Review

D. Vining, with S. Dunn, N. Sullivan, L. Bone, and A. Lapins
Teaching Brass: A Guide for Students and Teachers:

Flagstaff, AZ, United States
Publisher: Mountain Peak Music
Date of Publication: 2010
URL: http://www.mountainpeakmusic.com

Primary Genre: Study Material - method

Classifying Teaching Brass: A Guide for Students and Teachers as a methods book masks the true nature of the materials themselves. The “book” is actually a website from which the information is accessed through a yearly subscription, and the physical component, a wire-bound exercise book, serves as a collection of exercises and activities which accompany the online material.

The online materials are divided into chapters, and clicking on an individual chapter heading will take you to a separate page divided into subchapters. Each respective subchapter has PDF versions of the text available to download from the subchapter page, and also includes links to audio samples, video samples, supplemental playing exercises or activities (referencing the physical wire-bound exercise book) and a Powerpoint review of the materials in the subchapter, each reinforcing the concepts presented in each subchapter.

The early chapters cover multiple topics related to the mechanics of sound and performing on a brass instrument, the harmonic series, basic fingerings, intonation, followed by more focused discussion of each brass instrument in individual chapters.  Addressed in each of the instrument chapters are issues of characteristic tone, technique, and intonation for each specific instrument, selected repertoire (with samples) a concise history, and range and fingering charts. Brief chapters describing advanced techniques multiple tonguing, flutter tonguing, multiphonics, care and cleaning, and director resources are also provided.

For the individual student musician, Teaching Brass: A Guide for Students and Teachers works best as a practice and/or reference source, a multimedia encyclopedia with playable examples for self-directed students to learn and practice concepts specific to their instruments. As a guide for teaching brass instruments, Teaching Brass: A Guide for Students and Teachers is certainly a good start for those with no brass background, and perhaps also as a different way to approach some concepts for those already experienced in brass teaching. Although not exhaustive, the strategies, resources, and examples included here can be quite useful in crafting successful teaching plans and to address concepts of successful brass playing.

-Alexander Treviño
Old Dominion University