4th Grade Instrument Info

Flute

Assembly, finger location, embouchure aperture (always too big with beginners). Beware of hyperventilation potential. 

In order to actually “play the songs” flute students need to be able to do three things…

• 1. Create sound with the embouchure (facial muscles)

  2. Read the music (eyes, processing)

  3. Control the fingers (Fine motor control)

It is VERY common for a flute student to only be able to do two of these three things comfortably throughout the middle of the school year. A student can not truly play through the songs and feels unsuccessful. However, he/she is actually on track and is soooo close to getting it all to work. It takes patience. Students often don’t gain their confidence on flute until late February to early April

Clarinet

Assembly, greasing corks. Reed placement.

• 1. Left hand on top

  2. Ideally the thumb and index finger (playing “E” is approaching the holes from below, not directly across.

  3. The student needs to close the holes completely! Otherwise it feels as if no sound will go through the instrument. Once a student can successfully assemble and disassemble the instrument and play three notes with ease (E ,D, and C) he/she may be fairly independent. 

  4. ARRRRGH...Pitch is sooo flat! Yup, first years clarinetists tend to play neatly a half step flat. They can’t help it. It will improve, in about a year. Please, don’t this discourage your child from playing clarinet. Clarinet is overall very manageable in fourth and fifth grade and the clarinet section is crucially important in later years as they are the “violins of the wind band.” 

Alto Sax

Assembly, greasing corks. Reed placement, and Strap placement. 

• 1. Left hand on top

  2. Tightening the strap.

  3. Reaching around the “side keys”. 

Strap Placement:

In past years we would help students with the saxophone strap every lesson into early spring. This year parents will need to do this. It’s super important but also super easy. The saxophone strap needs to support the weight of the instrument so that the student’s hands can move freely upon the keys. A good starting point has the hook, which attaches to the instrument, even with the student’s belly button. When the instrument is attached to the strap the mouthpiece should fall easily into the mouth. If the head tilts backward the strap is too tight. If the head tilts downward or the bottom hand is clearly working to support the instrument the strap is too loose.

“The side key sound”

Beginning sax players tend to produce an unfocused, high pitched sound which is not the intended note. (it’s lower than a “squeak”) This is due to the student leaning into a “side key” which he/she needs to reach around. This can be challenging for young hands. However, it is not a hand size issue, it is a fine motor control issue. The “side key” sound usually goes away after two to three weeks. However, for some students this issue can linger into late November or December. This is not unusual. I will tell students the problem, while frustrating, is common and will resolve before too long.

Trumpet

• 1. How to oil the valves.

  2. How to fix a valve which has been turned around.

  3. How to adjust when a note is too high or too low.