Re-learning euphonium and teaching it

[Kbiggs]

I know, this is a trombone forum…

I am re-visiting playing and teaching euphonium. It’s been 40+ years since I taught euphonium, and 20+ since I played one seriously. In my current/retirement career, I am teaching instrumental music at a local, private music school, mainly brass and some woodwinds.

What suggestions do you have for re-starting? I’m borrowing a Mack Brass euphonium, and using a DE LT102H mouthpiece—it’s what I have on hand. I’m currently working out of some old stand-by’s: Clarke’s Technical Studies, Blüme, Arban’s, various trombone solo literature.

I’m already familiar with David Werden’s Euphonium and Tuba site, and tuba.net. Other literature suggestions? Gadget and widget suggestions?

Most importantly, what suggestions do you have for teaching students in middle school and high school, especially etudes and solo literature?

[Burgerbob]

Just don't do it!

Ok, that aside:

Playing wise: Let the instrument dictate the input. You'll find you can soften the articulation, ease up on the air speed just a bit. I think you'll hear the finger things- they have to move quickly, etc.

Teaching wise: The dangerous part about euphonium is that you can just barely have a pulse and still play it at a medium level. It's SO easy to get away with really awful habits in every way and sound acceptable at a middle school/high school level. I really try to get my euph students to move air, have a real embouchure setup, things that trombone forces you to have in order to get anywhere near the cliff of the learning curve.

A couple other little idiosyncrasies I have to correct in players (e.g. things I did as a high school euphoniumist):

Stay on top of articulation. It's really easy to play everything with the valves doing the slurs, even when there's written articulations that are not... that.

Putting down a valve does not mean the note is in tune. Keep listening, use a tuner, don't assume it's right.

[JohnL]

Putting down a valve does not mean the note is in tune. Keep listening, use a tuner, don't assume it's right.

^THIS^
Not just a tuner. Get 'em started early on matching pitches.

Having recently played several TubaChristmas concerts, I've still got some, ahem, "not entirely ideal" euphonium sounds fresh in my memory. I think it's at least in part due to people not really knowing how a euphonium should sound. Play for your students so that they've got a frame of reference as to what sort of sound they should be work towards.

[tbdana]

Putting down a valve does not mean the note is in tune. Keep listening, use a tuner, don't assume it's right.

Intonation is the biggest euphonium problem I hear in middle school, high school, and colleges. If you can get 'em to LISTEN and play in tune, you've got it beat.

[slidesix]

I'd echo what Burgerbob and JohnL already mentioned. Ditto for tuning and alternate fingerings. Some of that depends on if they an instrument with compensating valves or not, so you have to approach them with what they have -- or their school has -- and help them play what they have, WELL.

I'd also say listening to tone, listening to recordings of lyricists and trying to mimic that. The euphonium is a beautiful instrument with a gorgeous tone, so it would be good to build that up, so they can be an even stronger player as the student progresses to more advanced groups. I found Phantom of the Opera excepts to be really great here, esp the London recordings (Michael Crawford). If the 'euph player can mimic that while playing an except, they will be a standout where ever they go in life (IME). Same with 'euph solos and parts in the first 2 Holst Suites.

As for a technical book, I used to like Arban a lot.

[Kbiggs]

Yeah, intonation is always a problem with valved instruments. Honestly, I don’t understand how non-trombonist brass players do it sometimes. At least horn players have a really flexible set-up, and they can put their hand in their bell. If I had more money, or if this were my horn, I’d put a main tuning slide trigger on it.

Air. Embouchure. Articulation. Got it. Intonation? Not so much…

[psybersonic]

[/quote]

The dangerous part about euphonium is that you can just barely have a pulse and still play it at a medium level.

Is this an original comment? I’ll file it away for future use.

[Crazy4Tbone86]

The dangerous part about euphonium is that you can just barely have a pulse and still play it at a medium level.

Is this an original comment? I’ll file it away for future use.


[/quote]

As a retired music educator who taught in public schools for 38 years, I can state with great certainty……

There are plenty of people with strong pulses and decent intelligence who have failed miserably at playing the euphonium. I have attempted to teach quite a few of them!

[Kbiggs]

The dangerous part about euphonium is that you can just barely have a pulse and still play it at a medium level.

Is this an original comment? I’ll file it away for future use.

Does that mean that the euphonium is to the brass family as the alto clarinet is to the woodwind family?