Resources

My resources page includes articles, exercises, and reviews. All are viewable and downloadable as PDF files. I am currently re-working a few more things that will be included on this page as well. Should you wish to obtain the MUS file of any of the exercises below please contact me and I would be happy to email it to you. Also, if you have any comments, or opinions, on anything I have written I would enjoy hearing those as well.

Articles

20 Practice Tips for Brass Players - Some people credit natural talent to how a student progresses on his/her instrument. In my opinion, the main two differences between students are personal ambition and practice efficiency. Some students can practice for just one hour and make just as much, or more, progress than other students who practice two hours; efficiency is the key.

Breathing - I originally wrote this when I was teaching at a summer band camp and was giving a daily masterclass for low brass. It is amazing how many young players still take "shallow" breaths, so I wrote this to give them a little more information on the subject. Breathing is one of the keys to a good sound!

Five Ways to Improve Your Tone Quality - I originally wrote this when I was teaching at a summer band camp and was giving a daily masterclass for low brass. Most of the students did not have a daily routine, have never did breathing exercises, and have never heard a professional perform on their instrument.

Recommended Materials for Brass Instruments - this handout was originally made for my Fundamentals of Trombone class at UW-Milwaukee. When band directors, primarily those who are woodwind players, have to purchase equipment and materials they are often unsure of what to buy. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it is a good start.

Exercises

Buzzing Exercise (Trombone and Euphonium) - I learned this great exercise from Megumi Kanda (Principal Trombone of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra). It incorporates free-buzzing and mouthpiece buzzing.

Legato Exercise (Trombone and Euphonium) - this is an exercise I use with students who are working on legato. I am personally not a fan of how beginning method books teach legato on trombone, so I have created this exercise to help with that.

Lip Slur Exercise #1 (Trombone and Euphonium) - this exercise is part of the Remington warm-up routine. This exercise is great for working on flexibility, and for working on getting comfortable from the F below the staff to the F above the staff.

Range Expansion #1 (Trombone and Euphonium)- these slurring exercises are especially helpful for middle school students who are trying to get a solid high F. This exercise will also help with endurance and flexibility.

Range Expansion #2 (Trombone and Euphonium) - this is another set of slurring exercises, but are directed towards students who are working on the high Bb. This exercise will be most useful to advanced high school players. This exercise will also help with endurance and flexibility.

Trumpet Warm-up #1 (Trumpet) - I wrote this as a first "warm-up" for trumpet players. This warm-up includes mouthpiece buzzing, long tones, lip slurs, and articulations. This warm-up only takes a couple minutes, so the young trumpet student is less likely to get bored!

Reviews

Selman Alto Trombone with Slokar Leadpipe - this is the review of my Selman Alto Trombone with a new leadpipe installed. The results were amazing! Since I wrote this review Aaron Chandler also did a little "tweaking" to my alto trombone, which has made it play even better yet! I know this article is in a little need of updating, as the price of the Selman alto trombones have gone up, so I will make the proper revisions sometime in the near future.