Articulation and coordination
- Use the tongue to articulate notes whilst maintaining a controlled column of air:
- coordinating hand and tongue when playing
Ask learners to sing back vocal patterns in call-and-response or echo games, using appropriate syllables e.g. ‘daa’, ‘taa’, ‘du’.
Invite learners to imitate various rhythm patterns played on a single pitch by the teacher or other learners on the mouthpiece or the instrument.
Be aware of learners’ individual physical characteristics and make adaptations as appropriate. Be alert to potential specific issues such as the Valsalva Maneuver.
Teach learners to play simple tunes and exercises using repeated notes at a regular pulse.
Set a task to create simple rhythms using learners’ names.
Teach learners to play simple pieces and exercises that use moving pitch and repeated notes, e.g. the ‘upstairs/downstairs’ game: One learner plays a repeated pattern C/D/E then another responds with E/D/C.
Ask learners to play familiar pieces using slurs for step-wise movement. (N.B. This activity is not applicable for trombones.)
Encourage the use of a mixture of tongued and slurred patterns in call-and-response or echo games. Ask learners to identify and reproduce the different articulations.
Encourage learners to articulate by using the tongue to break a continuous column of air. Discourage breathing between each note by making the analogy with talking – you don’t breathe between every word in a sentence!
Maintain a steady pulse when using exercises and call-and-response or echo games.
Slurs using valve combinations can also be introduced at this stage.
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