Introducing Students to Band Instruments: Posture

In the beginning, students will be very excited and will listen to everything you have to say attentively. By the time they’ve been in the program for three years (8^th grade, usually) their posture will have become sloppy, and they will have gotten lazy.
- They will slouch and cut off the air to the diaphragm.
- Trumpet players will try to play one-handed.
A good reminder for students: “If you look good, you will play good.”
- Yes, I know it’s grammatically incorrect, but this is the concept that teachers must get across.
Teaching Good Posture
- Tell students to relax, pretend like they are marionettes hanging down on their strings. Have students pull themselves up by the imaginary string that is attached to their head. Have them do this while sitting.
- Feet need to be flat on the floor (if they reach) and bottoms on the edge of the seat, or all the way on the back of the chair (depends upon teacher preference, usually.) If students lean too far back, try turning the chairs sideways, so they cannot lean on the back.
- Include a command of some sort that signals to them “it is time to get into your good playing posture.”
- Do not let them form bad habits!

About Lady Fair

Lady is a musician with a bachelor's degree in music education. She plays multiple instruments and has participated in numerous musical ensembles, giving her a wide variety of experiences and knowledge to use in her teaching career. Of her ensemble participation, she has fifteen years of band experience, nine years choral, and four years in orchestra. Éowyn's primary instrument is clarinet, with voice and piano being close secondary instruments. Throughout her musical education career she studied voice and clarinet simultaneously. In addition to clarinet, piano, and voice, she has also studied violin and oboe at the college level, and also plays recorder, tin whistle, and other instruments in the woodwind family. If you ask her, she will say, "I chose to major in music education because I have a desire to use my knowledge and experience in music to share its beauty and foster a love of music in the hearts of my students. I hope to encourage my students to try their hardest, feel like they have accomplished something, and give them a life long passion for music." Lady currently teaches private lessons on clarinet, sax, flute, oboe, piano, and voice, and recently gained a position teaching orchestra and chorus at a local middle school. She is also a member of the Once Upon a Dream woodwind ensembles.

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2 Responses to Introducing Students to Band Instruments: Posture

Shannon [Tropical Eats] says:

November 17, 2011 at 9:20 pm

this reminds me of the good ol’ days back in middle school.

keep up the great work! I know you’re going to be an amazing teacher one day.

- Eowyn Fair says:
  
  August 30, 2012 at 2:04 pm
  
  Thanks! Those were some good times in band. I hope you are doing well and going far too! Feel free to leave any input about music education that you like. Even if it’s just something that Mr. F said that helped you remember something. 🙂