A Little Survey on (Youth) Instrumentalists in Church

On By Brian ReichenbachIn Church music, Music in Worship, Music pedagogyLeave a comment

Last spring, I administered a short questionnaire to a gathering of church music leaders at a worship conference in southeastern Tennessee. I received 28 responses from this preliminary survey which yielded some interesting results:

  • 57% regularly use orchestral string, wind, or percussion instruments in their worship services
  • On the other hand, 43% typically use only organ, piano, guitar, and/or drums in their services
  • About a third (29%) have a church orchestra
  • 39% use orchestral instrumentalists who are 22 years old or younger
  • Only 14% use orchestral instrumentalists under 18 years old

When asked what they could use to “help your church to include or better involve orchestral string, wind, or percussion instrumentalists in your services,” they responded as follows:

  • 64% would benefit from expertise or training for instrumentalists in their church
  • 39% could use expertise or training for those in leadership
  • 36% cited the need for more time or additional staff

Finally, nearly one-third (29%) of church music leaders said that college age and younger youth “rarely” or “never” participate in leading congregational worship in their church in any way. 

I continue to believe that there is a great opportunity for involving both youth and, in particular, young band and orchestra kids in the musical worship in our churches! More to come later….

instruments-in-your-worship-servicesDownload

In Praise of Scales for Beginning Trumpet Players

On By Brian ReichenbachIn Music pedagogy, Practice, Repertoire, trumpet skillsLeave a comment

Learning a variety of scales is essential for all successful instrumentalists. These are the building blocks of our music-making. It is never too early to start learning scales. In fact, it’s the perfect place to start! Why??

  • Almost all music is created with a limited collection of pitches. When these are arranged in order you get a scale!
  • Practicing scales builds the motor coordination needed to reliably produce pitches in musical time.
  • Scales help our ears connect with the different roles that each pitch plays within the context of a key.
  • Scales can be used to strategically extend range both higher and lower.
  • Even young students are able to play in many more keys than most teachers realize. This builds confidence and prepares them to approach keys with more sharps or flats without fear.
  • Once a student knows a scale, it can be used to develop any number of techniques when strategically varied, such as with articulation and dynamics.

In my teaching of beginning students, I start out with a five note scale from C to G. Once that is achieved, I add one note to the top, progressing slowly so as to develop a good sound and to discourage tension. It may take several weeks or months to play up to a full octave. That’s okay. I then use the Beginning Scale Sheet below to move students through several keys, developing both range and familiarity with different fingering combinations. 

A few other suggestions:

  • A steady tempo, no matter how slow, is essential for learning scales. Playing them out of time indicates poor motor control and renders them useless when applied to real music.
  • Pay attention to breathing. Encouraging students to play in one breath will promote reliable control of both the fingers and the air. This inevitably results in better sound production. At first, strive for just going up or just going down in one breath. Then, aim for up and down in one breath. Surprisingly simple goals like this provide excellent motivation for young students
  • Practice scales, first slurred and then tongued. Slurring eliminates the challenge of coordinating the tongue along with everything else. But articulation should be added soon so as to develop an immediate release of the air and coordination between tongue and fingers.
  • I use scales along with lip slurs to develop range in different ways. They also present two interrelated ways to approach the trumpet – one based on moving within a partial using valves and the other moving across partials with only the air and lips.

Unfortunately, many beginning band methods introduce only a narrow selection of keys and scales in the prioritization of other things. However, I find it incredibly empowering for students to learn multiple scales. It primes them for what is up next. If you really want to open up the doors for more repertoire, greater technique, and a true freedom of expression, scales are essential!

beginning-scale-sheetDownload

Duet Parts for the 2023-24 ETSBOA All-East Audition Trumpet Etudes

On By Brian ReichenbachIn Auditions, sight-reading, Trumpet DuetsLeave a comment

I enjoyed writing duet parts last year for the Tennessee All-East audition etudes, so I thought I would do it again for my students and others. They are great for:

  • Playing with a classmate
  • Playing with your teacher
  • Playing with a recording on YouTube (or even make your own and play along!)
  • Sight-reading practice – remember that’s part of the audition, too.
  • Hone your rhythm. These will fit together perfectly, if you’re playing in time.
  • Improve your intonation. It’s easy to let intonation slide when we play by ourselves. Playing these along with someone else might highlight some places where you can play better in tune.
  • Hearing the etudes in a different way. They might surprise you, but might also give you some more musical ideas.
  • Having fun!

You can view or download them below. You’ll need the audition etudes available from your director. Let me know how you like them!

trumpet-duet-parts-to-etsboa-all-east-etudes-9-10-rotation-1Download
trumpet-duet-parts-to-etsboa-all-east-etudes-11-12-rotation-1Download

Duet Parts for the 2023 MTSBOA Mid-State Audition Trumpet Etudes

On By Brian ReichenbachIn Auditions, sight-reading, Trumpet DuetsLeave a comment

Try out these duet parts I wrote to go along with this year’s Tennessee Mid-State audition etudes. You can play them along with a friend, your teacher, or one of the recorded performances online. Not only is this great practice for the sight-reading part of the audition, but I find playing these super helpful for honing rhythm and intonation. If both parts are played well, the rhythm will fit together and the pitches should lock in harmoniously. It also might give you some additional musical ideas when you hear more than just one line of music. I’ve included versions below with both the etude and the duet part together as well as the duet part on the page by itself. I hope these will help you have a little bit of fun while you prepare for the audition!

mtsboa-9-10-trumpet-etudes-set-b-with-duet-partsDownload
mtsboa-11-12-trumpet-etudes-set-b-with-duet-partsDownload

Secrets to Breathing Well on the Trumpet

On By Brian ReichenbachIn Music pedagogy, Practice, trumpet skillsLeave a comment

1) Breathe through your mouth – You just can’t get enough air through your nose quickly enough.  Plus, in through the mouth sets up a reflex that is logically followed by exhalation through your mouth.

2) Breathe in time right before you play – At an early age, students should be taught to breathe in time right before they play.  Mark in breaths to breathe in time between phrases.

3) Your air has only two speeds, IN and OUT – Be careful not to stop the air between inhalation and exhalation.  It should feel a lot like a wind up and a pitch, throwing a ball with in one motion.  Stopping in the middle will often cause tension or obstruction.

4) Keep center of your lips on mouthpiece when breathing in – Dropping your jaw for a “big breath” or otherwise needlessly removing the mouthpiece from contact with your lips will delay the release of your air.  Even more importantly, if you don’t keep your lips close they will not be prepared to vibrate.  

5) Breathe in through corners of mouth – This goes along with the previous piece of advice.  I tell my student to imagine their lips are in the shape of a sideways figure eight or infinity symbol: ∞.  Lips are touching in the middle and corners relax to bring in air.  Notice this breath as a great example:

(Set playback speed to .25 to study the position of his lips on intake.)

6) Breathe in across your tongue – Practice this by breathing in while raising/moving forward the front half of your tongue enough to feel cold air rushing against past.  This provides something for the lungs to draw air against and sets up your tongue for an effective playing position in most registers.  It also prepares tongue to release the air immediately.  Without this, you may inadvertently close your throat, constricting the flow of air and creating a point of tension that is not helpful for playing.  Notice in this video how the player’s tongue comes forward for a good breath and to prepare for the subsequent articulation:

(Slow down playback for a closer look.)