Brianna Williams

Dr. Cynthia Wagoner

Introduction to Winds and Percussion
26 October 2020
Article Review #2
Breathing for Young Brass Players is an article written by Andrew Draper that reviews,
in detail, the process of breathing correctly, and how to improve for young, inexperienced brass
players. Draper begins this article by explaining the benefits of teaching breathing basics in a
classroom environment and stating that better breath control will greatly improve the students’
tone. In the middle of the article, he goes in detail on what exercises should be done at the
beginning of each day and how long to do each one. The teacher should start with breathing
exercises for about five minutes. This will ease tension, improve balance and posture, and create
a good precedent for the airflow needed for playing.
Secondly, buzz on the mouthpieces in an interval training style (30-60 seconds buzzing
and then one-minute rest), perhaps with breathing exercises integrated into the rest periods.
Draper notes that there are two types of buzzing; “glissing,” which is when the student slides
through notes, and “target buzzing,” where the student moves through defined pitches. Practicing
glissing will help to greatly improve the ear, eliminate “dead spots” and insure a great buzz
response. Target buzzing will help build the relationship between the ear and buzz, as well as
improving pitch accuracy and response of the low brass instruments.
Draper finishes by providing a list of his recommended rehearsal sequence, which
includes the steps listed above and lastly, playing on the horn. He concludes that with these
warmups, the students will have daily sound breakthroughs, better wind and embouchure
efficiency, and more drive and ambition to become better. I completely agree with this article.
The steps and goals of this can be applied to almost any instrument. Even as a voice major, I am
constantly looking for ways to improve my ear and breath control. Better pitch accuracy, breath
control, and embouchure will help every musician.
In the classroom, it is clear the effect that following the advice of this article could have.
Students will clearly benefit from these techniques and doing this daily will ensure a superior
when going to MPA’s or a top rank in competitions. Also, the students that age out of a band
using these techniques will be much more prepared than many other musicians at their age for
the extremely competitive music industry, no matter which specific program they go into.
Overall, every band teacher should read this article and apply it to their own curriculum. There is
no reason not to, as it is extremely short but packs invaluable information in every paragraph.