All of us want better tone quality for ourselves or our students. Players and teachers are being judged constantly on the sound of their students or ensembles. Lets face it, TONE is the first thing people talk about after hearing someones playing. Its all about the sound! One can forgive some missed notes if the sound is amazing.

What is an easy way to see quick results?

That’s a trick question! There is no easy way. Everyone wants a quick fix. Just switch to this mouthpiece or change to this instrument. There are so many articles and posts about secrets to high notes and secrets to tonguing faster. There really is no substitue for individual time spent on the instrument, but while spending that time, students must know what to think about in order to improve their playing.

If there are no other thoughts running through the student’s brain when they are playing their instrument, they will sound like they always have sounded. Instead, we need to fill our minds with the thoughts and sounds of professional players that are playing and performing at the highest level. I consistently tell my students that the number one way to improve your sound is to intentionally listen to fantastic professional players. Why do we start talking with the same accent of the location we live? Why do we say certain phrases like our friends when we hang out together often? We just pick it up. More is caught than taught!

What are professional players thinking to play so well? 

These are five thoughts that I use consistently and have gained from professionals including but not limited to Philip Collins, Dan Zehringer, Charles Decker, Kurt Dupuis and Winston Morris. I have taken their advice and formed my own thoughts to help young musicians improve what they are thinking when they are playing.

Clear – Simply put, thinking the word CLEAR. I like to offer the thought of a very still placid lake, early in the morning with out a single ripple, standing on the bank seeing to the bottom. With that single thought in mind, I have them play. Clarity is a simple thought more than an analytical approach to embouchure. (in most cases)

Centered – This is always tough to get because the center of the brass sound is small. I usually draw a bullseye and show the students what happens when you miss slightly above or below the bullseye. I challenge them to think about nailing the bullseye in their mind. Not only that, but the center to the sound has a slight “buzz” running through it. We start by playing with a big volume against a wall to hear the buzz or lack thereof. Then, closing the eyes, we think about nailing the bullseye and hearing the buzz.

Bright/Colorful – This one is particularly tough for low brass players. Low brass players are constantly thinking “dark”. While this is not a negative thought, generally the darker the colors the less resonance or ring the sound has. Instead, think about bright/primary colors like red, blue,yellow, etc. This thought can change a person’s sound almost immediately. I have heard students with airy, closed, dull sounds turn it around immediately by thinking about a brighter color. There is a time and a place for dark tones, but the majority of the time bright primary colors are the most resonant.

Resonance – If a student can nail clarity and centered they will most certainly gain the resonance. Resonance is the ring that stays with the sound. The more colorful, clear and centered a sound, the more resonance it will have.

Projection – This is the effortless thought of pushing your sound easily and quickly through the instrument and immediately affecting the listener. In order to get the sound to project, I have the students think about blowing the instrument away from them. We start the sound with a breath attack and think about the air blowing freely from inside the body to the listener across the room. If a student is accomplishing clarity, centered and bright/colorful, projection and resonance happen naturally. One should not force, but think about being in a constant state of relaxation.

Having correct thoughts of the end result is generally better than flooding a players mind with analytical embouchure thoughts. Sure, there are times this is necessary, but if a student has a good fundamental “setup” try changing their brain instead of their embouchure. These thoughts can transform an individual coupled with daily listening of professional players.

Check out more information on the Brass Academy page if you are interested on this or other clinics for your high school brass musicians.

Can you tell the difference when listening to a student or an ensemble, or watching a winterguard that is well-trained vs. one that is well-rehearsed? Is there any difference in the end product?

Do the students get the same level of education with each philosophy?

When judging different events during the year, I always ask myself the question: “Is this group/student well-trained or well-rehearsed, or both?” There are many similarities but the differences are glaring to educators who have their philosophies wrapped up in the “main thing.” So, which one is right? Which one is the most beneficial for the student? Is one better than the other?

Well-rehearsed groups/musicians can play a piece of music very well and can perform and execute at a pretty high level. They have been rehearsing the music/routine for the performance for many months and “have it down” thanks to the instructor who has spent countless hours rehearsing them. They spend less time rehearsing basics and fundamentals and more time rehearsing pieces for performances. They go through the motions without thinking much as the rehearsals have become routine. The performance goes well, but not spectaular because of how performance based rehearsals were. When groups/musicians focus solely on being well-rehearsed, it puts more emphasis on the outcome instead of the experience. The performance can lack energy and emotion.

Well-trained groups/musicians spend more time learning basics and fundamentals and less time rehearsing pieces/routines. These groups/intructors spend more time discussing why and how the “what” operates instead of just the “what” itself. Each rehearsal is a new learning opportunity that keeps students engaged in the musical process placing emphasis solely on daily education instead of the final outcome. When groups/musicians focus solely on being well-trained, it puts less emphasis on the outcome and more on the experience. The audience in turn will feel more emotion and energy from these performances.

Is there a happy medium?

It is my belief the most beneficial option for the student is to be well-trained through expemplary teaching, and rehearse enough for the training to shine. Be confident in your ability as an educator and the students’ ability to learn and grow from what you have to offer. Try to put more responsibility on the student to take the education to the next level on their own, coupled with interactive, motivational, intentional and thoughtful education from YOU the educator.

Do you have thoughts about well-trained vs. well-rehearsed?

We all want our ensembles to play better “in-tune.” We spend countless hours rehearsing and waving a tuner in front of our students trying to get that perfect pitch on a concert F or Bb. Why isn’t it working?

When students tune on a tuner, why do they still sound out of tune?

Here are 3 common problems I have encountered when spending time with different band programs.

1. The one note tuning process

This is probably the most common mistake.  Directors walk around with a tuner and say to each student “you’re sharp – pull out” or “you’re flat – push in.” What are we attempting to do with this process? It takes so much time and all to get one note to sound better. Instead, spend time helping students find the center of the characteristic tone with adjectives they can relate to and thoughts they can have in their head to achieve a more centered sound. Before going to the tuner, the first step should be getting a characteristic tone. You cannot tune a tone that is flat or sharp. If you try to do this, you will have a bad sound that registers in tune on the tuner, but will never resonate or project, and will always sound out of tune. The tuner should be a reference point after the tone is improved to make sure the student’s tuning slide is somewhat in the right position. A student can be “in-tune” on the tuner but still be sounding out of tune. Spend more time educating students on some helpful thoughts they can have going through their head to get to the core center, as well as teaching note and chord tendencies. I like to use: clear, centered, colorful, resonant and projection when teaching students to improve their tone and intonation. I ask them to think of certain colors to get to the center of the sound. They should also be listening to professional players to have a sound other than their own in their head.

2. Listen to your neighbor

In a world where your high school players are all playing at a professional level, this is a great thought, and the students should listen and blend, but what if their neighbor is -20 flat? What if the two people next to them have less than perfect tone qualities? When tuning each person, focus first on his/her best characteristic tone, without going to the tuner. I am certainly not saying this is not warranted, but the individual tone should be the biggest concern, and some very specific educational thoughts should be going through the young musicians heads before simply “listening to their neighbor”. When is this helpful? As the tone improves and as the ensemble matures but not as a complete means to get an ensemble “in-tune.” Instead of listening to just the neighbor, try to educate the students to focus more on listening to the way the notes fit in the chord and teaching the tendencies of the way notes respond both in the chord and with the specific instruments. Hear the waves of the way notes respond across the section/ensemble. Try having them listen to other individuals in the ensemble, and asking specific questions related to tone and pitch. Each question posed to your ensemble will help them think, and using others as an example can be helpful to all. Be a great player and play for your students. Sometimes just hearing it can produce amazing results. Students should always be aware of every musician around them, but not wrapped up in only their neighbor.

3. Tuning on the zero

I have found that most young musicians play flat. Simply put, the embouchures and air quality of younger players are not developed enough to produce a tone that is consistently in tune. Even when students are taken outside into the warm weather in the summer months, the sound of the band sounds flat even though the pitch rises. This is again because of the lack of focus and attention on a centered tone. The colors of instruments lie just above the zero on the tuner. It is more offensive to play under the pitch on the flat side, than missing just on the sharp side. When tuning try giving the student a bigger room to tune. I like to tune students somewhere in between the zero and +10 on the tuner. Beautiful bright colors will begin to resonate in the students tone (assuming they are first playing with a beautiful characteristic tone).

The philosophy that drives these suggestions is very detailed music education. I believe very strongly to work for higher level thoughts for young students. They are waiting for education that explains the WHY and the HOW of things. We mistakenly commonly say other phrases like “faster air” or “fill up” or “play to the crowd” without telling them HOW to do it. Think about how these phrases might sound to a young student who knows very little about music? HOW do you make your air faster? HOW do you fill up?

In your education have you heard or used these phrases? What higher level thoughts do you use in your own playing or teaching?

It is safe to say that most if not all music educators want to be successful and have successful students. There are so many things that drive our schedules and our methods that we can become easily distracted. Marching Band competitions, rating festivals, student progress tests, band festivals, recitals, and the list goes on and on. In the midst of preparing for these events are we leaving time to educate?

I am convinced that in order for a student to be successful they need to  be passionate and have a teacher that is driven by educating, motivating and fostering that passionate student to be the best version of him or herself. All students are different and the needs vary from person to person. In order to get down to helping one succeed we need to understand that students are not numbers but real people with real needs.

Yes, there are certain standards and certain knowledge that we should strive to make sure students know and understand. I am certainly not saying we should not teach what is necessary, but I am asking the question, “Do we teach what the student needs, or to a list we have been fed through music school?” Does a young piano student that has an ability to compose and improvise need to spend most of their time learning Beethoven Sonatas? Yes, that is relevant and Beethoven’s place in music history is very important, but what will help evolve this student and build into his or her creative being?

Take time to care and take time to educate. 

It is as simple as that. Care about the people you are working with and educate them with information and a process that will stir up a crazy amount of passion.

Why do we teach to the test? Why are we so concerned about our “end of the process” assessment? Does it have more to do with us than our students. We sometimes don’t like these hard questions. Change is hard and it requires us to look at ourselves and swallow our pride.

Here is the thing. I am 100% convinced that if we take time to educate, take time to care and place emphasis on training young musicians that have thoughts running through their head when performing and practicing, we won’t need to worry about the test. That will take care of itself. The reason we are so concerned about the test is because we are trying to create some sort of magic or wizardry with our students when they haven’t been trained, motivated or educated to the fullest. We take time to worry about the overall product without taking time to develop the individual.

Take time to learn about the students. Do you know what drives them, what they like to do in their spare time and when their birthday is? People that feel important and included are more likely to enjoy the process and be open to the information presented to them. Help students build great character and foster their passions and abilities while giving them the necessary information.

Have you had a passionate, motivational teacher that made a difference in your life?