The school has 19 trombones and 9 euphonium to issue to students. Some students will prefer one or the other, and I will try to accomodate them. Due to the size of these 'low brass' horns and transportation involved, a student may occasionally need to leave their instrument in the band room overnight. This is ok with me, but the student should make up their 15 min/day practice at another time during the week!

Here are some things to remember:

• you can simply practice 'buzzing' the mouthpiece without inserting into the horn (more quiet)
• don't force the mouthpiece into the horn, it will get stuck!
• frequently release the moisture valve, and ALWAYS right before putting the instrument away (corrosive moisture is brass enemy!)
• operate the valves (on euphonium) as you blow air through to clear the moisture
• ask for assistance when using valve oil. Be sure you know what you're doing!
• a small amount of oil will do the trick (4 drops) and will also ruin your favorite pants. Be CAREFUL!
• NEVER BLOW SOUND NEAR SOMEONES EAR!

And now, A True Story...

My first band instrument was tuba. I have shared many times as to how that came to be...Basically it involves three 5th graders that didn't know the name of the horn they wanted to play (thought a saxophone was a trumpet), a music teacher who needed some low brass warmth added to his beginning band, and some parents who wanted to save $ on instrument rentals...My two friends and I played trombone-euphonium-tuba and became the low brass envy of grade schools all around! We quickly found ourselves in high demand, playing in All Star Band and performing with older groups as well.

Moral of the story: For every bass player, there are 5 lead guitarists looking for work!

(After a very successful run at tuba, my family moved to S.Y. and I then signed up for alto sax;-)

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Along with the instruments, we issue a beginning band book called "Standard of Excellence". These are specific to the student's instrument of study and provide detailed instruction geared toward getting the new player up and running quickly! With the Teacher's Edition, a cd is provided which contains accompaniments to all of the songs in the book. We play along with these accompaniments in class and copies of this material can be made available for students to take home.

Practice makes perfect!
The idea is simple: repetition and time-in-hands is the key to mastery! I feel that 15 minutes per day is reasonable and sufficient for a beginner to keep up and progress on any instrument. More is better! When appropriate, I suggest students leave their instrument out and assembled while at home, but kept in a safe, easily accessible place. This promotes a spontaneous 'grab-and-go' opportunity of enticement, which will present itself much more often than if left in it's case.Download a practice log here, fill it up, bring it in signed by parent etc., get credit! This is part of your grade!

BEHAVIOR: A few simple rules

• "DON'T PLAY!", "STOP!","SSHHH!", Waiving arms: means IMMEDIATELY stop what you're doing and give me your undivided attention!
• Follow exact instructions
• Be courteous, considerate and respectful at all times and to everyone in the room.
• HANDS OFF STANDS! You know what that means by now! Our music stands are delicate and expensive and have one purpose only!

Of course, failure to adhere to the above will result in swift removal from class and/or losing your instrument!