Efficient practice routine for my schedule

[watasnake]

Hello everyone. I am a public school music teacher and have some available time to practice between lessons like this:

30 minutes before school starts

10 minute breaks between three one hour lessons. (One lesson, 10 minutes, second lesson, 10 minutes, third lesson, 10 minutes.)

30 minute break

One more 10 minute break

Typically I do a great morning warmup during the 30 minute session. The embouchure/centering from Reinhardt, Remington study at MP, again at P, then “sub tone”, Reinhardt #57 (tongue/slurs), finish with scales around the cycle in two octaves (highest note is to a double f – top treble clef) all played soft and I alternate slur and tongued each day. Then lip slurs. I am comfortable with this part.

What I can’t figure out are the 10 minute spaces. What should I do? Maybe tonguing (double, triple, doodle) for one? Don’t know. The second 30 minute break is always literature. I actually prefer doing exercises!

My goals at the moment: range security and endurance while focusing my chops to be as efficient as possible. Any ideas?

[harrisonreed]

My goals at the moment: range security and endurance while focusing my chops to be as efficient as possible. Any ideas?

Simple arpeggios, both lip slurred and tongued. Start with Eb one line below the staff, two octaves, as your middle home base. Tempo 60, eighth note triplets. That should be extremely easy, so to make it difficult strive for perfection in every aspect. Work the other scales around that Eb in the same way.

The next step, once you know you're perfect on your two octave arpeggios, is maybe Bb, starting on pedal Bb, and going up three octaves. This probably will also be easy. You can work each of the keys chromatically down from pedal Bb in the same manner.

Once you are comfortable with that, work your three octave arpeggios starting on C, below the staff. That is the C with the trigger in 7th+ position, to the C in 6th (or 1st), to middle C above the staff, to C5. Continue working your three octave arpeggios chromatically up, especially your Eb which I recommend playing the high Bb (just before the final note) in 3rd to set you up right for Eb5. Continue through to F.

Once you've got that, it's time to do the same thing with four octave arpeggios. I recommend starting on pedal Eb. Slurred and then tongued.

If that is all too easy, you can do a lip slur exercise starting on pedal Bb, that uses octave leaps. The sequence is straight eighth notes without pause or breath:

Pedal Bb1 up an octave to Bb2, trigger F2 in first up to F3, Bb2 up to tuning Bb3, F3 up to F4, Bb3 up to Bb4 ("high" Bb), F4 to F5, Bb4 to Bb3, F4 to F3, Bb3 to Bb2, F3 to F2, Bb2 to pedal Bb, hold pedal F in first until no air is left.

Then repeat in 2nd position with pedal A.

[Doug Elliott]

If you have 10 minutes, I would leave the horn in the case and do about a 5 minute freebuzzing routine with rest. 3 or 4 sustained notes, rest, then buzz through a tune. Rest between the notes and phrases if you need to. 60 seconds of rest like you might do in weight training. The best range to buzz is between Bb on top of the staff to F above that.

[FOSSIL]

If you have 10 minutes, I would leave the horn in the case and do about a 5 minute freebuzzing routine with rest. 3 or 4 sustained notes, rest, then buzz through a tune. Rest between the notes and phrases if you need to. 60 seconds of rest like you might do in weight training. The best range to buzz is between Bb on top of the staff to F above that.

I would buy into exactly that... but there are many on this forum who will throw up their hands in horror at the idea .
Chris

[timothy42b]

Off topic, but how do you get through Reinhardt 57 that fast? It takes me a good hour if I do all 5 sets. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

[watasnake]

Off topic, but how do you get through Reinhardt 57 that fast? It takes me a good hour if I do all 5 sets. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

I just choose one part per week - not enough time.

[Basbasun]

What does "subtones" means in this?

[watasnake]

What does "subtones" means in this?

Super soft - no tongue - air control. The horn basically does the work. Works on embouchure setting. Some call them whisper tones I think.

[Basbasun]

Thank you. I call them whispertones. Every day, not too much.

[LeTromboniste]

Quite frankly, I wouldn't bother getting into intense practice headspace for those 10 minutes breaks. I'd only do something lighter-focus like breathing exercises or slurs, if anything at all, and probably not for all 10 minutes and/or not during each of your 10 minute breaks. I don't teach often but I can't imagine teaching 5 one-hour lessons a day and still be as good a teacher in the fourth, let alone the fifth, without actually having taken breaks in the day. If you absolutely must, there are already good suggestions above and I'll add mine: lip trills for 5-10 minutes going gradually upward is also something that will build endurance and range.

[Vegasbound]

10 mins? Have a coffee and a woodbine

[Basbasun]

Do you have the trombone in a stand under the lessons? Just play a nice tune! Can play a tune with subtones? If your horn is in the case follow Dougs advice. How about singing?