Memorial University School of MusicMusic 3222: Brass Techniques I

Course Syllabus-Winter 2016

Instructor: Brian A. LewEmail: brilew09@gmail.com or bal368@mun.caClass Location: MU 1034Office: M1003 Phone: 864-4826Class Time: Friday 3:00-3:50

Course DescriptionPractical study, in a class setting, of the fundamental elements of brass instruments and performance. Each student will study two instruments throughout the semester.

Course ObjectivesUpon completion of this course, you should be able to: - Demonstrate competence in the fundamentals of brass performance- Provide solutions for performance problems on your instruments- Clearly explain how brass instruments work and how to properly maintain them

Required MaterialsStandard of Excellence is available at the MUN Bookstore.Book 1: for BOTH of your instruments Book 2: for your second instrument (optional)

Office HoursI am more than happy to meet with each of you at a mutually agreed upon time for any additional help that you need. Please email me to make any arrangements.

PracticingEveryone should be practicing, at minimum, once per day and in small practice sessions, especially for beginners. For beginners, practicing in smaller sessions will give your lips enough time to relax and slowly build up the proper muscles to play the instrument. During your practice time it is YOUR responsibility to learn all necessary fingerings/slide positions for your instrument. If you need extra assistance please contact me for extra help.

Attendance and Grading Policy

Due to the short and condensed nature of this class I recommend that every effort be made to attend class. You will only have 5-6 classes on each instrument. A missed class is equivalent to roughly 20% of lost instruction on your instrument. Your week-to-week preparation and progress will be factored into your final grade. It is your responsibility to make up any missed work due to absence.

Assignments will due no later than 11:59pm by the date listed in the syllabus. Throughout the semester you will have five grace days for late work that can be used on any assignment(s), except your midterm. They can be used on one assignment or a combination of assignments. I advise that you do not wait until the last minute, especially for recorded assignments, to submit your work.

Weekly AssignmentsRecorded AssignmentsEach class will focus on a different topic in brass playing and will be paired with exercises from the Standard of Excellence book. You will record the assigned exercises and submit them by the following Friday night at 11:59pm. Since you are recording yourself you can record as many times as necessary until you feel comfortable with the end result. Most laptops are equipped with a microphone and cell phone use is acceptable. However, higher quality recorders are recommended if possible. Please talk to me privately if you do not have access to appropriate technology. If you use your laptop to record, I highly recommend using Audacity. It is a free program that can be downloaded online for all laptops.

Online BlogThroughout this semester we will be creating a brass blog. There will be one entry per week, which will reflect on the past week’s practicing, and how you approached the content and goals for that week. Blog assignments will be due on Sundays by 11:59pm. Each blog will be submitted a week (technically, 9 days) after the original lecture to allow you to reflect on your recorded assignments and what worked and did not work for you throughout the week.

ExamsYour Midterm Exam will take place as a recorded assignment due on Friday February 12th. You may not use your grace days for your Midterm Exam. The Final Exam will take place in a short one-on-one playing session with me. These will take place at a mutually agreeable time during the exam period

Grading BreakdownRecorded Assignments 35%

Blog 15%2 Fingering Chart Quizzes 10% (5% each)Transposition Quiz 10%Midterm 15%Final Exam 15%

Course OutlineJan. 8: Introduction

-Syllabus-Instrument sign-out-Introduction to the mouthpiece

Jan. 15: Basics and Tone Production-Posture and positioning -Transposition-First notes!

Jan. 22: Harmonic Series and Tonguing-Understanding the harmonic series-Introduction to articulation

Jan. 29: Articulation-Tongued vs. slurred vs. legato tonguing -Fingerings/Slide Positions Quiz

Feb. 5: Articulation 2.0 and Dynamics-Round table discussion-Midterm due next week

Feb. 12: New Instrument Day! -Return instruments/sign out new instrument-New notes on new instruments--Transposition Quiz

Feb. 19: Basics 2.0-Commonalities and relationships between instruments-Posture and positioning-First notes

*Feb. 26: Mid Semester Break-NO CLASS-Ski-Practice-Build a snowman

March 4: Intonation, Flexibility, Range-Common intonation problems

-Troubleshooting intonation-Exercises to increase flexibility and range

March 11: Accessories, Equipment, and Performers-Mutes-Models of horns-Extended techniques-Important performers -Fingerings/Slide Positions Quiz

March 18: Round Table Teaching Lab-Practice “grading” and working with a student -Teaching in a classroom setting and its challenges

*March 25: Good Friday-NO CLASS

April 1: History of Brass Instruments-Historical perspective on brass instruments

April 6: Final Review -Come with any and all questions -Bring specific musical examples to help with a deficiency