How to Teach the Trumpet to Children
The trumpet, one of the more common instruments in school bands, is part of the brass family. Once a person learns to play it, they can learn other instruments of the brass family quickly, such as the tuba. Unlike some school subjects, such as calculus, children are the best candidates to learn to play trumpet. The earlier you teach it to them, the better they remember and become at playing it. However, make sure you teach them proper habits so that they learn the trumpet correctly and don't have to relearn better habits later.
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Instructions
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Discuss the basic components of the trumpet. This includes the mouthpiece, the three valves and the multiple tuning slides and finger holds. Teach the children how and where to hold the instrument.
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Teach the children how to buzz their lips by pushing air through them while they're close together. The children should buzz through the mouthpiece to begin with, until they can consistently make a buzzing sound similar to that of a bee. After this, connect the mouthpiece to the trumpet and practice buzzing through the entire instrument.
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Overview the treble clef. This is the type of clef that trumpet player music is written in. A note is assigned to each space and line. Review the most basic notes, from "C" to "C," comprising the most basic scale. Teach the children the fingerings and mouth position that create each note.
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Learn other scales. Before the children begin learning music, they should memorize each scale. You can find a scale book at your local instrument shop if you don't own one. After the children have memorized the scales in the book, they can begin playing music. Since all music is composed a long a scale, the children will have an easier time playing the music after learning scales than if they had never memorized the scales.
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References
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