The Summerglen Files

I stumbled upon this great post on the Trombone-L discussion list, and had to share it. Basically, this guy went to one of Joe Alessi’s trombone seminars, and then ever-so-kindly posted his notes for the benefit of trombonekind: http://maillists.samford.edu/pipermail/trombone-l/2005-September/003589.html. Each of these tips is an absolute gem. And speaking of gems, here’s an Alessi performance. [...]

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When I was in high school, my trombone teacher had an endless supply of laments about the weak state of my lungs (and tone). Unfortunately for both of us, his instructions to “breathe deeper” and “fill up my lungs” lesson after lesson weren’t exactly getting results. But what DID get results was the day he [...]

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Last year, I found a video about a glass trombone, and thought it was pretty cool. But today, the coolness record has been broken with this video…of the world’s first wooden trombone! Enjoy!

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When young trombonists think of practice, they may think of running through their band music or scales. The problem here is, the scales are usually run the same way every time, and the band music is often just played through, top to bottom. To become a great trombonist, it’s wise to mix things up in [...]

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It’s getting to be that time of year when band directors hold auditions for next year’s groups, and several young trombonists have come by Summerglen asking what they can do to make that top band. Here a couple of tips to help! 1. Get lessons as soon as possible! Often, we hear ourselves play and [...]

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It’s getting to be that time of year when things get crazy-busy for the holidays. Between shopping for gifts, trekking across the country visiting relatives, and playing holiday concerts, it can be difficult to find time to practice and become a better musician. This week on the Summerglen blog, we’ll share some tips to help [...]

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I spent a little too much time on YouTube yesterday, doing, er, “research”…and found this great video about the first playable glass trombone! I especially enjoyed watching the guy make the trombone, and thinking about all kinds of glass trombone questions, like: What’s it like to play a trombone with no spit valve? and Could [...]

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I just completed the first half of my trombone practice project, and I’m definitely on a different path than I originally set out to follow. As I’ve worked on goals in the past, I’ve learned that sometimes plans go their own way, and that often that way is exactly right! Earlier in the month, when [...]

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It’s been a busy couple of months here at Summerglen, with preparing for the WBON presentation, setting up trombone choirs, arranging pieces for the salsa band, and planning creative workshops and drum circles. And when I have several creative projects going on, I fall into a familiar pattern. I plug away at each project, little [...]

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This evening I played 3rd trombone in Mendelssohn’s oratorio Elijah with the Northeast Piedmont Chorale. The work itself is beautiful, and it’s easy to hear the influences of Bach and Handel (a couple of Mendelssohn’s favorites), as well as shades of the Romantic era when the piece was composed. Mendelssohn gave us low brass players [...]

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