Arabella O  
Instruments: Trombone
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Blues, Latin, Funk, Showtunes, Latin Jazz, Swing, New Age, Marching Band

I started teaching private lessons during my undergraduate degree at Northern Michigan University. I partnered up with the local middle and high school to teach one on one lessons as well as group sectionals. For the year and a half that I taught this groups of trombonists I learned a lot about how to cater my teachings to each individual student, as not everyone learns in the same ways. I have done marching band, concert bands, orchestras, jazz bands, funk groups, brass bands, trombone choirs, and even rock groups over the 15 years I have been playing the trombone. One of my absolute favorite things about teaching is connecting the music with the students and getting them to actually be excited to practice and grow their musicianship.

For beginning trombonists I like to start with the standard Hal Leonard Essential Elements book, which teaches all of the fundamentals of great trombone playing. As the student progresses I add in various etude books that teach technical ability, musicality, and facility on the instrument. I also assign a solo or two for the student to work on which applies all of the fundamentals listed before into a tangible piece of performed music. While I focus on the makings of a good classical trombonist, I also inquire what kinds of music each student likes and incorporate that into the lessons so they have something fun they can relate to while still developing their skills. For the more advanced student I start to introduce excerpts from band and orchestras to teach style that they can bring into the ensembles they play in. My method of teaching greatly depends on each students individual needs as I aim to make lessons fun instead of a chore.