P3 - B2

Breathing and air flow

  • Breathe in freely and produce a controlled column of air over an increasing range of notes and phrase lengths:
    • showing an understanding of various techniques which can be employed to control the speed of the air produced
    • using breathing appropriately to support musical phrasing

Ask learners to play a long note on the starting or finishing note of a phrase whilst another learner or the teacher plays the phrase. Then swap over.

Encourage learners to experiment with altering phrase lengths when playing well-known tunes. Ask them to observe what difference this makes to the way they have to breathe.

Bring learners’ attention to the physiological aspects of breathing by devising games and activities, e.g. coughing to feel their own abdominal movements.

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