Posted by Roger Lewis on February 11, 1999 at 10:03:36:
In Reply to: Teaching posted by Chris Whiteman on February 09, 1999 at 21:32:55:
I would recommend the Hal Leonard Advanced Band Method for your tuba players. The last fifteen or 20 pages are exercises and comments written by Arnold Jacobs, one of the greatest teachers in the world. This would be a great starting point.
With brass students I make it a point to have the first lesson with the parents present. To be successful on a brass instrument you have to breathe very well, and you have to let the instrument "find" itself as far as pitch placement and resonance. Most my students are afraid to make any kind of noise when they practice at home because they don't want to annoy their parents. This will inhibit their growth.
With the parents in the room I get the student playing at a solid forte, and then assign the parents the task of policing his practice to make sure he is playing at a solid dynamic level. This takes the worry off the student's shoulders and lets him really get into his playing.
You should probably read Song and Wind by Brian Frederickson before you venture too deeply into the teaching. I've had more students than I can count come to me with severely limiting problems because they were started improperly. Remember that teaching comes with a responsibility similar to that of medicine - First, do no harm.
Have fun.
Roger Lewis