[Trombone-l] Trombone for new elementary school player

[Jon Bohls]

I don't respond much to the list, but I thought that I would on this
subject.  

I was a band director for 19 years before becoming a private teacher, which
I am now in 21st year.

When I band directed, we used to start as many kids before school as we
could.  We would have five to ten days of like instrument classes.  During
that time we would cover how to put the horn together, how to hold the horn,
how to breath, and how to play the first basic notes that were in the
beginner book that we used.  If someone couldn't come to those classes, then
we used kids from those classes to help get them caught up.  Everybody was
happy and stayed with it for the whole year.

As a private teacher, I welcome starting a student before school.  The first
lesson I do with them I cover how to breathe, how to put the horn together,
how to hold the horn, embouchure, and put that all together to play their
first note.  I try to have that lesson be for an hour.  We do lots of
repetition on all those areas.  Second lesson, we start to label notes and
play them.  Third lesson, we start to play a basic page from the book that I
use with them (Trombone Student by Fred Weber).  I try to get them as far
along as possible.  I tell them that they will be a little bored at the
beginning of school, but that they can be used as an aide to help get the
others caught up.  

This year it has worked like it usually does.  The class has 16 beginners in
it.  Of those 16, I started nine before school.  The class is being taught
by a band director that is a trombone player.  We talk every day about how
they are doing.  He and I are matched up between class and lessons.  We have
the same philosophy in our teaching.

We start them out on either the Yamaha YSL-354 or the King 606 with a 6 1/2
AL mouthpiece.  This year I have one student playing his father's old Bach
36.  He didn't start using the trigger until just recently.  I am teaching
him to use the trigger based on slide direction.

Kids don't have to have arms long enough to reach 7th position.  Most of
them can't.  So we don't do any 7th position notes until they can reach it.
I check that all the time.

This in my little bit to add to this discussion.

Jon Bohls


On 3/4/09 9:32 AM, "Chris Waage" <chris.waage at gmail.com> wrote:

> I will admit to being very opinionated on this topic, and while you may have
> experience different results, here's my $0.02.
> 
> DON'T START THE KID BEFORE HE OR SHE STARTS IN SCHOOL.
> 
> On average, I have one or two parents contact me every year wanting to start
> their kid on a band instrument the summer before or the year before he or
> she would normally start in school.  The first couple of times this
> happened, I did it.  While each of the kids had some decent talent for the
> instrument and for music, they all ended up quitting before Christmas.
> 
> Why?
> 
> Because they were bored silly.  Everyone else is learning "This is a b-flat,
> and you play it in first position" while they can already play most of the
> material the rest of the class will play in the first semester.
> 
> I will grant that there could always be an exception to the rule, but I have
> seen this play out so many times that I'm willing to stick by my rule.  And
> yes, there could also be other reasons why they quit - heck, it could be my
> teaching, they didn't like the band director, they didn't like lugging the
> thing back and forth to school, or a host of other rational or irrational
> reasons.
> 
> However, starting a student before everyone else really doesn't work out for
> the best.
> 
> If they want to get a head start on music, start them on piano. They get the
> basics - pitch, rhythm, practice habits, etc. that will help them succeed
> down the road in band.
> 
> Now, back to the original question of an instrument.  I personally recommend
> any of the Yamaha beginner instruments, as well as any of the decent older
> Bachs, Conn Directors, Kings or Getzens that are floating around.  I also do
> not recommend getting a beginner a pro-level instrument for the simple fact
> that the slides are far too touchy.  The beginner trombones have
> heavier-walled slides to better resist the daily "oopses" that happen to
> beginners.
> 
> Again, your mileage may vary, but I wouldn't start the kid early.
> 
> Chris
> 
> --
> Chris Waage, Bass Trombonist
> chris.waage at gmail.com
> 
> 
> 
> From: Price Taylor <pricetaylor at comcast.net>
> Date: Wed, 4 Mar 2009 07:06:11 -0800
> To: Trombone List <trombone-l at samford.edu>
> Subject: [Trombone-l] Trombone for new elementary school player
> 
> I asked this a couple of days ago..but might have used the wrong e-mail
> address (I use multiple e-mails and consolidate them with Gmail).
> 
> =====
> 
> Hello list, my youngest son is 10, in 4th grade, and is expressing an
> interest in playing the trombone - of course, that's great (I think...)!
> 
> I started playing in 5th grade but the current thinking now is 6th grade - I
> think that's because the middle school has band?
> 
> I was thinking that this summer might be a good time to get an early start
> and begin playing.  Many years ago, I bequeathed my old King Cleveland to my
> high school, that was my first trombone.  Guess I should have kept it, it
> was pretty hard to hurt that horn.
> 
> I'm looking for recommendations for a beginner's trombone - ideally
> something to last to 9th grade.  The Yamaha YSL-354 appears to be the choice
> of many, although I have no experience with Yamaha trombones (I play a Conn
> 88H and King 3B).
> 
> Any other suggestions?
> 
> Thanks list!
> 
> -Price
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