paultandberg

Hello,

Thanks for the replies.

Lessons: I live on a farm outside of Newfolden, a small town in northwest Minnesota. The two most likely locations for finding a trumpet teacher are Thief River Falls, MN and Grand Forks, ND (The University of North Dakota is located in Grand Forks).

Both places are convenient. We usually enroll the kids in various summer programs, math and performing arts, offered by the city and schools of Grand Forks.
I am hopeful of arranging some lessons for the kids this summer. I would happily contact any forum member that lives in Northwest Minnesota, unlikely as that may be.

In another development, the high school in town will be hiring a new music instructor (old one retired), and I know that at least one of the applicants is a brass person.


DVDs: Shortly after my initial post, I ordered two trumpet lesson DVDs: “I Love the Trumpet” by Warren Vache, and “Trumpet Secrets Revealed” by John Thomas.

I particularly liked the Warren Vache DVD. The man is charming, and his DVD usefully combines lesson tips (breathing and blowing) with horn care tips (oiling and cleaning). It is nice package.

The John Thomas DVD was also good. Some aspects of his embouchure lesson caused some confusion, on my part, at least. The central theme seemed to be relaxation, which I can understand as good, but his blowing was so relaxed it seemed almost more of a whistle than a lip buzz.
I had always thought that you should be able to buzz out a tune by just using your vibrating lips (no mouthpiece or horn) and that doing so was a good exercise. But the embouchure Thomas demonstrated was more like blowing out a candle than buzzing out a tune.
But, regardless of my confusion, we all did the pencil drill and worked on relaxing the lips so that they could flap away inside the mouthpiece. I have, pending additional information, suspended the “lips only tune buzzing” drills. I have substituted some drills that have the kids relaxing their lips as much as possible while still producing clear tones and intervals with a mouthpiece.

BUT THE DRILLS ARE LIGHT. FOR THE MAJOR MOST PART, THE KIDS ARE JUST PLAYING THE HORN AND MAKING MUSIC. Some practice is from the lesson books, and some practice is just playing, by ear, tunes they are interested in. And Gus is continuing to amaze his band teacher in school. His “Trumpet Voluntary” produced a “WOW, that was GREAT” (or so he reported to me. And I was one proud Dad, because the little bugger had it nailed. I remembered the tune from college band. And we really worked on it, with Gus playing and me loudly singing along making trumpet noises).

(It is fun, for me, going through the lesson books with the kids. The tunes are the same tunes I played when I was in band, and it is a joy to hear them again.)



I will check out the other DVDs that have been suggested.
Thanks,

Paul