Course Content by Unit
Unit 1: Teaching brass instrument technique to children and young people learning brass instruments
- Physiology & posture
- Breathing & breath control
- Embouchure formation
- Articulation & tonguing
- Tone quality
- Developing tonal and dynamic range
- Mouthpieces
- Effective practice routines
- Repertoire
- Problem-solving strategies
Unit 2: How children and young people learn to play brass instruments
- How learners learn
- Simultaneous Learning
- Learning spiral
- My learners now
- Understanding, assimilating and consolidating skills, knowledge and understanding
- Learning music musically
- Developing aural awareness/perception and acuity
- Pupil/teacher relationships
- Learning scales and studies
- Starting a lesson
Unit 3: Teaching strategies for brass instrument teachers working with children and young people
- Understanding my teaching now
- Preparation for teaching
- Expectation of teaching outcomes
- Diagnosis of learners’ needs
- Audio-Visual-Kinaesthetic learning
- Aptitude for learning
- Motivation for learning
- Simultaneous learning
- Assessment
- Exams/Festivals/Competitions
- Tutors/methods
- Teaching whole classes/small groups/individuals
- Proactive and reactive teaching
Unit 4: Developing a brass instrument teaching curriculum for children and young people
- Understanding what is meant by a curriculum and a syllabus
- Preparing and implementing schemes of work
- Short/medium and long term planning
- Personalising learning
- Becoming a reflective practitioner
- Communicating as a musician
- Playing and performing
- Chamber music
- Special Needs
- Schools of Brass playing
Laura Ritchie
Deputy Director of Academic Studies
