Bone Up Buzz


The Newsletter of Bone Up Studio ~ January, 2007 vol.1, no. 1

Another Year of Music

At the start of another year, I'm pleased to offer you this, the first in a series of periodic newsletters for my students, their parents, and others. I'll use this to share a bit of useful information as well as just let you know how much I enjoy playing and teaching music. It's exciting for me to be a part of each of my students' musical and personal growth.

I've been working on my own playing of the trombone and various other brass instruments for over 30 years. It's still fun and rewarding to learn to play a difficult piece of music or gain a skill that I've been working on for years but could never quite master. And it's still a blast to play for an audience.


What Is Bone Up Studio?


bone (noun) – slang term for trombone, a member of the brass family of musical instruments

bone up (verb) – 1 to try to master necessary information quickly; 2 to renew one's skills or refresh one's memory

studio (noun) – a place for the study of an art

Bone Up Studio – a place for the study and development of skills in playing brass instruments


Awhile ago, I registered my teaching business under my own legal name. Later, when I wanted a web site, I was thinking about a better business name and came up with “Bone Up.” Since somebody else had registered the “boneup” internet domain (some product for strengthening your bones, I think), I decided that I would go with boneupstudio.com. Now, I'm in process of getting that registered with the state so I'll be all official as Bone Up Studio.


Parents Corner – A Riff on Practice

It can be challenging for parents to know how to help in your child's musical development. Private lessons are a great start! Last year, I gave each student a small spiral notebook in which I write weekly lesson notes and practice assignments, and the student is to list their daily practice time (20 minutes, 5 days a week is the goal for most). In my experience, the greatest potential for musical growth comes between the ages of about 12 and 16. And that growth only comes through practice! So, if you can look at your child's practice log and just give encouragement to him or her to practice, that would be great! To quote Red Green, “Remember, I'm pullin' for ya; we're all in this together.”

10 Ways to Improve Your Breathing

All of my brass student frequently hear me tell them to “take big breaths.”
Here are 10 ways to help fill those lungs:

1

Practice deep breaths. Your respiratory (breathing) muscles get strengthened through training, just like your other muscles.

2

Eat fruit and vegetables. Your parents were right! Medical studies have found that eating fruit and vegetables directly improves your breathing capacity. Grab a box of raisins instead of a candy bar.

3

Don't smoke. This should be a no-brainer.

4

Stay (or become) physically fit. Exercise improves your lung function. Exercises that strengthen your abdominal (stomach) muscles make it easier to push air through your horn.

5

Allow full expansion of your abdomen and chest. Start the breath down low, then expand your rib cage to get maximum air.

6

Don't wear restrictive clothing. This probably seems obvious, but good to be aware of. More of an issue when they make us dress up for concerts (suits, coats, ties).

7

Don't eat a lot before performing. Your breathing capacity is reduced when your food is digesting. Avoid that big pasta dinner right before the performance.

8

Relax. Tension reduces your breath capacity. Use my “flop chops” (motorboat) exercise to relax and breath. (See #1 above.)

9

Maintain good posture. Sit forward in the chair with your feet flat on the floor, sit up (or stand) strait. You don't want a kinked hose.

10

Take big breaths, even when you don't think you need them. Even when playing short phrases or soft passages, the more air you have when you play a note, the better your tone will be and the less you'll have to use your muscles to push the sound through the horn. Keep the hose full.

(Adapted from: International Trombone Association Journal, July 2006 article by Will Kimball, Brigham Young University.)

Bone Up Studio • Instruction in Trombone, Trumpet, and Low Brass

Bob Franklin • (208) 743-1834 • bob.franklin@boneupstudio.com • www.boneupstudio.com


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