Blocking

I just finished teaching a local 6th grade trumpet player who has problems with pressure and blocking his air. Here was my solution:

1) Have the student play in front of a mirror so they can SEE what it looks like when they block/ apply a lot of pressure (in his case the response was "wow!")

2) TAKE AWAY THE TRUMPET!!! Start trying to get as much pressure off of the face as you can and take temptation away.

3) Have the student make a "hiss" sound (like a snake). This puts the air behind the teeth and OUT OF THE THROAT. (It is also a lot of fun for the student)

4) After the student can recognize the feeling of having the air behind the teeth, free buzz. Make sure the student continues to "hiss" while buzzing so the air STAYS behind the teeth.

5) Add the mouthpiece, making sure that it is barely on the lips. Buzz and hiss simutaneously into the mouthpiece.

6) Once the student can get a characteristic sound out of the mouthpiece WITHOUT pressure on the mouth, add the trumpet.

7) Buzz/ hiss on the trumpet (long tones are best for this). Make sure the student recognizes the air behind the teeth, and sees what it looks like in the mirror WITHOUT pressure.

I have only done this once but it really worked! Good luck :)

Just wanna throw it out there...

I love my friends :)