Where do you like to sit?

[king2ba]

As I've gotten older....and lazier, I've found that when I teach lessons, where I sit makes a difference. Depending on what side of a student you sit on can make a difference with how well you can see their music.....the little dots seem to be getting smaller. But, I've had some teachers that prefer to hear what's coming right out of the bell, and others that don't want to be anywhere near the bell. So, what kind of teacher are you? Do you have a preference on where you sit for teaching lessons? Does it actually make a difference for you?

[pierso20]

I cannot teach a lesson and have the horn pointed in my ear/face. I end up with a headache and then cannot focus on the lesson.

The other thing I always consider, is that the audience that would listen to a player (or judges for that matter) are not next to the bell. They are further away. So if I am not directly next to the player (opposite the bell) I like to get out in front in order to hear from a perspective more like that of the performer.

[Mike Finn]

Most of my younger tuba students play on school-owned top-action tubas, so we sit with our bells pointing outward and away from eachother. I have found it's a good idea to be able to see the student's face (not just the embouchure) as well as the dots on the paper. Sometimes I'll even get up and walk around, or stand behind the student to get a good view and make sure there is no unnecessary tension in their posture. For trombone lessons, I sit on the student's left, so that when I rest my horn on my left knee (to point to the dots on the paper with my right hand) there is less of a chance of them banging into my horn with theirs.

[Dan Schultz]

Doesn't matter whether I'm tutoring someone or sitting in a section. I don't want a bell in my face.

[MartyNeilan]

AWAY from the bell. You never know when any spontaneous blatting and splatting may come out. Hearing damage is cumulative and irreversible.
Slightly OT, you gotta love it when a trumpet player walks in a room, takes their horn out of the case, and immediately (and without warning) plays the highest and loudest note they can.