

Although it is likely that the statistics for brands of alto trombones owned by

schools mirrors the rankings of popularity of these brands nationwide, it must be noted

that the top four brands (Yamaha, Conn, Bach, and Edwards) are manufactured

domestically, in contrast to the others on the list. Certainly, the relative ease with which

they may be obtained, in contrast with the longer wait and often higher cost of imported

models, has made these models more familiar to teachers in the United States.

A comparison of Table 11 and Table 21 reveals that an apparent shift in attitude

has evolved regarding at what point in a student’s career it is appropriate to begin study

of the alto trombone. Although the majority of alto-playing trombone instructors began

playing the instrument either during their master’s degree study or after their formal

education, Table 21 indicates that this is not what most teachers now believe to be best

for the current generation of students, with 59% suggesting that the undergraduate degree

program is the best option for beginning the instrument. This likely reflects the growing

popularity of the alto trombone and instructors’ perceptions that at least a working

knowledge of the instrument will be increasingly essential to professional trombonists in

the future. It should be noted, however, that based upon many of the qualifying

comments offered to this question by respondents, the ability and interest level of the

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student is just as important, if not more so, to instructors when determining whether an

individual student is ready to begin learning the alto trombone.

Choice of mouthpiece is also a very individualized decision. As is evident from

the respondents’ comments, many of them refused to take a side in the debate over

whether keeping the same mouthpiece rim is essential to a student’s success on the

instrument. When asked to recommend specific mouthpiece sizes, however, respondents

definitely were in favor of smaller mouthpieces which better match the size of the alto

trombone.

The ratings of the alto trombone methods at the end of the survey reflects the

popularity of the methods by Anderson and Slokar, as two to three times as many chose

to rate them as did each of the other methods. The comparison of overall ratings in Table

27 demonstrates that instructors are generally satisfied with all of the methods, as the

majority of scores fell in the “Good” and “Excellent” ratings for all four methods. The

newly compiled method by Sluchin stands out with its very high scores, with over 92% of

its responses being in the “Good” and “Excellent” ratings. Only eight respondents rated

this method, probably a reflection of its relatively recent publication.

Conclusion

In general, the survey seemed to be successful in identifying the current state of

alto trombone pedagogy in United States although a higher response rate would be

desirable. The random sampling of twenty non-respondents demonstrated that those who

didn’t respond to the invitations in the first two mailings probably differed very little

from those who did, except that it is quite possible that a significant percentage of non-

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respondents may not have been reached by the initial mailings due to sabbaticals or the

fact that they no longer teach at the institutions listed in the College Music Society’s

publications. Some instructors likely teach only jazz trombone, an area of performance in

which the alto trombone is used very little. Although those who do not play alto

trombone at all were encouraged to participate, many likely had little interest in

completing a survey when their schedules were already very crowded.

If such a survey were conducted again, it should contain fewer open-ended

questions for which participants can record long, difficult-to-categorize comments. Even

though questions regarding which published methods for alto trombone a respondent

used in his or her teaching clearly requested methods for alto trombone, many

respondents took the “Other (Please specify.)” space to list tenor trombone methods that

they adapted. This response was not anticipated. In future such surveys, a similar list of

tenor methods commonly adapted to alto trombone study (e.g., Bordogni/Rochut, Fink,

Sauer, etc.) should be provided to help limit the prose explanations that respondents

provided. It was assumed that listing too many choices would make the survey appear too

lengthy and might discourage potential respondents from participating. It would be best

to achieve a balance, however, as the excessive prose comments provided by

respondents, while informative, were cumbersome to deal with in the collection and

analysis of the data. Providing more extensive lists for orchestral excerpts, solo literature,

and mouthpiece selection would have streamlined the process as well. Perhaps in future

studies, common answers to the “Why?” questions should also be anticipated and listed

in a multiple choice format. In future surveys the question “With whom did you study

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alto trombone?” should be eliminated, as its responses provided little data that were

useful in light of the purpose of this study.

There was a technical problem with the study in that the online version of the

survey allowed the selection of more than one response to questions that requested only

one answer. The online survey was designed and placed on the web using Microsoft

FrontPage. The questions that should have only allowed a single choice functioned

properly during the design and test run phase; at some point in early November 2005,

however, respondents were able (either intentionally or by mistake) to select more than

one answer for such questions. Furthermore, one respondent stated that he was unable to

“unselect” the wrong response he had accidentally chosen. Unfortunately, after the test

runs, data that were returned from the survey were collected and stored but not monitored

as closely as the data from the test runs. Because the problem only affected a small

percentage of respondents, this technical problem was not discovered until the data

analysis phase, after all 173 respondents had completed the survey. At that point, the

problem was uncovered and it was verified that the online survey was allowing multiple

selections. Furthermore, the only way to “unselect” an answer was to scroll to the bottom

of the survey and click “Reset,” erasing all responses and allowing the participant to

begin the survey anew. As of this writing, the cause for this problem has not been

identified. Fortunately, this problem occurred infrequently enough that its impact on the

results of the study were negligible. One exception is the response to the question “Have

you ever taught alto trombone to a student?” Nine respondents answered both “Yes” and

“No.” As explained above, however, determining which answer was the correct one for

each respondent was relatively simple. Although this technical problem did not

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significantly alter the overall results, any future studies should be monitored more closely

during the data collection phase in order to discover and attempt to resolve any such

problems immediately.

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CHAPTER VI

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary

This study examined the renaissance of the alto trombone from three vantage

points. First an in-depth analysis of the five comprehensive alto trombone methods

currently available (those by Parow, Slokar, Anderson, Harvey, and Sluchin) was

presented. The methods were analyzed with regard to progressive arrangement, balance

and readability of text and music, balance in the use of keys and registers, inclusion of a

position chart and appropriate orchestral excerpts, and the pedagogical and musical

quality of the etudes.

The second part of this project was a study of occurrences of the alto trombone on

student recitals in the United States as reported in publications of the International

Trombone Association from 1979-2004. The frequency of performances was analyzed

with regard to level of academic study (undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral). Data were

also analyzed for the frequency of programming of specific pieces.

Finally, a survey was conducted of college- and university-level trombone

instructors in the United States to determine how the alto trombone is currently being

taught. All instructors (770) listed in the “Trombone” category (63c) of the 2003-2004

Directory of Music Faculties in Colleges and Universities, U.S and Canada, published by

The College Music Society were invited to complete an online or paper survey. One

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hundred seventy-three instructors responded. Respondents were asked to provide

information about their employment level as a university teacher (full- or part-time), their

own experience with the study of the alto trombone, their use of methods, solos, and

orchestral excerpts to teach the instrument, whether their institution owns an alto

trombone, what they believe to be the appropriate level of study to introduce the

instrument to a student, their mouthpiece recommendations, and their opinions of the

comprehensive alto trombone methods currently available.

Conclusions

The examination of comprehensive alto trombone methods revealed that each one

differs in its areas of emphasis. The method by Anderson is unique in that every exercise

is printed not only in alto clef, but also in transposed bass clef, to accommodate those

who desire to learn or teach the alto trombone as a transposing instrument. Slokar’s

method is designed to build endurance and flexibility while introducing the slide

positions one at a time. Orchestral excerpts are included in the resources by Parow and

Harvey. Because of its high level of difficulty, Harvey’s method is more appropriate for

experienced alto trombonists. The most recently published method, that by Sluchin, is

also the most extensive, encompassing four volumes. It is thorough and balanced;

numerous duets for alto and tenor trombone are included.

Use of the alto trombone on student recitals in the past twenty-six years was both

expected and surprising. An overall increase in alto trombone programming in recent

years was evident. This increase has occurred primarily at the graduate level, however,

with alto trombone programming actually decreasing on senior recitals. The concerto by

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Wagenseil was, by far, the most frequently programmed work for alto trombone,

comprising 46.2% of all alto trombone literature performed. Albrechtsberger’s concerto

was a distant second choice with 19.9% of all the literature performed.

The results from the survey of trombone instructors revealed significant trends.

Although many instructors (76.2%) did not begin playing alto trombone until graduate

school or after their formal education, a majority (59%) now believes that the

undergraduate degree program is the most appropriate level for the instrument to be

taught. There were similarities between the methods used by teachers in their own study

and those that are most commonly used to teach current students, with the methods by

Anderson and Slokar receiving the highest number of votes in both categories. In light of

the preference for the Wagenseil concerto on student recitals, it was not surprising that

the piece was the most popular choice among instructors as the most appropriate first solo

for the alto trombone student. The orchestral excerpts most popular as the most

appropriate first excerpt for the student were Schumann’s Symphony no. 3 (“The

Rhenish”), Beethoven’s Symphony no. 5, and Mozart’s Requiem, K.626. When

instructors were asked to rate the alto trombone methods with which they were familiar,

the four volume method by Sluchin received the highest scores by percentage, although it

should be noted that only eight respondents rated it, as compared to the Anderson

method, which was rated by thirty-three instructors. This is likely due to the fact that the

method by Anderson is more than twenty years old, while the method by Sluchin has

been available for less than five years and, thus, is not as well-known.

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Recommendations

From this project, several specific ideas emerge as areas for further study. A study

could be implemented in which several students were taught using each method by the

same instructor and the results of their progress compared after a given amount of time.

As with all qualitative educational research, differences in learning and teaching styles

would have to be accounted for and equalized as much as possible. Properly constructed,

however, such a study could yield useful results to those who do not have time or

resources to do their own tests and comparisons.

Further research could be conducted involving the two primary approaches to

teaching students the alto trombone: by learning the instrument first as a transposing

instrument, or by simply learning new positions, reading the music in alto clef and at

concert pitch. Interviews could be conducted with teachers and students who have used

each approach. A study similar to the method book comparison mentioned above could

be implemented, using both approaches (transposition vs. non-transposition) with two

similar groups of students and comparing results over time.

An additional study could be done involving programming of alto trombone

works on student recitals. A large but manageable random sample of colleges and

universities could be visited and their archival records of student recital programs could

be examined, looking for examples of programs which included alto trombone. Such a

study may yield more statistically reliable results, the data not being voluntarily self-

reported.

Finally, a survey similar to the one in chapter 5 could be administered to

international university-level instructors to determine how their approaches to the alto

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trombone compare with those of teachers in the United States. The logistics of such an

undertaking, however, would be formidable. Perhaps a more reasonable approach would

be to study the state of alto trombone pedagogy in the German-speaking countries, as the

alto trombone was never completely replaced in the orchestras of that region of Europe.

(In 1971, Denis Wick wrote that “in Germany the alto never completely disappeared, and

is still often used when specified in the works of classical composers.”85) One would

expect to discover a better established pedagogical tradition there.

85 Wick, 93.

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http://www.randomizer.org. Internet. Viron, Michael. General Education Online. Available from http://www.findaschool.org.

Internet. Voxman, Himie. Selected Studies for Trombone. Chicago: Rubank, Inc., 1952. Webster, Gerald. Method for Piccolo Trumpet. Nashville, TN: Brass Press, 1980. Weiner, Howard. “Francois Rene Gebauer’s 50 lecons pour la trombone basse, alto and

tenor: The earliest book of etudes for the trombone.” Historic Brass Society Journal, 11 (1999) 107-112.

Wick, Denis. Trombone Technique. London: Oxford University Press, 1971. Wigness, C. Robert. The Soloistic Use of the Trombone in Eighteenth Century Vienna.

Nashville, TN: The Brass Press, 1978.

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APPENDIX I

ONLINE SURVEY

The following is a copy of the online survey as it was located at http://faculty.leeu.edu/~dwarner/survey.htm. The spacing has been adjusted to accommodate the page; otherwise it appears as it did on the Internet.

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Survey of Current Trends in Alto Trombone Pedagogy

This survey is best viewed with 1024 x 768 resolution and Internet Explorer. It is also best to maximize the view, so as to utilize the entire screen.

I am conducting a survey of college and university level trombone teachers to determine current trends in the teaching of the alto trombone. The information gathered from this survey will be part of my thesis for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. If you have done any teaching at the college or university level (even if you have never taught alto trombone), please take a few minutes to complete this survey.

By completing this survey you are agreeing to participate in this study. All specific responses will be kept confidential; your name will not be associated in any way with the information you provide. The responses will be summarized and reported in aggregate form. Your name, e-mail address, and institutional affiliation will be kept in a separate data base and will be used only to verify that there are no duplicate responses. Upon completion of the study, all survey responses and personal information (names, e-mail addresses, and institutional affiliations) will be deleted and any existing hard copies will be destroyed.

Would you like to receive a copy of the results of this survey upon its completion?

Yes No

Please answer each question by clicking on the appropriate response or entering the requested information in the fields provided.

1. Full name: E-mail:

2. Please enter the names of the colleges or universities at which you teach and indicate your type of position at each one.

1. Full time Part time

2. Full time Part time

3. Full time Part time

3. Do you play alto trombone? Yes No If you answer "No," you may skip to question no.8.

4. Did you receive any formal training on alto trombone? Yes No If you answered "No," you may skip to question no.6.

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5. With whom did you study alto trombone?

Please list all teachers.

6. At what point in your career did you begin playing alto trombone?

Please select one

7. Which published methods for alto trombone have you used in your own study of the instrument? Select all that apply.

Anderson Parow Slokar Sluchin

Other (Please specify.)

8. Have you ever taught alto trombone to a student? Yes No If you answered "No," you may skip to question no.14.

9. Which published methods for alto trombone have you used in you teaching? Select all that apply.

Anderson Parow Slokar Sluchin

Other (Please specify.)

None (If "None," please briefly describe how you approach the instrument pedagogically, listing other materials utilized.)

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10. What alto trombone orchestral excerpts do you include in your teaching? Select all that apply.

Beethoven, Symphony no. 5 Beethoven, Symphony no. 9

Berlioz, Symphonie fantastique Brahms, Symphonies

Mozart, Requiem Schumann, Symphony no. 3

Other (Please specify.)

11. What, in your opinion, is the most appropriate first orchestral excerpt for the alto trombone student?

Beethoven, Symphony no. 5 Beethoven, Symphony no. 9

Berlioz, Symphonie fantastique Brahms, Symphonies

Mozart, Requiem Schumann, Symphony no. 3

Other (Please specify.)

Why?

12. What alto trombone solo literature do you include in your teaching? Select all that apply.

Albrechtsberger, Concerto M. Haydn, Concerto

L. Mozart, Concerto Wagenseil, Concerto

Other (Please specify.)

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13. What, in your opinion, is the most appropriate first solo for the alto trombone student?

Albrechtsberger, Concerto M. Haydn, Concerto

L. Mozart, Concerto Wagenseil, Concerto

Other (Please specify.)

Why?

14. Does your school own an alto trombone? Yes No If you answered "No," you may skip to question no. 15.

What brand is the school-owned instrument? Please select one.

If "other," please

specify:

Did you choose the brand? Yes No

If your school owns an alto trombone, you may now skip to question no. 17.

15. Would you like your school or department to purchase an alto trombone?

Yes No If you answered "No," you may skip to question no. 17.

Have you requested that your school or department purchase an alto trombone?

Yes No

16. If you could have an alto trombone purchased by your school, what brand would you have

them purchase? Please select one

If "other," please specify:

17. Does the orchestra at your school regularly perform works for which the alto trombone could

be used effectively? Yes No

18. At what level of study do you think the alto trombone should first be taught?

Please select one.

If "Other," please specify:

19. Do you believe that it is important for the alto trombone student to play a mouthpiece whose

rim is identical to that of his/her tenor trombone mouthpiece? Yes No

What mouthpiece(s) do you recommend for alto trombone students?

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20. Of the following methods, please rate those with which you are familiar in the categories listed.

Anderson, Stephen: A Complete Method for E-flat Alto Trombone, two volumes

Progressive arrangement Please select one.

Balance of text and music Please select one.

Readability of the text Please select one.

Readability of the music Please select one.

Clear, easy-to-read position chart Please select one.

Adequate use of various keys Please select one.

Balanced approach to all registers Please select one.

Inclusion of appropriate orchestral excerpts Please select one.

Pedagogical quality of etudes Please select one.

Musical quality of etudes Please select one.

Parow, Karsten: Initiation Complète au Trombone Alto

Progressive arrangement Please select one.

Balance of text and music Please select one.

Readability of the text Please select one.

Readability of the music Please select one.

Clear, easy-to-read position chart Please select one.

Adequate use of various keys Please select one.

Balanced approach to all registers Please select one.

Inclusion of appropriate orchestral excerpts Please select one.

Pedagogical quality of etudes Please select one.

Musical quality of etudes Please select one.

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Slokar, Branimir: Methode Complete de Trombone Alto, volume I

Progressive arrangement Please select one.

Balance of text and music Please select one.

Readability of the text Please select one.

Readability of the music Please select one.

Clear, easy-to-read position chart Please select one.

Adequate use of various keys Please select one.

Balanced approach to all registers Please select one.

Inclusion of appropriate orchestral excerpts Please select one.

Pedagogical quality of etudes Please select one.

Musical quality of etudes Please select one.

Sluchin, Benny: Study Material for Alto Trombone, four volumes

Progressive arrangement Please select one.

Balance of text and music Please select one.

Readability of the text Please select one.

Readability of the music Please select one.

Clear, easy-to-read position chart Please select one.

Adequate use of various keys Please select one.

Balanced approach to all registers Please select one.

Inclusion of appropriate orchestral excerpts Please select one.

Pedagogical quality of etudes Please select one.

Musical quality of etudes Please select one.

Thank you for your participation in this study. Your responses are greatly appreciated.

Doug Warner D.M.A. Candidate The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music

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When you click "Submit," you will be shown a summary of your responses. Responses to checkboxes and option buttons will appear as a "V" and a number (e.g., V26). This simply means that that is the selection you chose. At the bottom of that page there will be a link to return to this survey form. There is no need to do so, as your responses will be e-mailed to me immediately when you click "Submit."

Submit Reset

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APPENDIX II

SURVEY SOLICITATION MATERIALS

Below is a copy of the text from the first round of postcard solicitations that was

sent to trombone instructors on the college and university level.

Dear Colleague, I am writing to request your assistance as a participant in a study I am conducting regarding current trends in alto trombone pedagogy. This research is part of my D.M.A. Thesis. As a college/university level trombone instructor, your participation and the information you provide would be invaluable to the study. In order to make participation as “user-friendly” as possible, I have put the survey on the web. The questions can be answered quickly and easily—the entire survey can be complete in 10 minutes. Even if you have never taught alto trombone or even if you do not play alto trombone yourself, that information is also helpful to me. Your individual responses will be kept confidential, being reported only in aggregate form. Your name and institutional affiliation will not be reported in any way. In return for completing the survey, you may request a copy of the final results of the study. Please go to the website listed below and take a few minutes to respond to this survey; your assistance will be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Doug Warner D.M.A. Candidate, The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music The survey may be found at: http://faculty.leeu.edu/~dwarner/survey.htm A follow up mailing was sent out to those who had not responded after the first

round of solicitations. The text of the follow up postcard invitations appears below.

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Dear Colleague, I’m writing as a follow-up to the postcard I sent you a few weeks ago regarding my DMA research on teaching the alto trombone. I know this is a very busy time of year for those of us in the university teaching profession, and I’m sure that you probably intended to participate in the study, but have simply not had the time. Would you please consider taking a few minutes now to complete my survey? The information you provide (even if you have only “dabbled in” the fields of alto trombone performance and pedagogy) is extremely valuable to my research. Even if you have never touched an alto trombone, that information is also helpful to me. Your individual responses will be kept confidential, being reported only in aggregate form. Your name and institutional affiliation will not be reported in any way. In return for completing the survey, you may request a copy of the final results of the study. For your convenience, the survey is posted on the web at the address listed below. Please go to the website and complete the survey by December 6. Your assistance will be greatly appreciated. If you have already completed the survey, please disregard this notice. Sincerely, Doug Warner D.M.A. Candidate, The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music The survey may be found at: http://faculty.leeu.edu/~dwarner/survey.htm

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APPENDIX III

RESPONDENTS’ COMMENTS

Methods used by respondents in their own study of alto trombone

The following statements were given by survey respondents who wished to clarify

their answer(s) to the question, “Which published methods for alto trombone have you

used in your own study of the instrument?”

• “Easy literature (Wagenseil, Finger, trombone choir pieces)” • “I didn’t use a book, just started playing it.” • “Orchestral Excerpts, Alto Trombone Concertos” • “did not use a method. Only applied to literature” • “Rochut read in tenor clef” • “solos only Wagenseil, etc.” • “Own modified materials” • “My own ‘head exercises,’ slurs, Rochut transposed, Slama as though on tenor, et

al” • “Rochut in tenor and alto clef” • “None—here is the solo—go learn it” • “Traditional rep as starting” • “Etudes by Axel Jorgensen” • “orchestral literature (no methods)” • “Orchestral Rep & Tbn. Quartets” • “no ‘alto’ materials” • “Made own book from Blazhevich, Sauer and Fink books plus copies of

orchestral material in alto clef.” • “easy viola music, A Tune a Day, etc.” • “I did not use a method when studying with Royce. I simply started with some of

the easier alto solo literature.” • “only minimal playing of the instrument” • “Rochut Etudes, in various clefs” • “Rochut (transposed)” • “I use tenor methods on alto.”

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• “adapted standard trombone literature (started with a little Arban ‘up a fourth’ to get my orientation on the instrument), orchestral literature”

• “Excerpts, Mozart, Brahms, etc., just beginning to play alto…I am a Bass Trombonist/Tenor trombonist”

• “None, I just practiced alto trombone repertoire” • “Worked only on Solo Lit”

Pedagogical approaches other than the use of published alto trombone methods

The following statements were given by survey respondents who stated that they

used no published alto trombone methods in their teaching of the instrument. They were

asked to briefly describe how they approached the alto trombone pedagogically.

• “Most of my approach uses the study of solo literature, some excerpts, and use of various tenor trombone etudes (Arban’s, Bordogni, Kahila) both transposed and non-transposed. Also use of Phil Collins’ “In the Singing Style” for familiarity with transposition.”

• “Wagenseil, Excerpts, Scales, Rochuts in different clefs, Arbans, etc…” • “Wagenseil” • “I used the Wagenseil concerto and some simple Biber sonatas.” • “I have only worked with one adult (not a college student). He had two books, but

I must admit I do not remember the names.” • “I use alto clef studies or solos, and have the student learn new positions.” • “I generally start with the Wagenseil Concerto and simple orchestra passages &

duets (for intonation). The listed methods did not exist when I was student; my teaching mirrors my own experience. I have not examined the listed methods.”

• “Standard etudes, e.g., Rochut, Kopprasch, Arban, played as is and up a fourth; standard alto trb. excerpts.”

• “Slow Scales, Orchestral Excerpts, Solo Material” • “I go over the harmonic series of the instrument, and then tell the student to play

long tones with a tuner so they can see, hear, and feel where the notes are on the instrument. Then I tell them to figure out their scales, and then begin with easier orchestral repertoire.”

• “I begin the student on the alto literature…Wagenseil, Albinoni Oboe Concertos, Albrechtsberger, Orchestral excerpts…I have transcribed 7 Albinoni concertos and three double concertos.”

• “I teach the alto by working first with scales and arpeggios. Then onto tenor trombone literature to get playing the instrument underway. Then go to playing solos. I don’t relegate the alto to being played ONLY in alto clef.”

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• “taking simple etude books and changing the clef, and otherwise utilizing vocal literature. Most of the (brief) time my students have spent with alto trombone is scalar and arpeggio oriented.”

• “I teach alto clef playing through Fink and Maxted, as well as excerpts” • “I simply have the students learn solos and orchestral materials. They seem very

quick to pick it up. Then we study intonation and sound production peculiar to the alto.”

• “I use Rochut, Kopprasch—same as tenor” • “scale patterns” • “Begin with scales, lip slurs, etc.; to exercises in various clefs; to solo literature.

Excerpts have played a smaller role in teaching.” • “Scales, arpeggios, simple sight reading in all clefs, and preparation of orchestral

and recital works.” • “The first stage is to play everything as normal as though on a tenor, no reading.

First reading is in treble clef in E-flat, as though in B-flat.” • “Student learns the harmonic series and plays Rochut type etudes to get used to

the positions/intonation. From there, it is just a matter of remembering the positions and playing.”

• “solos and excerpts only” • “I have taught the alto only briefly and have been using scales and arpeggios. I

ask students to transpose (using Finale) some Arban and Rochut exercises to registers appropriate for alto.”

• “Arban’s for lip trills, Remington for slurs” • “My answer is not exactly ‘none,’ although what I have used is not specifically

for Alto Trombone. In my experience, the students needed to learn Alto Clef simultaneously, so I used Fink’s Introducing the Alto Clef and approached it as if the student were a 6th grade beginner learning to read and play at the same time.”

• “Playing familiar music—both tunes and methods” • “Also, Fink Introducing the Alto Clef” • “Use Bordogni—read in alto” • “Scales study” • “Bordogni etudes” • “Coached student on Wagenseil.” • “Use Bordogni—transposing for B.C.” • “Scales, arpeggios, simple tunes, Herring in Clefs” • “I use simple rep. in ‘bass’ clef on alto, warm-ups all to help emphasize the

‘sameness’ then the alto material” • “hymns, Smart Music, viola etudes • “Fink Alto Clef Book and have the student write out a position chart.” • “excerpts and solos—Have student figure out positions chart or play tunes by ear” • “I begin with non-transposed tenor materials (i.e., sounds up a fourth) such as

Rochut Etudes and scales to develop tone/pitch. After those skills are secure, I move to orchestral excerpts and trombone quartets and solos.”

• “I am not familiar with any of these methods. When I started to learn the alto, there were no methods available.”

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• “I don’t have a systematic way of teaching the instrument. I generally suggest that the student learn one key at a time starting with Eb, F, Bb and adding new notes with the new keys. Practicing with a pitch drone, doing scales and arpeggios help develop pitch awareness.”

• “Scales, arpeggios, solos” • “I have introduced students to the instrument using easy etude books (Arban,

Rochut) and moved directly to a solo work or an orchestral piece that the student is to perform.”

• “I wrote out an Eb Harmonic series chart with tuning adjusted (equal temperament) positions. I had the student write out flashcards with each note and all available positions. We drilled them together.”

• “Rochut etudes, Pares Scales Book, Other scale exercises, Some orchestral excerpts”

• “I typically use a standard tenor trombone method, such as Rochut, Melodious Etudes, book 1. This lets the student work with familiar etudes in bass clef (i.e., pitch sounding a fourth higher), allowing him/her to deal more easily with pitch issues and learning the shorter slide positions.”

• “I use scales and arpeggios to learn the instrument. Also, the Fink, Introducing the Alto Clef, for easy, mostly diatonic etudes. After that, begin to learn excerpts and solos.”

• “I teach the alto trombone by the overtone series and finding the embouchure that gives the maximum resonance to the instrument.”

• “Chipurn told me to learn alto in all clefs in order to play the instrument on all the rep. required: Mozart mass, Schubert C Major is now in tenor clef, etc.”

• “no specific published methods. encourage any literature in alto range – especially vocal music. Form concept of alto voice and roles (also non-vocal) and adapt literature accordingly.”

• “Learning chromatic and major scales on alto to understand the relationship between tenor and alto. Use actual orchestral and trombone choir music for study.”

• “Though my students are taught alto clef, along with the other clefs, it is more for the functional understanding and orchestral excerpt preparation”

• “I have not approached it at all yet, but would if I had a performance major (and if we had an orchestra at the school that would play this rep.)”

• “Rochut, Orchestral Parts and Solos, Scales” • “used the part that they were studying to perform” • “I use the Bordogni vocalises to familiarize the students with the new positions.”

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Use of orchestral excerpts in the teaching of alto trombone

The following statements were given by respondents in the “Other (Please

specify.)” space in the question, “What alto trombone orchestral excerpts do you include

in your teaching?”

• “We usually just do excerpts on tenor even if it’s actually an alto part” • “I do not advocate the use of alto trombone on orchestral auditions.” • “In today’s world, most anything written in alto clef seems to be fair game.” • “I have included the study of the alto trombone as an adjunct for students after

they’ve completed their senior recitals. I have them play a variety of music to get a feel for the instrument. The point is not to create alto trombone performers, rather trombone students who have some awareness of what the instrument is like.”

• “I have only taught the very basics of introducing the instrument to students; at this point, that has not included the use of orchestral excerpts.”

• “Have not taught excerpts with Alto trombone students.” • “As I have not taught any student to play the alto, I have not used these

pedagogically. However, I personally have performed all of these on the alto at one time or another.”

• “Again, no system, just as needed.” • “I have a bit of a haphazard approach to the orchestral repertoire, but think the

three excerpts marked above86 cover the skills necessary. I will work on additional excerpts as needed by the student.”

• “Although I performed all of the above and many others many time professionally on alto, I am not a proponent of the ‘alto trombone by default in specified literature’ in orchestral settings. Further elaboration beyond the context of your survey would be necessary.”

• “Not had a chance to get to excerpts on alto with students yet” Reasons for choice of most appropriate first orchestral excerpt for the alto trombone student The following explanations were provided by respondents in justification of their

choices for the most appropriate first orchestral excerpt for the alto trombone student.

86 The respondent marked Beethoven: Symphony no. 5, Mozart: Requiem, and Schumann: Symphony no. 3.

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Schumann: Symphony no. 3

• “Schumann and the Brahms chorales because they are slow, they require control, range and good intonation. The more technical excerpts can follow.”

• “The work is slow, can be played in section for intonation and balance, is very important in the repertoire.”

• “It is slow and starts in the middle register.” • “E-flat major” • “this passage needs the timbre and security of the alto plus it is not technical” • “not too hard or too long” • “This excerpt lies so well on the instrument because of the friendly key. Also, I

believe it is so important for trombonists to be comfortable playing Schumann 3 on either tenor or alto trombone; this excerpt, therefore, can be a helpful tool for contrasting the demands of the two instruments. This can help a student to learn how to ‘blow’ the alto in comparison to the tenor.”

• “Not sure why. Slow enough to think, and short enough to survive.” • “Appropriate solo in terms of range. Lyric, also works other things (soft

dynamics, for example)” • “Range, appropriate sound” • “Popularity” • “Style” • “Though chromatic, it sticks close to the tonal ‘home base’ of the instrument. It is

slow and lyrical, giving the student an opportunity to focus on sound and intonation as primary concerns.”

• “Importance on auditions” • “It’s short and it gives a feel for the intervals involved due to the slow tempo, as

well as showing how the alto is a welcomed relief in the most dreaded excerpt.” • “The finesse needed to play high E-flat at a soft dynamic level is better achieved

with alto. As with Beethoven, playing smaller trombones creates the lighter sound appropriate to this symphony.”

• “lots of first position” • “Key (Eb)/tempo” • “Good key, slow” • “Key and easy technically” • “Slow and lyrical—good for intonation” • “It is such a standard excerpt. The others you list are not as standard. The

Schumann fits well into the range expected on the Alto Trombone.” • “Schumann 3 is much more difficult pitch-wise but so good for slurring.”

Beethoven: Symphony no. 5

• “Beethoven 5 is difficult but most frequently performed and provides a good introduction to repertoire.”

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• “Since Beethoven 5 is the first independent trombone part in a symphony, I think I would start there for historical purposes, although the Mozart is significant, but in a different genre (one that sackbuts would be familiar with – choral music)”

• “It’s short enough and repetitive enough to learn a piece while being introduced to the instrument.”

• “Beethoven 5 doesn’t go THAT high and it is easy to hear pitch and also work on articulation.”

• “Most standard” • “Simple, open intervals” • “Because of the simple harmonic progression.” • “Beethoven because of the technical simplicity of the part – a logical first step.” • “Popularity” • “It is not technically difficult” • “not too taxing; easy to ‘hear’ intervals, very predictable” • “Gain an understanding of the proper tone quality and technique” • “The sound quality needed for music from this time period is more appropriate on

the alto and the extremes in range will be more successful with the alto trombone” • “This excerpt does not require much slide technique.”

Mozart, Requiem, K.626

• “I feel that it is readily understood, it can be correlated with tenor trombone (which to my knowledge is more commonly used).”

• “This excerpt presents to the student the type and style of sound wanted in a smaller chamber ensemble of that historical period.”

• “Lots of technique that is good for slide control. Only with a good player.” • “I enjoy the technical aspect of the Mozart, tends to avoid the prospect of students

believing that alto is used to play higher” • “It originally was written for alto and the style of the piece (Classical) lends itself

more to the lighter sound of the horn than the Romantic pieces that have high tessituras, but also need have the “full trombone sound.” Other Classical pieces work well including Mozart Overture to Magic Flute, Haydn Creation etc.”

• “for its combination of scales, arpeggios, legato and articulated. I use the Maunder edition.”

• “The pitch range is not excessive, and the tonality is clear, with an emphasis on diatonic harmonies. The part doubles choral altos for the most part, making it easier for the trombonist to hear pitches.”

• “The Mozart Requiem has all of the challenges, with the exception of extreme high range, required of the alto player of orchestral repertoire. It is by no means the easiest, but if they can master that they are well on their way to a complete knowledge of the instrument.”

• “It is in the grasp of most players.” • “There are more opportunities to play this piece than the others, and it is

extensive.”

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• “I prefer the edition (the editor’s name fails me at the moment) in which the trombones double the chorus. The part is more demanding for the alto, but also more melodic, and is a good introduction to the most common usage of the alto in orchestral literature, which is as a doubling instrument.”

• “fairly easy, very tonal” • “The timbre best matches the choir altos and is a separate tone color from the

tenor and bass parts.” • “This is not a definite answer. It varies, depending on the student.” • “This excerpt is never asked for in an audition, but I believe it to be the most

appropriate for alto trombone.” Brahms: Symphonies

• “The work is slow, can be played in section for intonation and balance, is very important in the repertoire.”

• “Idiomatic writing, minimal technical demands (i.e, slide/articulation) , music context”

• “Range is most accessible.” • “Least technically challenging.” • “Gives them a chance to interact with section, hear their part, react, and adjust

intonation as they go; some of the other pieces are too ‘hit and miss’ or too high” • “Schumann and the Brahms chorales because they are slow, they require control,

range and good intonation. The more technical excerpts can follow.” • “Schumann and the Brahms chorales because they are slow, they require control,

range and good intonation. The more technical excerpts can follow.” • “Because of how well it is written for the instrument and because it is not overly

high” • “personal preference”

Beethoven: Symphony no. 9

• “Played more often and conductors usually want alto now on Beethoven” • “Simple, open intervals” • “Gain an understanding of the proper tone quality and technique” • “The sound quality needed for music from this time period is more appropriate on

the alto and the extremes in range will be more successful with the alto trombone” Mozart: The Magic Flute, K.620

• “‘O Isis und Osiris’ Aria (No. 10) is very lyrical, in a comfortable range, and somewhat idiomatic. If not this piece, then I might use some of the other Schumann symphonies (Nos. 1, 2, or 4) for similar reasons.”

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• “It is melodic, the writing is not too high and the student can use the section sound to maintain a model.”

Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique No reasons were given. Mozart: Confessorial Vespers, K.339

• “Broad mix of both chorale and technical playing; lower tessitura in several movements allows student to focus on learning the ins and outs of the instrument and intonation.”

Beethoven: Symphony no. 6

• “It is easier for the beginner.” Mozart: Zorastro’s aria (from The Magic Flute, K.620)

• “It is a tuneful, not terribly high chorale, capable of being played quickly, and with a section”

Dvorak: Symphony no. 6

• “It has the same chord pattern as Brahms II, but easier to hear.” Bach: Cantata no. 4

• “Longer, more substantial passages to develop from.” Mozart: Mass in C minor, K.427

• “It has a bit more sustained playing, allowing the student to grasp continuity more easily, and the keys are easier.”

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Other comments regarding appropriate first excerpts

The following statements were given by respondents in the “Other (Please

specify.)” or in the “Why?” space in the question, “What, in your opinion, is the most

appropriate first orchestral excerpt for the alto trombone student?”

• “We are mainly a music ed. school. Sometimes I have an interested student ‘get their feet wet’ by playing the Wagenseil Concerto, but we don’t focus on Orchestral Alto Trombone playing. None of my students have ever had that as a career goal.”

• “Student not that advanced” • “Any of the above. I would have a student work from methods and exercises first,

then when one has footing on the instrument, practice any and all of the excerpts above.”

• “PS Berlioz asks that the part not be played on alto in the score” • “I’ll leave this blank since I do not utilize alto trombone excerpts in my studio at

this time. No student has reached the level of proficiency to work on alto trombone excerpts.”

• “No particular 1st excerpt” • “Depends on the student” • “Note: In my studio, I don’t teach alto trombone to every student since the school

doesn’t own one. Therefore, I’m not as familiar with the method books as I should be. For that reason I will not be completing the reviews at the bottom of your survey. My apologies.”

Use of solo literature in the teaching of alto trombone

The following statements were given by respondents in the “Other (Please

specify.)” space in the question, “What alto trombone solo literature do you include in

your teaching?”

• “Anything else that can be played on the Alto.” • “Again, I’ll leave this blank since I don’t utilize any of the alto trombone’s

literature” • “I have only taught the very basics of introducing the instrument to students; at

this point, that has not included the use of solo literature.” • “whatever sounds good on alto!” • “Besozzi, other Baroque transcriptions. (Keep in mind that this is for graduate

students, primarily, and they are largely self-starters who often come in with a

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desire to perform a specific piece. All of the works I teach require a very advanced player!)”

• “never gotten any further with a student.”87 • “Any of these – (also encourage them to be played on tenor) – and many

transcriptions.” • “TONS of horn music-Mozart concertos, Haydn concertos, Strauss concertos,

Schumann pieces, anything that fits the range.” Reasons for choice of most appropriate first solo for the alto trombone student The following explanations were provided by respondents in justification of their

choices for the most appropriate first solo for the alto trombone student.

Wagenseil: Concerto in E-flat major

• “Mostly my own familiarity and/or habit. I do think it is a good example of the pre-classical style and the kinds of phrasing required in that idiom”

• “I find it to be less demanding than the Albrechtsberger and a better confidence-builder.”

• “These pieces88 allow the student to become familiar with the instrument’s ‘Home keys’ (E-flat, B-flat), thus facilitating assimilation of basic slide positions and intonation tendencies.”

• “It is, in some ways, the easiest.” • “It seems to be the easiest, it’s in a friendly key, it’s short. Good recordings are

available for study.” • “It is in a good key for learning the instrument. It is fairly short and not extreme in

range.” • “Like the piece and most students like it as well” • “Good key for E-flat alto. Not a taxing piece either musically or technically.” • “1. Home key of instrument. 2. Gentle intro to cadential trills.” • “The key is such that it will help the student develop a sense of intonation fairly

quickly, and the range is very comfortable” • “challenging, but again, easy to hear intervals; variety of material” • “Least technically challenging.” • “Not too high, not too long” • “This solo is not written in an extreme high range and requires less time on the

face than the other.”

87 The respondent had listed the Albrechtsberger Concerto and the Wagenseil Concerto. 88 This respondent chose both the Wagenseil Concerto and the Albinoni Concerto as appropriate first pieces.

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• “relatively easy, not too stinking high” • “tradition” • “Range and endurance are not as demanding” • “Most practical as it can be done on tenor as well.” • “Appropriate key, easy tessitura” • “This is the easiest piece to play first” • “The solo is in the key of Eb and is not a technical challenge. It provides the

student the opportunity to make music and learn intonation in equal temperament.”

• “Key, it lays well for the horn, good intro to tuning the instrument easiest of the major works”

• “Not too high and easy to hear.” • “In my judgment it is the most accessible work for a player new to the

instrument.” • “Very approachable technically and musically” • “It’s in E-flat, nice range, works well.” • “key” • “Either one,89 depending on student’s interest.” • “Key; simplicity” • “ease” • “Accessibility” • “Good key and range” • “Easier register demands” • “Range” • “Most easily learned for 1st piece and important to literature” • “Lies well – easy to hear” • “Range” • “Key and relatively easy technically” • “Students have played it on tenor.” • “Easy key and not too demanding” • “First movement is relatively simple to learn (key, range are good for the alto)” • “Most approachable from the point of view of range and style. I like the

Albrechtsberger equally well.” • “This solo is in E-flat Major and lies well for the instrument.” • “timbre” • “The pitch, range, and technical demands seem easier on the Wagenseil, making it

an appropriate ‘first’ solo.” • “Key and tessitura” • “Ease of execution, reasonable range” • “it’s easy on the ear.” • “Easier than the others listed. Tonality also well suited to alto.” • “Style, range”

89 This respondent chose both the Wagenseil Concerto and the Albrechtsberger Concerto as appropriate first pieces.

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• “It has proven to be a good ‘starting’ piece for alto trombone students. It is not terribly technically challenging, while providing the alto sound in the upper register.”

• “Easier to master. Very little technically difficult sections. Makes for a good first solo presentation.”

• “Technical and Range Demands.” • “personal preference”

Albrechtsberger: Concerto in B-flat major

• “tradition” • “It is musically interesting, and not unduly tiring.” • “Range, easy construction” • “Again – it is not technically difficult and the key is ‘very’ friendly.” • “Either one,90 depending on student’s interest.” • “It’s simply the one with which I am most familiar.” • “familiarity” • “It’s understandable, and moves in predictable sequences.”

Finger: Sonata in E-flat major

• “Much simpler than the ‘standard’ works, yet sounds good. Easier in terms of technique, ornamentation, and pitch.”

• “It is relatively easy, in E-flat” • “Eb is a better key than the other. It lays much better on the horn for young

students” • “It is idiomatic with a moderate tessitura. Music is of decent quality, and it is

easily prepared for recital purposes.” Mozart, Leopold: Concerto in D major

• “I know it best.” • “I select the Mozart because it is the only piece that I am personally familiar

with…others may be more appropriate, but this is what I have used.”

90 This respondent chose both the Albrechtsberger Concerto and the Wagenseil Concerto as appropriate first pieces.

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Albinoni: Concerto in B-flat

• “These pieces91 allow the student to become familiar with the instrument’s ‘Home keys’ (E-flat, B-flat), thus facilitating assimilation of basic slide positions and intonation tendencies.”

Besozzi: Sonata in C major

• “Range/tech.”

Other comments regarding appropriate first solos

The following statements were given by respondents in the “Other (Please

specify.)” or in the “Why?” space in the question, “What, in your opinion, is the most

appropriate first solo for the alto trombone student?”

• “Again, I’ll leave this blank since I don’t utilize any of the alto trombone’s literature”

• “Undecided. Wagenseil or Albrechtsberger probably.” • “Don’t have a big preference—as long as it interests the student” • “something medium range and in a simple key” • “Starting without the added issues of difficult keys or particularly high range

makes the chance of success much higher.” Comments regarding school-owned alto trombones The following statements were offered by respondents to further clarify their

choices regarding school-owned alto trombones, brand selection, etc.

• “Just a note: I had to beg my dept. chair for 4 years before he would buy me an alto trombone. I think it is important to have around, but honestly we won’t use it a ton.”

• “I would like to comment here. We don’t need another alto92 but if we did I would ask for a Conn with the Bb attachment. That seems to be the instrument of choice

91 This respondent chose both the Albinoni Concerto and the Wagenseil Concerto as appropriate first pieces. 92 The respondent’s school owns a Yamaha alto trombone.

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right now. I would use the trigger to access better lip trills, not as to play regular notes.”

• “2 of them93; don’t know if I’d make the same choice again” Comments regarding the appropriate level of study for alto trombone to first be taught The following statements were offered by respondents to clarify their selection or

offer an opinion other than a simple choice of a single category.

• “Mostly masters, but in some cases it could be OK for an undergraduate upperclassman”

• “Depending upon the ability of the student either late undergrad or graduate” • “It depends on the student. If one is an outstanding undergraduate, ok. But only if

fundamentals are absolutely in place. Otherwise, I would wait until master’s study.”

• “Performance major in junior or senior year of undergrad study” • “Depends on the level of the individual student.” • “completely depends on each individual student” • “when the student can manage and has an interest” • “Undergraduate OR Master’s” • “Undergrad – Jr. or Sr. depending on the student” • “I don’t stress alto trombone playing, the parts can be covered on tenor effectively

in today’s orchestras” • “This depends on the student. It should be covered in a Master’s program at the

latest, but some benefit from it as undergraduates.” • “sr. year undergraduate” • “Depends on the student” • “When the student wants to…it should be their desire.” • “I feel that it depends on the teacher, the player, and the school of music” • “(Masters may be more appropriate for many students)” • “ADVANCED Undergraduate” • “When the performer, on his/her own, realizes that the alto trombone is (a) more

appropriate for the particular work or composer being performed, or (b) when the player grows to be smart enough that not everything needs to be played on a ‘large-bore’ tenor…”

• “It should be taught with more talented undergraduates or master’s level students.”

• “not worth time on ‘period’ instrument” • “depends on student”

93 The respondent’s school owns two Yamaha alto trombones.

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• “Depending on the goals of the student, undergrad or masters” Comments regarding the mouthpieces respondents recommend for alto trombone students The following statements were offered by respondents to clarify their

recommendation or offer an opinion other than a simple choice of a particular

mouthpiece.

• “Varies by student and by alto” • “It depends a bit on the student.” • “Schilke 51B for Bach 5G/Schilke 51 users, custom (Doug Elliott, etc.) for users

of larger mouthpieces.” • “no one mthpc can be correct for all students.” • “The one that comes with the horn, or a Wick 7BL” • “depends on the student” • “Bach 6½ or smaller or equivalent size of another brand.” • “Whatever makes them sound best” • “Bach 7C, 11C, 12C, 15C depending on player/needs.” • “I don’t know anything about alto trombone mouthpieces.” • “7C cup depth with an identical tenor rim” • “Wick (16?; it’s what they make for alto specifically)” • “depends on student—small tenor mouthpieces are best” • “Greg Black (corresponding Alessi series), Bach 6½ AL or 4C or Yamaha 48” • “I played on an equivalent to a Bach 6½ AL, and a 7C” • “Doug Elliott-C cup-100 rim or 101” • “Shallower: I emphasize the alto sound over the tenor” • “Elliott” • “shallow cup – I use an Elliott C – I have also used a Bach 12E” • “Bach 15 or thereabouts, or a Doug Elliot system utilizing the same rim as their

tenor horn.” • “A small one such as 12C to match the bore of the horn” • “Any small tenor the student feels comfortable with” • “same rim if possible; whatever works 12c/7c/I have same rim with 5½C cup” • “The rim should be constant as the cup changes, therefore, Elliott.” • “Player’s choice” • “Cannot answer, it depends on the students tenor equipment.” • “Whatever works. I use the one that came with the horn.”

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• “Although – it depends on the student and the mouthpiece.94 Some students can change rims sizes between tenor and alto more easily than others. I recommend Elliott due to the ease in changing parts.”

• “12C or whatever is comfortable. Should suit the instrument” • “depends on their tenor mouthpiece” • “Start with Bach 12C or Schilke 47 and then experiment like crazy.” • “Whatever sounds/feels good.” • “Eventually this can change—depends on player” • “Elliot 100rim/c or d cup” • “It would depend on the individual” • “For some students yes. For some no.95 Elliot C cup and rim to fit particular

student” • “I like a shallow 7C—I use w/my own rim from a Symphony T-Giardinelli” • “I like the Slokar” • “Whatever they use on small-bore trombone” • “Elliot, Greg Black” • “Equivalent to a 6½ AL rim” • “Whatever works” • “I personally use the same mouthpiece for both tenor and alto (with appropriate

shank), but as with shoes, I try to suggest mouthpiece sizes to fit the individual, not some anticipated “standard.”

• “Whatever works.” • “ideally, the mouthpieces rims should be similar. I like the Black 5.” • “Bach 9 or something between a Bach 12 and a Bach 7. I do not like the sound of

a big mouthpiece on an alto, and try to convince my students to use a small mouthpiece.”

• “Black, Elliot” • “Bach” • “No larger than Bach 6½” • “The one that comes with the horn” • “don’t know” • “One that fits instrument, enables clarity of tone and good intonation.” • “Bach 11C/12C with 5G rim (see Stork soon)” • “varies” • “not sure” • “While not quite sure what you asked about here, certain brass players are more

sensitive to rims than others – for those students I’d recommend an identical rim” • “Bach 7C or custom Doug Elliott” • “depends on the needs of the student”

94 The respondent had selected, “Yes” to the previous question, agreeing that it is important for a student to play a mouthpiece whose rim is identical to that of his/her tenor trombone mouthpiece. 95 The respondent was referring to the appropriate answer to the question regarding the importance of a student keeping the same rim from tenor to alto.

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• “Doug Elliot”

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APPENDIX IV

SURVEY RESULTS FROM RANDOMLY SAMPLED NON-RESPONDENTS

The data collected from the non-respondents who were contacted by phone (See

chapter 5, Methodology.) is reported below in aggregate form. Six instructors participated

in this round of the survey.

Are you employed full time or part time by the institution at which you teach?

Full time: 4 Part time: 2

Do you play alto trombone?

Yes: 5 No: 1

Did you receive any formal training on alto trombone?

Yes: 2 No: 3

With whom did you study alto trombone?

Jay Friedman, John Kitzman, Randy Kohlenberg, Michael Mulcahy, William Richardson

At what point in your career did you begin playing alto trombone?

Undergraduate: 2 Master’s: 1 Doctorate: 1 After formal education: 1

Which published methods for alto trombone have you used in your own study of the instrument?

Anderson: 2 Slokar: 1 Sluchin: 1 Other: Bordogni/Rochut

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Have you ever taught alto trombone to a student?

Yes: 5 No: 1

Which published methods for alto trombone have you used in your teaching?

Anderson: 1 Slokar: 1 Sluchin: 1 Other: Fink: Introducing the Tenor Clef for Trombone96; Fink: Introducing the

Alto Clef for Trombone; Bordogni/Rochut: Melodious Etudes for Trombone (2 votes); Sauer: Clef Studies for Trombone

Other pedagogical approaches: alto trombone excerpts; solo literature; tenor

trombone method books; Bordogni/Rochut etudes played in transposed bass clef; have the student learn to play music that they already can play on tenor trombone—then on to solo literature, excerpts, and the Slokar method

What alto trombone orchestral excerpts do you include in your teaching? Beethoven: Symphony no. 5 3 Beethoven: Symphony no. 9 3 Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique 1 Brahms: Symphonies 3 Mozart: Requiem, K.626 4 Schumann: Symphony no. 3 4

Others Berg: Three Orchestra Pieces 2 Schubert: Masses Schubert: Symphonies 2 Brahms: All music Mozart: Masses 2 Schumann: Symphony no. 2 Beethoven: Missa Solemnis Mendelssohn: Ruy Blas Overture Haydn: The Creation Schumann: Symphonies Beethoven: Symphony no. 6 Monteverdi: Vespers and Orfeo Mozart: The Magic Flute, K.620 Haydn: The Seven Last Words What, in your opinion, is the most appropriate first orchestral excerpt for the alto

trombone student? Why? Brahms: Symphonies - “Others are too difficult.” 96 Reginald Fink, Introducing the Tenor Clef for Trombone (North Greece, NY: Accura Music, 1968).

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Brahms: Symphony no. 1, Mozart: The Magic Flute, works by Schubert or

Schumann – “Not too many high notes” Schumann: Symphony no. 3 – “It’s pretty easy—then, after that, whatever they

want to do.” Brahms: Symphonies, or Schumann: Symphony no. 3 – “Depends on the

student” Schumann: Symphony no. 3 or Mozart: Requiem – “straight-forward” What alto trombone solo literature do you use in your teaching? Albrechtsberger: Concerto in B-flat major 4 Haydn, Michael: Concerto in D major 3 Mozart, Leopold: Concerto in D major 3 Wagenseil: Concerto in E-flat major 5 Others Albinoni: Concerto in B-flat major Besozzi: Sonata in C major

Boismortier: Sonata in C major Ewazen: Sonata for Alto Trombone 2 Finger: Sonata in E-flat major George: Sonata

Handel: Concerto in F minor Hidas: Baroque Concerto Hindemith: Sonata for Alto Horn and Piano Mendelssohn: Songs Without Words Music for alto trombone and voice (Hapsburg Empire) Music for alto trombone and voice (Zianni and Tuma) Transcriptions of opera arias What, in your opinion, is the most appropriate first solo for the alto trombone

student? Wagenseil: Concerto in E-flat major – “Tessitura, melodic content” “Range and technical ease” Wagenseil: Concerto in E-flat major or Handel: Concerto in F minor – “Both

lie well on the horn.” Wagenseil: Concerto in E-flat major or Finger: Sonata in E-flat major –

“Key; tuning partials; alternate positions” “Variable—depends on the student”

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Does your school own an alto trombone? Yes: 3 No: 3 What brand is the school-owned instrument? Conn: 2 Bach: 1 Glassl: 1 Lätzsch: 1 Did you choose the brand? Yes: 2 No: 1 Would you like your school or department to purchase an alto trombone? Yes: 3 No: 0 Have you requested that your school or department purchase an alto trombone? Yes: 1 No: 2 If you could have an alto trombone purchased by your school, what brand would

you have them purchase? Conn: 2 Edwards: 1 Does the orchestra at your school regularly perform works for which the alto

trombone could be used effectively? Yes: 4 No: 2 At what level of study do you think the alto trombone should first be taught? Undergraduate – “If the student is solid” “Advanced—with a high performance interest”

“When they’ve developed a mature sound concept and solid fundamentals” Master’s – No qualifying comment given Others Beginner – “It’s a lighter instrument, and they can reach all the positions.” “Depends on the level of the student.”

Do you believe that it is important for the alto trombone student to play a mouthpiece whose rim is identical to that of his/her tenor trombone mouthpiece? Yes: 2 No: 2

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Comments

• “Give the student a choice—whatever works.” • “An individual choice” • “Yes, ideally, but you must consider control and pitch.” • “Depends on the student”

What mouthpiece(s) do you recommend for alto trombone students?

• “Doug Elliot” • “7C or Griego 11C” • “Bach 6½ AS, Bach 7C, or smaller—Bach 9. I play a New York Bach 12C.” • “6½ AL” • “Smaller equipment. A 12C.” • “5” • “Yamaha 48A, Bach 6½ A or 7. For those who want to keep the same rim, I

recommend a custom mouthpiece with a large rim and a small cup.” Only half of the respondents rated any of the methods, and no method was rated by more than two respondents. No one rated the Parow method. With only one or two respondents rating any one method, comparison of the data with that of the large study would be of little value statistically.