As I look at the previous post it occurs to me that I've lowered the expectation regarding entrance into a post secondary setting. This was not the intent. The expectation should remain that playing at your highest level will be the most beneficial to all involved. You should learn all 12 major scales and as many forms of the minor as possible, learn to play the blues in several keys, learn three solos at an advanced level of mastery. The reality is that what I see, as the program gains speed, is more a population that exhibits more interest and less polished technique. Living with that causes little sleep loss, kids who are truly interested will always be welcome in my studio (no matter the grade or ability level).
Getting a performance based scholarship from the school will be more difficult as time passes and the culture of the music program becomes more rounded. The goal is to raise the bar so that next year's incoming freshmen are challenging the studio's current membership. Eventually this will subside, as the current crop is working at that high level of mastery, and the kids coming in will need to be patient and hone their playing skills to make the more advanced ensembles or play juries that result in outstanding marks.
For the present; show up, work your daily routines and spend time practicing. Get better, that's a tide that will lift all boats.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Basic Skill Set
What should a student looking to study low brass in a college setting be able to do as they walk in to the door? The level of student I see, both in lessons and on auditions, is not typically ready to take auditions at a professional level. That shouldn't keep them from studying music in college.
Let's take a snap-shot of a prospective student. Most know some permutation of Bb Major Scale (possibly more) and might have played a solo in a adjudicated setting. They have most likely played in a concert ensemble and a field ensemble. Maybe the instrumentalist has a range a bit over an octave and a fifth, possibly just under two octaves. There may have been few opportunities to play in ensembles that spend time with improvisation. Smaller ensembles, brass quintet or like-instrument choirs, may have been difficult to form based on number of players available. Some of the students have not yet even gained the vocabulary to decode this paragraph.
This can make for a student with a large number of gaps in their skill sets. That's not a huge hurdle.
Here is a brief list of the skills I hope to see as I meet a prospective student. The usable range should be about two octaves with some solid range both below BBb and some above Bb in the bass clef. A solid knowledge of one octave scales and appropriate arpeggios ranging from four flats to three sharps. The ability to play the one octave chromatic scale starting from the lowest note playable on the straight tenor trombone/three valved euphonium or baritone (or the octave below that on three valved BBb contrabass tuba) as well as the chromatic scales starting on each pitch (ascending by half steps) for the next octave. This should be played in both triplets and sixteenth notes or groups of three notes and groups of four notes. The beginnings of a good slur, both between partials and between adjacent pitches. Some mastery of an age appropriate solo is always a plus. Rhythmic knowledge is often overlooked. A strong ability to break down rhythms into component parts really helps later on in the course of study. Showing that the student is able to clap or vocalize some patterns that include sixteenth notes (semi- or demi-quaver) is a great place to start. The courage to sightread is huge, playing it imperfectly is much better than not playing.
The list isn't meant to be long, it's meant to show flexibility and give the audition panel (or faculty member) a clear picture of where the student is at the present moment.
Outside of the player's "on the horn skills", I'm interested in some level of curiosity. If the student doesn't ever ask 'Why?' I don't know how rich the college experience will be, and college is a huge investment in time. A bit of diversity is helpful as well. Participation in sports, an academic interest or hobby is preferable. More music, while laudable, keeps the mind focused too long on one subject. That phrase "get a hobby" applies in that the student needs a life as well as a goal. Friendships outside of ones own baileywick are too important to ignore, far too critical to emotional well being. Decent grades are important to consider. College is about more than just learning to play an instrument or in an ensemble. I teach at a university that ascribes to the "liberal arts" model. This means that the student will be collaborating regularly with other students that have very little knowledge of music. As this collaboration typically encompasses a more generalized subject, it is incumbent that the student be ready to converse on subjects such as politics, popular culture, as well as scientific discovery and philosophic themes. The idea here is that the mind gets worked and stretched. The student needs to be ready to pulled far from any comfort zone they may have built during their high school experience.
Remember that most post-secondary educators are willing to give a lesson. The concepts on the list above take about an hour to outline so that a student can start to work the various skills involved. Mastery takes longer and is why there are practice rooms at colleges and conservatories.
Just a few thoughts on what leads to the door of academia, what one find when one walks through is less certain.
Let's take a snap-shot of a prospective student. Most know some permutation of Bb Major Scale (possibly more) and might have played a solo in a adjudicated setting. They have most likely played in a concert ensemble and a field ensemble. Maybe the instrumentalist has a range a bit over an octave and a fifth, possibly just under two octaves. There may have been few opportunities to play in ensembles that spend time with improvisation. Smaller ensembles, brass quintet or like-instrument choirs, may have been difficult to form based on number of players available. Some of the students have not yet even gained the vocabulary to decode this paragraph.
This can make for a student with a large number of gaps in their skill sets. That's not a huge hurdle.
Here is a brief list of the skills I hope to see as I meet a prospective student. The usable range should be about two octaves with some solid range both below BBb and some above Bb in the bass clef. A solid knowledge of one octave scales and appropriate arpeggios ranging from four flats to three sharps. The ability to play the one octave chromatic scale starting from the lowest note playable on the straight tenor trombone/three valved euphonium or baritone (or the octave below that on three valved BBb contrabass tuba) as well as the chromatic scales starting on each pitch (ascending by half steps) for the next octave. This should be played in both triplets and sixteenth notes or groups of three notes and groups of four notes. The beginnings of a good slur, both between partials and between adjacent pitches. Some mastery of an age appropriate solo is always a plus. Rhythmic knowledge is often overlooked. A strong ability to break down rhythms into component parts really helps later on in the course of study. Showing that the student is able to clap or vocalize some patterns that include sixteenth notes (semi- or demi-quaver) is a great place to start. The courage to sightread is huge, playing it imperfectly is much better than not playing.
The list isn't meant to be long, it's meant to show flexibility and give the audition panel (or faculty member) a clear picture of where the student is at the present moment.
Outside of the player's "on the horn skills", I'm interested in some level of curiosity. If the student doesn't ever ask 'Why?' I don't know how rich the college experience will be, and college is a huge investment in time. A bit of diversity is helpful as well. Participation in sports, an academic interest or hobby is preferable. More music, while laudable, keeps the mind focused too long on one subject. That phrase "get a hobby" applies in that the student needs a life as well as a goal. Friendships outside of ones own baileywick are too important to ignore, far too critical to emotional well being. Decent grades are important to consider. College is about more than just learning to play an instrument or in an ensemble. I teach at a university that ascribes to the "liberal arts" model. This means that the student will be collaborating regularly with other students that have very little knowledge of music. As this collaboration typically encompasses a more generalized subject, it is incumbent that the student be ready to converse on subjects such as politics, popular culture, as well as scientific discovery and philosophic themes. The idea here is that the mind gets worked and stretched. The student needs to be ready to pulled far from any comfort zone they may have built during their high school experience.
Remember that most post-secondary educators are willing to give a lesson. The concepts on the list above take about an hour to outline so that a student can start to work the various skills involved. Mastery takes longer and is why there are practice rooms at colleges and conservatories.
Just a few thoughts on what leads to the door of academia, what one find when one walks through is less certain.
Monday, January 9, 2012
As we get rolling again.
Part of my work-a-day life is teaching college aged students. The program is just starting and some of the material on this blog will be questions and musings based on starting a post-secondary low brass studio. How do I get more kids interested? How do I build the bridges that both strengthen the program where I teach and those programs I recruit from? Wheeee!
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