Instrument Exploration Camps
Do you have a student that thinks they want to play music but doesn’t know which instrument? Or maybe you’ve heard about how music can help with other parts of development but aren’t sure how to get started. This Ted Brown Music Program has you covered!
School Music, What Is that?
School music programs are one of the best places for students to make life long friends, travel to places they may not otherwise get to see and develop a life-long skill. School music programs do not exist to create professional musicians, though that is where many start. These programs instead focus on creating safe and encouraging environments for students to constantly try new things and grow as individuals surrounded by a team of people who all depend on each other to get a job done. Sound familiar? Kind of like working adults in almost every profession right?
A quick internet search will show countless studies and personal testimonies showing increased proficiency in math, reading, listening and retention, as well as teamwork and leadership skills. Plumbers, mechanics, self-employed professionals of every field, celebrities, software developers and IT specialist, Fortune 500 CEOs and Presidents of the United States have all participated in school music.
If we’ve captured your attention and you’re now wondering how your child can get started and what instrument should they play, look no further than these Instrument Exploration Camps hosted by Ted Brown Music Outreach. Each camp focuses on one family of instruments, Brass, Woodwinds, Strings and Percussion. As important as school music programs are in building comradery and social skills, we understand it’s not for everyone. So in addition to these camps we also offer a keyboard camp which is a great primer into piano lessons.
How do I get started?
Below you can find the dates and times for each instrument camp as well as a brief overview of the instruments that are apart of that camp. Once you’ve decided which camp’s your student would like to try, click the Register Here button to get started!
Please Note: There are two offerings of the Percussion camp. They are each the same so please choose the one that best fits your schedule.
Meet the Woodwind Family
When:
The woodwind family includes the Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Oboe and Bassoon. In this camp, we will focus on the flute, clarinet and the alto sax, which is the most common saxophone.
Because the saxophone is a larger instrument, many beginners start on the clarinet. The oboe and bassoon are often considered second-year instruments so if you’re interested in either of those, start with the clarinet.
Fun with the Brass Family
When:
The brass family includes the Trumpet, French Horn, Baritone and Euphonium, Trombone and the Tuba. This camp will focus on the trumpet and the trombone primarily.
Brass instruments all produce their sound in exactly the same way. All you need to do is blow air past your lips to make an elephant kind of sound. When you place the mouthpiece against those moving lips, it transforms into the different instrument sounds.
Though the technique is the same, each one has a different size mouthpiece. If you think you’d like to play the French horn, most beginners start with the trumpet. If you’re thinking about the euphonium or tuba, the trombone is the best place to start.
Check out the String Family
When:
The string family includes the Violin, Viola, Cello and String Bass. Because the string bass can stand taller than some adults, this camp will mainly focus on the violin, viola and cello.
One of the coolest things about the string family is that, unlike brass and woodwind instruments, stringed instruments come in smaller sizes to fit kids as young as five or six years old. However, even with these smaller sizes, the bass is really big. Most beginning students will start on the cello and then switch to bass after they’ve gotten a little taller.
The Way of the Piano
When:
Not everyone is interested in joining a school music program, and that’s okay! There are many avenues into playing music and our keyboard camp is just one of them.
This camp is a great introduction to private piano lessons. We’ll go over proper finger placement and figuring out how to do something different with each hand. Even if your student is thinking about playing a band or orchestra instrument, having a background in piano can be a great advantage. Plus many first year band teachers only let students that have taken piano lessons start on percussion.
The piano is truly the universal instrument and understanding the basics of it makes everyone better at their chosen instrument.
All things Drums and Percussion
Camp 1:
Camp 2:
The percussion family has more instruments in it than we can list here. A percussion instrument is anything that you can strike with something and produce a sound. A short traditional list would be the Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Xylophone, Marimba and Timpani, but there is music written for “found metal object”, “box of broken glass” and we've even heard a piece of music featuring a squeaky music stand and a hand broom.
Percussionists are responsible for learning all of them. The good news is there are common techniques that transfer between the different categories. This camp will focus mostly on the snare drum and the bell set, which looks like a small metal xylophone. These are the two instruments that most school band programs start percussionists on.