About the Instruments

Click to watch the video, "Join the Band!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-gWCMj3iOM

Put quite simply, students are going to be more willing to practice, and therefore, more successful, when playing an instrument of their choosing. They should select something they like the sound of, since they'll be listening to it quite a bit! Listen to these demonstrations to see what seems like fun, then read more information about physical characteristics below.

Instruments available to beginning students:

Percussionists play ALL.THE.THINGS: mallets, drums, and auxiliary instruments.
We'll focus on mallets in the first year.

Physical traits for success on a wind instrument

While most students can be taught to do well on most instruments, there are certain physical characteristics that make playing certain instruments more challenging for some students. Here are some requirements:

Flute

A small hole (aperture) is needed in the lips. Students who have a teardrop shaped upper lip that prevents their aperture from being in the center, or who create a hole that is spread wide across the mouth sometimes have trouble obtaining a quality flute sound.

Clarinet

The clarinet will be put inside the mouth with the bottom lip cushioning it and the top teeth holding firmly onto it. If a student has severely crooked upper teeth, they may find forming the correct embouchure to be challenging.

Brass Instruments

Trumpet and trombone amplify a "buzz" that the player makes: think high, tight "raspberry". Generally, students who get lower sounding/looser feeling buzzes are better on trombone or baritone, while those with higher sounding/tighter feeling buzzes do well on the trumpet. All brass students need to be able to sustain the lip vibration.

If you are uncertain about whether your child has the right characteristics for the instrument they want to play, or if they aren't sure which instrument would be best, contact me to schedule a video consultation! I'm happy to help: LMSeifried@fcps.edu