Our Summer Workshop for all brass players is back this year at
Rancho Bernardo High School!

July 9-13, 2012 / 1:30-4:30pm

The Presidio Brass Summer Brass Seminar is a wonderful opportunity for high school and college brass musicians in the San Diego area to develop as musicians, hone their skills, and have an absolute blast doing so!! Packed with instruction as well as inspiration, the Seminar will prepare you to take your playing to the next level.

Includes: Playing in Large and Small Groups alongside Presidio Brass, Talks on Preparing for Auditions, Breathing, Effective Practicing and more!

Presidio Brass Summer Seminar Brochure and Registration Form

See you there!

Third generation trombonist, Sean Reusch, originally from Toms River, NJ, is a founding member of the Presidio Brass. Sean began performing trombone when he was ten years old. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Penn State University and a Master of Music Degree in Performance from the Manhattan School of Music, he moved to San Diego, CA.  Since then, Sean has performed with many groups including the San Diego Symphony, San Diego Opera, Orchestra Nova, Los Angeles Opera, Orquesta de Baja California, Pacific Symphony, Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, and the Barnum and Bailey Circus. Sean has performed with artists such as Dave Brubeck, Johnny Mathis, David Sanborn, Bernadette Peters, Eddie Daniels, Natalie Cole, and Marvin Hamlisch.

As an educator, Sean is currently on faculty at UCSD, Palomar College, Mira Costa College, and at the Idyllwild Arts Academy during the summer. Sean maintains a large private teaching studio and many of his students have gone on to study music at top universities and conservatories throughout the United States.

Sean writes the Education Articles for Presidio Brass and has created a seminar for college students on “Effective Techniques for Successful Auditions”.

Here are some of the topics:
·  Centering – an effective focusing technique
·  How to prepare for an audition effectively
·  The Power of Positive Thinking
·  Visualizing
·  Efficient Practicing
·  Resources for Peak Performance

Sean resides in Carlsbad, California, with his wife and two children.

LISTEN TO THIS!

BY SEAN REUSCH

Does your daily musical diet contain the essential Vitamin L – LISTENING? Besides listening to oneself, it is also very important to listen to amazing musicians on a daily basis. Be sure to listen to as many performers (not just your instrument!) and genres of music as possible.Attend live concerts. Live concerts are fantastic because one not only gets to hear great music being made but also gets to see the artist perform. Listen to great recordings. Listen repeatedly to a recording until you have it memorized and can sing and play it just like the recording. By doing this, musicians learn about style, phrasing, tempo, timber of sound, balance, and blend. One of the best things for musicians to do is mimic amazing musicians. Imitation helps develop our musical identity. As a musician, we can pick and choose aspects of playing that we want to sound like and incorporate them into our own playing.

Here are some questions to ask yourself when listening to other musicians:

• What makes this performance or recording so special and unique?
• How does it make you feel and why?
• What can you do in your practice to sound like this?
• What do you like or dislike about this performance and why?
• Does the performer follow the musical instructions of the composer?

Some more listening tips:

• Listen selectively – break apart music and listen to a different part each time. What instruments or voices do you hear?
• Listen with purpose! Focus when you listen.
• Listen to the recording while looking at the score.
• Listen with a friend and discuss what you heard in the performance.
• Listen to a recording numerous times. It’s amazing how many details we miss upon one listening.
• Listen to many recordings of the same piece and pay attention to differing styles. Pick your favorite interpretation and imitate it when you play the piece.

Wow, tuxes, sitting down with music stands. Our group has evolved quite a bit since these early touring years!

[Show as slideshow]

HOW DO I GET MY CHILD TO PRACTICE?!
Tips for Parents

BY SEAN REUSCH

Do you ever get frustrated that your son or daughter rarely practices without you nagging them to get their instrument out? Are you bummed that you spent so much money purchasing an instrument that your child never touches? Are you upset that you got them lessons with a private instructor and they still won’t practice? Don’t fear – you are not alone! I find that all of the young musicians I teach love music, but most don’t love to practice. Remember, practicing is a skill and needs to be taught- it is not instinctual! Your child needs many reminders- just like brushing their teeth! Eventually, practicing will become a habit and you won’t need to put in a lot of time getting them to practice.

Here are some tips to help you get your child to practice more.

• Make practice fun! Kids are more likely to do something they enjoy. Purchase music that they love to play.
• Help your child practice by designating a special practice place in the house with few distractions. It’s very helpful to schedule a specific practice time each day for consistent practice. Remember, quality over quantity! A musician’s rate of improvement is directly proportionate to the amount of quality practice.
• Treat practicing like homework, kids need to do a little every day. It’s best to practice early in the day. Most people don’t want to hear loud noises late in the evening.
• Have your child perform for you, relatives, and friends regularly. This really helps kids get comfortable performing in front of people. Do this when they have an audition or a performance coming up!
• Encourage your child to play for people at church, hospitals, senior centers, and convalescent homes.
• Encourage classmates to come over and play together.
• Try to make practicing a reward, not a punishment! When you want to reward your child, buy them a recording, sheet music, or tickets to a concert.
• Listen to lots of great musicians as often as possible with your child. Talk about the music and how it makes you feel. Go to concerts to hear great live music.
• Get private lessons. Make short, medium, and long range playing goals with your child and their teacher.
• Make sure your child has good, working equipment. They should have the following:
• Music stand
• Tuner
• Metronome
• A recording device
• Notebook for their music
• Necessary supplies (brass players: valve oil, slide lubricant, mouthpiece brush
• Attend master classes with your child. These are often very inspirational and kids learn so much in a short amount of time.

Finally, I found a great quote on a piece of paper on the floor of a band room that sums up practicing perfectly. The author is unknown to me.

If you practice, you get better.

If you get better, you will play with better players.

If you play with better players, you play better music.

If you play better music, you have more fun.

If you have more fun, you practice more.

If you practice more, you get better…