High Brass and Pedagogy
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Music 3111 High Brass Methods, Fall, 2018 Dr. Buckner, RFA 216, 870-230-5410, [email protected] http://hsutrumpets.com, http://fac.hsu.edu/bucknej/hbm/hbm.htm Course Description/Objectives: A study of brass pedagogical techniques, including elementary and advanced teaching procedures and analyzing student problems. All students will demonstrate a basic proficiency on the Trumpet and the Horn. Two class meetings per week. Instructional Procedures: Lecture and playing high brass instruments (Specific playing assignments depend on student's background.) Evaluation: 4 written tests @ 20% = 80% 4 playing tests @ 5% = 20% Total: = 100% Students are expected to practice outside of class. Tests will be with open notes; however, only typed notes may be used during the tests. Grading Scales: Regular Scale Extra Credit Scale - See below: 95-100 = A 90-100 = A 87-94 = B 80-89 = B 78-86 = C 70-79 = C 70-77 = D 60-69 = D 0-69 = F 0-59 = F Extra Credit Scale will only be used if the student presents a bound notebook with all typed class notes. All pages must be numbered and a detailed table of contents is required. Mid-term grades will be based on scores at that time. Attendance/Make-Up Policy: Students are expected to attend every class. Your future students deserve the best possible teacher. Therefore, THERE ARE NO UNEXCUSED ABSENCES! Each unexcused absence will result in a 10% reduction in the final average. (Excused absences include serious illness, death in the immediate family, HSU field trips, and ensemble tours.) The student should notify the instructor in advance of an absence (whenever possible) to be certain that it will count as excused. If you are ill, you must e-mail or call and leave a message the day of the illness. In rare circumstances, students will be allowed to make up an unexcused absence by submitting a 4-page research paper with a bibliography of at least 4 sources plus endnotes. (Double spaced, Times New Roman 12 font, no more than 1” margins.) Hint: it’s much easier to go to class than do the paper!! Texts: Whitener A Complete Guide to Brass: Instruments and Technique (CG) Buckner Brass Class Handbook (BC) – online at http://fac.hsu.edu/bucknej/hbm/hbm.htm Handouts (HO); Handouts #2-8 (HO2-8) – online at http://fac.hsu.edu/bucknej/hbm/hbm.htm Cell Phones/Computers: Computers may be used to take notes during class. Cell phones may not be used. Course Evaluation: Students will be asked to evaluate this course near the end of the semester. These evaluations are very important to the improvement in the quality of instruction and course materials. All results are anonymous and shared with the faculty only after the semester is over and grades have been posted. Hearing Loss and Performance-Related Injury Prevention: As a musician, your hearing is one of your most valuable assets. Unfortunately, high exposure to sound-producing activities can lead to noise-induced hearing loss. While this can be temporary, it can lead to tinnitus (ringing in the ears), permanent loss of hearing (particularly in the higher frequencies), and deafness. In addition to affecting a student’s enjoyment of music, it also may render them incapable of continuing as a professional musician or music educator. Musicians are also susceptible to musculoskeletal injury, particularly overuse injury. Failure to take adequate precautions can greatly shorten a student’s performing career. Means to minimize risks associated with hearing loss and performance-related injuries will be discussed during applied lessons and/or master classes. Faculty members can only present information to students and offer resources and assistance in seeking professional medical help when needed. The student has the final responsibility to take proper precautions. Students with disabilities: It is the policy and practice of Henderson State University to create inclusive learning environments. If there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that result in barriers to your inclusion or to accurate assessment of achievement – such as time-limited exams, inaccessible web content, or the use of non-captioned videos – please notify the instructor as soon as possible. You are encouraged to contact the Disability Resource Center located on the first floor of Foster Hall during regular hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday or call them at 870-230-5475. For more information, visit the DRC website at http://www.hsu.edu/TRIO/Disability-resource-center.html. Student Academic Integrity: All students should have a copy of the Henderson State University Academic Integrity and Academic Conduct Policies & Processes. The policies described in this document are applicable to this course. If you do not have a copy of this document or if you do not understand any part of it, please let me know. Henderson State University, “The School with a Heart,” offers quality undergraduate and graduate education to a diverse student body. As Arkansas’s public liberal arts university, we empower each student to excel in a complex and changing world. Class Overview I. Importance of Class - #1 II. Importance of Tone Quality - #1 III. *Warm Up and Playing *A. Attitude - #1 *B. Posture - #2 *C. Breathing - #2-3 *D. Embouchure - #3-4 E. Articulation - #5-6 F. Proper Instrument - #7 TEST #1 - #8 G. Instrument Care - #9 *H. Warmup Routines - #10 *I. High Range - #11-14 *J. Low Range - #14 K. Loud/Soft Playing - 14 L. Endurance - #15 TEST #2 - #16 (Take Home) Reddie for Henderson Day - No Class - #16 M. Pressure - #17 N. Braces - #17 O. Flexibility - #18 P. Lip Slurs, Valve Slurs - #18 Q. Multiple Tongue - #19-20 R. Flutter Tongue - #20 S. Initial Attacks - #20 T. Vibrato - #20-21 U. Intonation - #21 V. Fingering - #22 W. Problems - #22 X. Relaxation - #22-23 Y. Psychology - #23 TEST #3 - #23 (Take Home) Z. Methods - #24 AA. Mutes - #24 BB. The Horn - #25 (tentative) CC. Tuning the horn - #26 DD. Transposition - #27 IV. Equipment A. Instrument Selection - #28 B. Mouthpiece Choice - #29 C. Horn - #28-29 D. Reference Materials - #30 E. Lip Problems, Wisdom Teeth - #30 TEST #4 - Final - #31 Tentative Class Calendar No Day Date Topic Readings Playing Assignments Basics: Sound, Air, Embouchure, Articulation 1 T Aug 21 Introduction; Two Basic Approaches; CG (160); BC (2-3); HO (2); HO2 (1-3); Concept of Sound; Recordings; HO3 (9-10); HO4 (1-2, 11-14); HO5 (1, Attitude 26-27), HO7 (16-26), HO8 (3-4) 2 Th Aug 23 Posture; Breathing CG (141-146); BC (4-11); HO (3-8); HO2 (4-17) 3 T Aug 28 Breathing, cont.; Embouchure; CG (146-151); HO (9) Mouthpiece Placement 4 Th Aug 30 Leak and Seal; Mouthpiece Buzzing HO (9a-13) Form Embouchure; Buzz Sirens 5 T Sept 4 Articulation CG (154-156); BC (12); HO (14) Issue Mouthpieces/Trumpets/Horns Practical: Matching Students with Instruments, Instrument Care; Warmup 6 Th Sept 6 Articulation Teaching Aids no readings Buzz Sirens and Melodies 7 T Sept 11 Matching Students to Instruments; CG (55, 164, 166-172, 178, 188) Assembling Instruments; Holding Positions Issue Horns Buzz Sirens and Melodies 8 Th Sept 13 Written Test #1 (Classes #1-#6) Playing Test #1 (Mouthpiece Only: Sirens and Melodies) 9 T Sept 18 Instrument Care BC (18-20); HO3 (8); HO7 (1-3) Pedagogy: Range, Endurance, Flexibility, Multiple Tonguing, etc. 10 Th Sept 20 Warmup Routines CG (162); BC (21-26); HO (15-16); HO5 (4); CG (151-154, 158-159) 11 T Sept 25 High Range BC (27-33): HO6 (3-12) 12 Th Sept 27 High Range, cont. 13 T Oct 2 High Range, cont. 14 Th Oct 4 High Range, cont.; Low Range; Loud/ Soft Playing 15 T Oct 9 Endurance HO2 (18-22); HO4 (3-5) Th Oct 11 Fall Break – no class – 16 T Oct 16 Written Test #2 – Take Home! CG (187-188); BC (34-35); HO5 (6) (Classes #7-#15) Pressure; Braces Playing Test #2 No Day Date Topic Readings Playing Assignments 17 Th Oct 18 Written Test #2 – DUE!! BC (36); HO (17) Flexibility; Lip Slurs; Valve Slurs 18 T Oct 23 Multiple Tongue CG (156); BC (37) Switch Instruments 19 Th Oct 25 Multiple Tongue, cont.; Flutter CG (33-35, 59-62, 122-123, 160-161); BC Tongue; Initial Attacks; Vibrato (38-40); HO2 (23-28) 20 T Oct 30 Vibrato, cont.; Intonation 21 Th Nov 1 Fingering; Problems; Relaxation CG (165); HO2 (29) 22 T Nov 6 Reddie for Henderson Day - No Class - Tentative – 23 Th Nov 8 Relaxation, cont.; Psychology BC (1); HO (18) Written Test #3 – Take Home! (Classes #16-#21) 24 T Nov 13 Methods; Mutes CG (37-38); HO2 (30) Playing Test #3 Written Test #3 – DUE!! 25 Th Nov 15 The Horn - tentative 26 T Nov 20 Tuning the horn Th Nov 22 - Thanksgiving Break - Equipment: Mutes, Mouthpieces, Instruments; Horn Specifics; Injuries 27 T Nov 27 Transposition CG (35-37); HO (21) Student Evaluations 28 Th Nov 29 Instrument Selection HO4 (6-8), HO6 (13-17), HO8 (1-2) 29 T Dec 4 Mouthpiece Choice; Horn CG (20-21) ; HO7 (8-10); BC (46-49); HO2 (31-32); HO8 (5); BC (55-56); HO2 (33-37); HO7 (11-12); CG (47-59, 63-68, 121-122, 124-137); BC (58-63); HO (22- 23); HO3 (13-20) 30 Th Dec 6 Reference Materials; Lip Problems, Handout: Lip Problems, Wisdom Teeth Wisdom Teeth; Mouthpiece Pullers Playing Test #4 Clean and Turn In Instruments 31 Th Dec 13 Final (Written Test #4) NOT comprehensive!! 10AM-12 (Classes #22-30) Noon Not Covered A Preparation HO7 (4, 13-15, 27-31); BC (41-45, 52); HO3 (3-7) B Mouthpiece Components C Mouthpiece Numbering Systems D Trumpet CG (24-33, 39-46, 112-113, 114, 118-121); BC (50-54); HO (20, 24-27); HO5 (8-25) E Brass Instrument Repair BC (64); HO (28); HO2 (38-45); HO4 (9- 10); HO6 (19-21); HO7 (1-3, 32-34) Handout Topics Class #1 – Introduction; Two Basic Approaches; Concept of Sound; Recordings; Attitude CG (160) – Concept of Sound BC (2-3) – A Listing of Some of the Most Excellent Brass Players on Record HO (2) – Sound...The Most Important Ingredient in All Music HO2 (1-3) – Mike Hedden e-mail; Body vs.