Texas Bandmasters Association
Bandmasters Review • September 2015
15
position (posture), foot-tap, and basic theory. The
other director deals with administrative tasks such as
selecting instruments for move-in students, or finding
solutions for students who signed up to play an
instrument that they can no longer afford to purchase
or rent. Providing relative instruction during this time
pays huge dividends once you have settled into the
school year.
Playing Position (Posture)
We are not sure who to give credit to for coining
the phrase,
“If they look right, they will more than
likely one day sound right,”
but it is a very true
statement. Everything starts with having students get
their bodies into the most efficient position to produce
a great sound. The non-negotiables of playing position
are (1) feet flat on the floor, (2) upper body in a
standing position, (3) shoulders sloped and relaxed and
(4) head up. The goal is to allow the lungs to be as tall and
open to air as they can be. It is important that students
understand that tension is the enemy of great sound
production and that they learn to sit correctly while
keeping their bodies relaxed and in a natural position.
Producing the First Sounds
In the Mesquite ISD, students do not start Band
until 7th grade at five of our eight middle schools. At
a Staff Development session several years ago, Cindy
Lansford asked us, “Do you find yourself going slower
to be sure the kids really get it, since you only have
the 7th grade to teach them to play?” That was a very
profound statement because it is so important that
kids “get it” as beginners and great tone quality is our
first priority. So as we start working on producing
sounds, we move very slowly.
Characteristic tone production is a result of a
smooth relaxed air stream, moving through an efficient
embouchure into the instrument. The simplest way we
have found to achieve this is to get students to take in
air to the bottom of their lungs and then move it out
of their bodies through the center of their lips, without
the instrument. Once they can do this, the next step
is to do the same thing with the mouthpiece or head
joint. There are some very strong pedagogical opinions
about whether young brass players should vibrate
on their mouthpieces at this stage or not and some
great teachers on both sides of that issue. Whether
you choose to have your brass students vibrate on the
mouthpiece or not, the goal is for the students to move
air tension free. This is a good time for all teachers to
review handouts from clinics, textbooks and articles
that detail pedagogy specific to each instrument and
talk to veteran, successful teachers so that we are
accurate and confident in helping our young students
form embouchures and produce their first sounds.
As the students are ready to move to the instruments,
hand position should be addressed separately from
tone production. Remember, “If they look right, they
will more than likely one day sound right.” Students
should use their hands and elbows to move their
instruments to their embouchures—if they are correct,
their elbows will not touch their bodies.
It is very important that, at this time, teachers
are reminding students to keep their air smooth
and steady as well as keep their bodies relaxed and
in a natural position. Our job at this point is to
provide the students with the instruction, feedback
and encouragement that they need to play with a clear,
steady sound. It is important to provide the students
with as much individual feedback as possible on a
daily basis while they are beginning to make sounds.
Taking extra time during these first few weeks to help
students produce sounds correctly will save many
weeks of remediation later this year, and the next,
and the next!
What’s Next
Once the students are making steady sounds,
articulation should be introduced. This is another
Starting Beginners—The Tall and the Short of It
