Program description

The Whirlwind Brass Trio program begins with a fanfare and continues with a diverse mixture of music including classical selections, show tunes, folk songs and familiar melodies. Various activities and questions about the music and the brass instruments engage the audience and lead them to discover how brass instruments function and what it is like to perform music on a brass instrument.

Musical selections are chosen from the following list.

Fanfare from Tannhauser by Richard Wagner
Sesame Street
William Tell Overture by Rossini
Trio for Brass by Vaclav Nehybel
Sonata by Francis Poulenc
Radetsky March by Johann Strauss
Medley of Traditional Mexican Folk Songs
Medley of Traditional African American Spirituals
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Ode to Joy by Beethoven
I Believe I Can Fly
I’m Getting Sentimental
Lindo
Hornpipe by David Lyon
Le Basque
Suite in D Major by G.F. Handel
The Entertainer by Scott Joplin
America the Beautiful
When the Saints Come Marching In
America, from West Side Story
Christmas Carols (as part of December concerts)

List of Terms:

Brass Trio A group of three people playing brass instruments.

Brass Instruments Instruments which require a metal mouthpiece and are made
from the metal brass.

The Three Things needed to play a brass instrument
1. Air - A big breath is the first of three things needed to play a brass instrument.
2. Buzz - A brass player vibrates her lips to make a sound on her instrument.
3. Mouthpiece - A metal object shaped like a small cup or funnel that fits into the
instrument.

Brass players take a big breath then they buzz their lips into the mouthpiece which is attached to the brass instrument. This will be demonstrated at the concert.

Trumpet Because the trumpet is the smallest instrument in the trio it makes the
highest sounds. In most Brass ensembles the trumpet leads or
conducts the rest of the brass players.

Bugle The grandfather of the trumpet. This instrument had no valves and could
only play a limited number of different pitches or notes.

French Horn A brass instrument known for its mellow sound. It is easy to recognize because it curves around in circles.

Natural Horn The grandfather of the French Horn. Like the bugle, the natural horn had no
valves.

Trombone One of the earliest brass instruments, it has not changed much in appearance or method of playing. The different notes are achieved by moving the slide in and
out to lower and raise the pitches.

Slide A slide is a large or small length of tubing which fits into another length of tubing.
On the Trombone, there is one long slide. On the Trumpet and French Horn there are
many different slides which connect together to make the instrument. Most of these
slides are connected up to the valves

Valves A valve is a key that is used on the Trumpet and the French Horn to change the pitch.

It is connected to extra lengths of tubing or slides. As the valve is depressed, it allows
air to pass through extra tubing, much like a water faucet allows water to pass through
the pipe when you turn a faucet on. The length of the extra tubing determines how high
or low the note is. The different valves connect to different lengths of tubing.

Leadpipe This is the tube that leads from the instrument to the mouthpiece.
The mouthpiece fits into the leadpipe.

Bell The large end of a brass instrument, this flared shape is responsible for amplifying the
buzz that the player sends through the mouthpiece.Musical Terms:

Solo A musical piece or passage that features one instrument.

Fanfare A short attention grabbing piece of music written especially to announce the
beginning of a special event.

Composer A person who writes music

Pulse The constant and steady beat that flows through music like a heartbeat.

Rhythm The arrangement of long notes and short notes and rests that composers use to
create music.

Melody The arrangement of different notes or pitches that composers use to create song.

GUIDELINES FOR FOLLOW-UP DISCUSSION
Q; What is a Brass Trio
A: A group of three people playing brass instruments.

Q: What are brass instruments?
A: Instruments which are made of brass and require a metal mouthpiece to
produce sound.

Q: What are the three things needed to produce sound on a brass instrument?
A: Air, Buzz and the Mouthpiece.

Q: Do you have to blow really hard to get a sound on a brass instrument?
A: It takes a lot of air to play a brass instrument, but the player sends the air
through the instrument not against it. It is different than blowing up a
balloon and more like normal breathing.

Q: Does it hurt their mouth to play the horn?
A: No, the mouthpiece has a smooth edge and is made to send the buzz
through the instrument.

Q: Is it possible to play a song on just the mouthpiece?
A: Yes. The player can play songs when he vibrates his lips and creates that
buzzing sound.

Q: Why are the brass instruments so loud?
A: The flared, end part of the instrument, called the bell, amplifies the
sound, just like a stereo speaker. Also, brass players practice to learn to
make a clear beautiful sound which can carry over long distances.

Q: How is the Trombone different than the Trumpet and the French Horn?
A: It has a slide instead of valves

Q: What are Valves?
A: The keys or buttons that attach to various pieces of tubing on the instrument.
They make it possible to play different pitches on the instrument.

Q: What is a natural horn?
A: An old type of brass instrument that had no valves and could only play a
few notes. It was used for hunting.

Q: What is a Bugle?
A: A brass instrument that has no valves and only plays a few notes. It is still
used in the military to play music with a message like “time to get up”.

Q: When an instrument is shorter will the pitch be lower or higher?
A: Higher

Q: When an instrument is longer will the pitch be higher or lower?
A: LONGER is LOWER

Q: Which plays lower notes, a Trumpet or a Trombone?
A: The Trombone because it is longer.

Q: Is it hard work to play a brass instrument?
A: No, you can learn to make a sound and play simple songs in a few
lessons.

Q: How much do brass instruments cost?
A: You can purchase a good used instrument for a few hundred dollars.

Q: What is a composer?
A: A person who writes music.

Q: What is a Fanfare?
A: A short, dramatic piece of music often used to announce an important
arrival or start.

Q: What does SOLO mean?
A: That is when an instrument is featured playing the main melody part.

GUIDELINES FOR STUDENT FEEDBACK
ENCOURAGE YOUR STUDENTS TO WRITE TO US, USING ONE OF THESE BEGINNINGS
After today’s program, I have a different impression of “classical” music because…
I think playing a brass instrument is…
I know brass instruments can play many different kinds of music because…..
I was surprised that….
Here is a picture of something that I remember from the concert….
When I remember the concert I feel…..
The brass music made me think about…
I know the brass musicians are having fun because….
My favorite thing about the concert was….