Music of Andrew F. Poor

Introduction Here is an overview of some concepts I have found to be helpful when starting beginning brass players. During the first year of study, I start students on all five primary brass instruments--trumpet, horn, trombone, euphonium, and tuba--and we start on these instruments from the beginning of the year. Currently, our classes at South Forsyth Middle School are in homogeneous groups by instrument family; brass in one class, woodwinds in the other and percussion evenly divided between the two classes. NOTE:  I have used these same techniques in heterogeneously grouped classes, but the instructional pace is much slower in this grouping.  Helping the Students Select the Correct Instrument Helping your students select an instrument that matches both their interests and aptitudes is an essential prerequisite to their future success in music. This process may be even more important for students selecting an instrument from the brass family of instrumen...

There is probably no greater part of my job than starting young musicians on the journey of learning to play an instrument. The first few weeks these students play an instrument are critical to the potential success (or failure) of that journey. Here are some resources and techniques I have utilized to help my students get off to a great start. I believe that one of the most important components of my approach is to allow students to focus on only one task/skill at a time and then scaffold those skills. I strive to check every individual at least once a day during these early stages. This does slow the progress of class, but helps to ensure that all students are meeting the standards. In addition, I avoid having the students play in large groups until a greater mastery of sound is achieved by the student; the goal is groups of 5-15, but no larger. Three Points of Posture Feet flat! So you can stand without moving your feet.  Stand from the waist up. Push off from the back o...