Brass Fundamentals Lesson Plan

Objectives:
1. Students will be able to perform standard fundamental exercises for the program

Materials:
 Pencil. Warm ups. Balloon. Snark clip-on tuner. Instruments.

Musical TEKS:
1. §117.310 Foundations: music literacy - The student describes and analyzes music and
musical sounds. The student develops organizational skills, engages in problem solving,
and explores the properties and capabilities of various musical idioms.
2. §117.310 Foundations: music literacy - The student reads and writes music notation using
an appropriate notation system.

Sequence:
1. The students will be able to perform program standard fundamental exercises.
a. Starting with just some deep breaths in and out. Holding and sipping in air at the
top.
b. Metered breathing at 112 bpm. Start with 8’s, then 6’s, then 4’s, then 3’s, then
2’s, then 1’s. Repeat each one for around four or five times. For 1’s, do it 6-8
times. Then have them breathe in, and sigh it out and bend over.
i. Look for the shoulders to see if they are taking a deep inhale vs a small
inhale
c. This gives students time to just relax a little bit. While they are bent over tell them
to get their balloons. Fill balloons for 16, then 12, then 10, then 8, then 6, then 4.
Do each one at least twice.
i. Listen for the sound of the balloons inflating. The darker the better.
d. Then move on to the mouthpiece setting procedure. Shank between the teeth
memorizing that feeling.
e. After putting the shank between the teeth, move to breathing through the corners
without moving your aperture or the setting on the mouthpiece. Put air through
the mouthpiece.
f. Then tell them to set to where you will buzz right away after having set their
mouthpiece.
g. “Starts and stops”. Vibrations started without the tongue for 8 reps, then with the
tongue for 8 reps. Focus on if the students are able to start and stop together. Do
this at least once, maybe twice depending on success.
h. After once or twice, have them do a mid-range siren twice. Make sure to remind
them about not hitching their breath. One motion air.
i. After mid-range siren, have them play a high low siren. Then a higher low siren.
Then high-low-high.
i. Remind them almost every time to have that setting in the correct place.
j. Move back to the horns and do starts and stops on a concert F.
i. Listening specifically for swelling into the note and resonance
k. After starts and stops move on to eight count sustains, rest four between. Remind
them about what we were just working on with starting with a full resonant sound
right away.
i. If they sound quiet or stuffy, have them pull out their balloons again and
put on a metronome and tell them to do a couple of 12’s on their balloon
to simulate what it is to play at a 12, then repeat the exercise.
l. Do eight-rest-four until they have a clean note start at volume with quality sound.
m. Move on to the quarter note bending exercise at 128 bpm at 8 air. Through the
series on F, then on Bb
n. Listen for swelling and clear sustains at a true 8 air.
o. Have them tune on that Bb at 440 (when inside) to resonate to their full potential
p. Last thing being the dynamic exercise. Pick a sustain note (last note of the ballad
impact) and have them play that through the dynamics 16,12,10,8,6,4
i. Listen to when the tone quality changes, and when the tuning starts to go
wonky. Ask the students what their tendency was on that note when they
got to 6 and 4 (“Who went sharp? Who went flat?” “How do you fix
that?”).
q. Have the teacher do the rest of the class