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I'm not a professional by any means, but when I was starting out on my first instrument (French horn, believe it or not), my teacher taught me a couple of my favorite tunes in addition to the weekly assignments. I used this same idea with beginning euphonium and trumpet players last summer, and came up with great results. Little kids don't get much of a kick out of lip slurs and scales, but if you throw in something fun like that, they'll be much more eager to pick up the instrument on a daily basis.

P.S. Hot Cross Buns and Good King Wenceslas do not count.

No matter how simple tunes or patterns he plays, try to play homophonic bass/harmony lines, or even more advanced comp lines, if he is secure in what he is doing.

Klaus

knuxie wrote:I think for now, good sound and being comfortable with how much air is needed to make that sound is keeping him occupied. As the comfort level increases, then he'll want more. At his age, too much may overwhelm.

Ken

Exactly. My thoughts on beginners in the first place is that they need to enjoy it first. And that comes through becoming acquainted and comfortable. ESPECIALLY since he is so young. Just giving him time to get acclimated will be good. I would also, as mentioned, arrange some easy fun tunes he knows. Every kid wants to play something they know. After a little while, jump in and see if he can make up stuff or figure out things by ear. Even at that age it is possible and will be fruitful down the road.

After he has developed a taste for the instrument and is starting to develop control, then you can start getting a bit more into specifics. He is YOUNG. Don't kill the fun out of playing an instrument that early...haha. Good luck with it all!

Let him show that he's ready for more, then give him more. If he keeps going from this age and already has a good foundation...man....he is going to be a MONSTER!

Mouthpiece buzzing might work okay at this age. They can buzz some of their favorite tunes without having the mechanics of the horn to interfere. Stuff like "pop goes the weasel" is often fun at that age, due to melodic interest, and does a decent job building chops.

Matthew Gilchrest wrote:Mouthpiece buzzing might work okay at this age. They can buzz some of their favorite tunes without having the mechanics of the horn to interfere. Stuff like "pop goes the weasel" is often fun at that age, due to melodic interest, and does a decent job building chops.

Buzzing on mouthpieces to help learn is LAME for little kids...I promise. They don't wanna buzz. They wanna play the instrument.

pierso20 wrote: Buzzing on mouthpieces to help learn is LAME for little kids...I promise. They don't wanna buzz. They wanna play the instrument.

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horse hockey!

Buzzing lets them play a wider variety of notes, which then lead to a wider variety of songs. An 8 year old will realize that he doesn't know all the notes needed to play whatever song, but doing it on the mouthpiece (with good example from dad that buzzing is fun and good) will not only be a good substitute, but conducive to faster learning those notes on the horn.

I am really enjoying all the posts on this thread so far.
You guys are inspiring.
My seven year old grandson moved in with us six weeks ago to stay.
He has mucho talent but I dared not push him when he only visited every other weekend.
He is learning to lead sing A/C D/C stuff and trap drums at the same time. I am getting good lead vocal and the drums are rapidly progressing. It's time to start the rudiments.
I encourage him to play his Casio piano most every day. He gets a rhythm/chord progression going on it any key and can somehow play a lead line that fits.
He can't reach the first fret on my Gibson electric guitar or hold down a chord without deaders so I set up effects with distortion and let him bang on it.
I am determined to be patient and make it fun.
He can get a sound out of my tuba but I think he wants to start out on drums in the school band.

eupher61 wrote:

pierso20 wrote: Buzzing on mouthpieces to help learn is LAME for little kids...I promise. They don't wanna buzz. They wanna play the instrument.

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horse hockey!

Buzzing lets them play a wider variety of notes, which then lead to a wider variety of songs. An 8 year old will realize that he doesn't know all the notes needed to play whatever song, but doing it on the mouthpiece (with good example from dad that buzzing is fun and good) will not only be a good substitute, but conducive to faster learning those notes on the horn.

Is this from experience? Because with EVERY kid I have ever taught, maybe 1 or 2 enjoyed mouthpiece buzzing. Now, MAYBE if we can enthusiastically enough show students buzzing can be "fun" then maybe it could work....but I have not gotten that impression from young players.

I'm talking about fun for kids and an 8 year old is generally not out there to become a master player. Now is what you said correct? I think so. It can be helpful further along in their playing. But they want to play songs on the euphonium (or whatever instrument..what about tuba???? I don't know a single beginner player who can make a good buzz on a mouthpiece, but many can make the notes on the horn.) Work with what they can do.

In addition, most new players CAN'T make very precise pitches on a mouthpiece. But they can on the horn. It has to do with resistance and, especially with an 8 year old, young players don't have the training to be able to effectively do so. Buzzing is MORE difficult than playing the instrument (most players will agree). So you would effectively be asking him/her to do something more difficult, that isn't on the instrument they want to play, and not very fun. If it's an 8 year old, let him/her explore the instrument and get used to the mechanics. Then introduce buzzing at a later time to help build endurance, precision, and air. That's what it's really for.

Brooke, yep, experience. I've taught several (I think 5, maybe 6) 8-9 yo's and buzzing was fun for them, because, as you suggested, I MADE it fun. I've not started that young playing a tuba mouthpiece, but a couple on euph and the others on trumpet. With a trumpet mouthpiece, as in the OP here, there's little problem with resistance. With the euph, yeah, it wasn't as easy. That's where encouraging frequent breaths comes in. I don't care how often a beginner breathes when buzzing, or even on the horn, as long as the sound is good.

Buzzing is not, by default, more difficult, any more than a B scale on a BBb tuba is more difficult. Unfamiliar is a better word, IMO.

Oh, and 10 year olds I've taught are far too numerous to count. The only problems I ever encountered were 1) the kids who really, really did NOT want to play trombone, but were forced to it instead of trumpet or sax 2) a kid with a repaired cleft palate. He wanted to play so badly, but air was almost impossible, since he had to cover a small fissure with his tongue. But, all in all, he developed a decent sound with passable fake articulations (more air than tongue) and great technique, in comparative terms.

The best way to keep a kid involved and excited with playing an instrument is to have them playing simple things they recognize. Mary Had a Little Lamb, for example, while very simple, *always* peaks my students' interest. Simple melodies they recognize keep playing an instrument fun.

I would teach him Mary Had a Little Lamb by rote, and then, when he has mastered that, I'd bust out the lesson book, and start talking about reading the notes. Once he knows what it sounds like when he plays it, it's time for him to see what it looks like.

Another really important thing with young kids, and it's much tougher than I ever thought it would be, is keeping them on task regarding tonguing. Some kids have a lot of difficulty learning to articulate with their tongue, and if you don't get them doing it early, it'll be very hard later to get them to stop with the air attacks. I have one student, who is in 6th grade now, and is a very good clarinet player. I started teaching him in the middle of last year, when I started my current job. The teacher he had before me never really taught him how to tongue, so I've spent he past year trying to get him to do it without slowing down his progress. It's very challenging, and I'm finally seeing some progress.