Trombone Time 102: Articulation—Enunciating the Notes
#creative This two-week, 4-session course is a study in how to articulate notes cleanly and clearly on the trombone, which has unique challenges due to the slide.
Timothy Burt
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(43)
What's included
4 live meetings
3 hrs 20 mins in-class hoursHomework
2-4 hours per week. 1) Practical application of the lesson by practicing the skills. The student is required to practice 5 days per week, 30 minutes a day in order to adequately learn the skills. The teacher provides the music for the student to practice. 2) Listening assignments of trombonists performing the skills via Youtube videos. The teacher provides a list of screened videos. 3) The teacher may also provide additional play-along videos for practice between sessions.Assessment
Informal assessment. Students who make sufficient progress will be encouraged to enroll in the next course or private lessons. Students who need more time to develop the skills will be asked to repeat the course or may opt to take private lessons.Class Experience
The student will develop the skill of articulating notes cleanly per the unique challenges on the trombone, learning the difference between "tah", "dah", and "lah" syllables and their appropriate uses. The class is structured for an instructional time with call and response verification, teacher demonstration of skills, student practice of skills with teacher guidance, then call and response between the teacher and individual students to verify the application of the lesson. An occasional video clip may be used to accentuate the skill being discussed for the day. This is followed up by an opportunity for the students to clarify what they learned, then an assignment for the week. The student needs to be able to play at least a one-octave range from low B-flat (2nd line of bass clef) to middle B-flat (on atop of the bass clef).
Learning Goals
The student will learn the difference between "tonguing" and "slurring" the notes. There are two different ways to "tongue" the note and two-ways "slur" the note. These distinctions are important, for they are unique to trombone as it has a slide, where all other brass instruments have valves, which only require one type of articulation. The instructor will give examples to emulate during class. Exercises to practice will be given to the students to work on between class sessions.
Other Details
Supply List
1. A trombone with a slide that is in good working order and a clean mouthpiece (The student will be asked to describe the slide condition prior to the first day of class.) 2. Slide lubrication (slide oil or slide cream with water spray bottle) 3. Clean rag for use in cleaning the slide (can be an old washcloth, cotton sock, or piece of a t-shirt) 4. A washcloth (specifically dedicated to catching moisture being drained from the "spit valve") 5. An eager willingness to learn
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
The teacher has written and updated his own curriculum for this class. The written lessons will be posted prior to the corresponding class session. Additionally, the teacher includes a list of Youtube videos of professional brass players carefully screened to be content appropriate.
Joined April, 2020
4.9
43reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
The teacher is a certified secondary music instructor with over 3 decades as a beginning band teacher and private brass instructor. The teacher's primary instruments of study were the trombone and euphonium. Reviews
Live Group Class
$55
for 4 classes2x per week, 2 weeks
50 min
Completed by 7 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 11-14
4-12 learners per class
