TromboneChat

I haven't taught anyone younger than a junior in high school and that was years ago. I'm at a loss as to what to teach this young lady. She's very motivated and comes from a very musically supportive family. Any suggestions?

What is she able to do right now?

Start with the basics. Posture. Breathing. Holding the horn correctly. Tone production (heck, just knowing what a trombone is supposed to sound like!). Articulation.

Assuming she's playing a student typical student instrument, you might want to use a small bore horn yourself when you're playing for/with her.

Tongue with "tah", not "tu". Even if the method book says "tu".

I'm at a loss as to what to teach this young lady.

You give us no clue as to what you ARE doing now, so I will make presumptions...

This is a fresh, beginning student?

Have her get a beginner method book and teach her from it. A good method book is a graduated set of exercises designed to introduce important music-reading-and-playing concepts at an appropriate pace.

The Rubank is a venerable choice

First Division Band Method is made almost entirely of standard folk tunes. If the student has any ear at all they know if they are playing right notes or not.

I suggest you look at several beginner method books and pick one that you want to teach.

Also, for enrichment and "ensemble", find a book of VERY simple duets you can play with her at lesson time. Assign appropriate ones as she advances.

And most of all, no tonguing with "tu".

Assuming she plays in the school band, you might want to look at her music, and see what she'll be asked to do, letting her put a few points on the board early in her school band should do a lot for her enthusiasm.

I would also recommend grounding her in the basics, I still see adult players who never got this, and they are a jumble of bad habits.

If, as you say, the student comes from a musical family and is very motivated already that will let you do some good stuff. The parents would appreciate and understand and support her getting a basic routine/warm up from you. Maybe a 10 minute package that she should do every (practice) day to develop the basics mentioned above. If she is motivated as you say, she would also probably be goods to go to start learning one octave scales in her available register. So a 30 minute lesson could be the 10 minute routine, 2 to 5 minutes of a scale or a few and then play music. Do her band parts, have one "method book" and work with her to choose music she is interested in to play on her horn. 5 minutes on each of those things to start. As you work together you may end up spending more time on music and less on the work part.

Some good suggestions already posted.

• Probably obvious, but make sure her trombone is in good condition, and that she knows how to (and does) regularly clean, maintain, and lubricate her instrument, so that it doesn't hold her back.

• If you keep a positive, encouraging attitude, it will make a world of difference.

For 7th graders I mostly focus on sound (air, good technique, etc.). I also typically start students off improvising rather than doing a lot of reading. Young kids are actually much better at not being embarrassed at first, so it works ou twell. You can teach them a little bit of vocabulary, so they can focusing on listening to you as well as themselves much more intensely. Backing tracks also play in tune, so you can help them learn how to play in tune with others, etc.

Thanks everyone. Lots of good suggestions. Keep'em coming.

Matt K wrote: Thu Nov 06, 2025 3:06 pm ... I also typically start students off improvising rather than doing a lot of reading. Young kids are actually much better at not being embarrassed at first...

Yes, my first teacher (after he got me on a basic Remington routine...) spent a lesson one day doing some improvization. He was like, "Play peanut butter." and I did. Then he told me to play a traffic jam. It was just one time but really lit a creative spark that stays with me in soloing today. I feel the big idea before worrying about the changes.

Maybe not right away, but at some point soon, if she is on a trigger horn, do a few reps glissing from F to C in the staff then quickly matching the pitch and tone on the valve.

You'll have to demonstrate and play with her.

tim wrote: Wed Nov 05, 2025 3:50 pm I haven't taught anyone younger than a junior in high school and that was years ago. I'm at a loss as to what to teach this young lady. She's very motivated and comes from a very musically supportive family. Any suggestions?

What is her currently ability level? I have several students at the middle school level, and they're all wildly different. I have a series of etude books that I use for that grade level but don't know where to start with recommendations without any base line knowledge.

I teach many at that age. The first thing to do is probably to get to know her and do everything to keep her motivated. It is important that you are positive and establish good communication with her. It can be a difficult age, but establish trust first and foremost. Don't rush into technical or musical tasks right away. That age can vary a lot.

Leif

I like to teach young students how the partials work, starting with glisses, which they also seem to find fun. Examples include: Start on C (2nd space) and gliss up to F, several times back and forth, then play every position in that partial, naming the notes as they play them, at the same time pointing out that one position = 1/2 step.
Then do the same starting on F in 6th and glissing back and forth between F and Bb; Bb in 5th to D in first, etc. etc. going as high as they are able to play.
It's fun for them, they get how the trombone "works" helping them to understand partials, learn alternate positions, breath control, and building their range.
I use these exercises in addition to lip slurs, again emphasizing partials and duplicate notes in different positions.
Added bonus - it makes my job easier as they progress, and can figure out for themselves what alternate positions make sense to facilitate speed and/or making for smoother passages; and teaching natural slurs.

Teach a 7th grader where 5th position is! I've never had students, but I've thought about how I might do this. If they can hold an in-tune top of the staff B flat, have them play it in 1st, then 5th, going back and forth between the two until it's constant in pitch and the cracks go away. Then go down to F sharp in the partial below (reminding f sharp is g flat). Play b flat in 1st, 5th, f sharp, f natural in first, b flat in 1st, repeat the cycle. Introduce partials at this point if it's a new concept

JoshE wrote: Sun Nov 09, 2025 7:07 pm Teach a 7th grader where 5th position is! I've never had students, but I've thought about how I might do this. If they can hold an in-tune top of the staff B flat, have them play it in 1st, then 5th, going back and forth between the two until it's constant in pitch and the cracks go away. Then go down to F sharp in the partial below (reminding f sharp is g flat). Play b flat in 1st, 5th, f sharp, f natural in first, b flat in 1st, repeat the cycle. Introduce partials at this point if it's a new concept

Bonus points when they can do it entirely by ear (i.e., with their eyes closed).

JoshE wrote: Sun Nov 09, 2025 7:07 pm Teach a 7th grader where 5th position is! I've never had students, but I've thought about how I might do this. If they can hold an in-tune top of the staff B flat, have them play it in 1st, then 5th...

Just an example. Any step-wise tune could be made to serve this purpose...

Thank everyone, this is helpful. She’s been playing in the school band and doing pretty well according to her teacher. Monday is her first lesson with me, I’ll let you guys know how she does. Robert, I printed your suggestions (I hope you don’t mind) we will definitely do those.

Thank everyone, this is helpful. She’s been playing in the school band and doing pretty well according to her teacher. Monday is her first lesson with me, I’ll let you guys know how she does. Robert, I printed your suggestions (I hope you don’t mind) we will definitely do those.

Oops, double click

We had our first get together tonight and she's a enthusiastic player,I took your suggestions and they worked out well. She has a solo in her middle school jazz band she wanted help with so I told her to improvise on the melody. She really grabbed on to that. I had to remind her to stay in time and use articulations instead of just one big slur. I assigned her one scale in major, natural minor, harmonic minor and melodic minor. We'll do them all eventually. We're going to work on her band music too.

Now then, she want to do solo contest in late January early February I can't remember which. I should I'm judging small ensembles. I'd like to know what would be an acceptable solo for her? Suggestions please?

tim wrote: Mon Nov 17, 2025 8:53 pm Now then, she want to do solo contest in late January early February I can't remember which. I should I'm judging small ensembles. I'd like to know what would be an acceptable solo for her? Suggestions please?

I'm surprised that the contest org has not provided a list of example/required repertory for each grade level.

For example, they might cite a commercially published collection of trombone solos that you may choose from.

In our region, the student can pick their own solo. There's no lists of such.

robcat2075 wrote: Mon Nov 10, 2025 10:58 am

JoshE wrote: Sun Nov 09, 2025 7:07 pm Teach a 7th grader where 5th position is! I've never had students, but I've thought about how I might do this. If they can hold an in-tune top of the staff B flat, have them play it in 1st, then 5th...

Just an example. Any step-wise tune could be made to serve this purpose...

Those are great exercises, and look fun! I might add these in different keys in higher partials to my warmup routine