Boosting the Brain-Body Bond for Brass
is my pedagogy and is NOW AVAILABLE in a hip pocket guide:
I am attending the IWBC (International Women’s Brass Conference) and ITG (International Trumpet Guild) Conferences this week – May, ’22 and it will be available for purchase there. ‘Boosting the Brain-Body Bond for BRASS’ is a 6-page accordion-fold laminated brochure with ‘doodles’ breathing movement and pictures into the compact printed format. QR codes are embedded that connect that material with 9 of videos of me embodying more dynamic, full explanations. It is offered for all brass middle school through university students and teachers, professors, come-back players, and band directors.
My job is to help my student find and trust their voice, whether it be on their trumpet in lessons, master classes, competitions, performances or through another instrument with my work with the student through the Alexander Technique.
On trumpet, we SING, BUZZ and PLAY to find our musicianship first, and our trumpet second. The instrument makes no sound prior to our innervating it with our musical concept, mesage, imagination and spirit. It is much the same with any voice, including our own, whether spoken or sung.
Studying with Arnold Jacobs: Video Interview with Mike Grose on TubapeopleTV
From Mike Grose, Tubapeopletv: Judith Saxton, talks about how Mr. Jacobs helped her to move her respiration into the correct direction. She had developed a reverse way of breathing – the tight gut/isometric approach was Saxton’s way of breathing. Rigidity and tension. Jacobs encouraged Saxton to use her excellent voice technique as a psychological focus while playing. He wanted her to connect her singing voice to her trumpet voice. Imitation of other great artists…using the imagination greatly. Jacobs encouraged Saxton to mouthpiece buzz with great style. He also had her hold the mouthpiece with her non-dominant hand to introduce even more strangeness. Jacobs exhorted her to keep her standards high no matter where she was performing. High register playing – Tee Yah. Compression of the air. Taking larger breaths and then using the air actively…let the lungs deflate rather than holding on to the air. Take a “surprised” breath rather than a “bearing down” breath. Jacobs introduced various breathing exercises to Saxton. Psychology of movement. Piccolo trumpet work and the air/breath was mentioned. Jacobs asked Saxton to merge her story-telling thoughts with the full bow aspect of the breath. Maintain a sense of vibration. The 7th cranial nerve and laryngeal nerve source is the same for both. Using physical movement to help train the brain.
More to come….