Week of June 1 K-5 Brass Instruments

Hello, musicians! This week's post brings us to the end of this crazy time learning music from home. I've terribly missed you all! I'm really looking forward to the time when we can be together again. 

No Google form for this final week. Please just take a look/listen to the videos below. 

The brass family is a favorite of mine because the has the instrument that I play, the euphonium. Additional brass instruments are the trumpet, French horn, trombone, and tuba. All of which you will see below. First please see the video below about how brass instruments produce their tone. 

The next video will feature four different brass instruments in addition to some percussion. There are two pieces of music. The first is titled Fanfare for the Common Man written by American composer Aaron Copland. I would bet that many of you have heard it before, but just didn't know the title. Following is another brass fanfare by American composer Joan Tower titled Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman. Both are wonderful pieces and really neat to listen to.

Notice the differences in how the instruments are played. The trumpets, French horns, and tubas all have valves that help the musician play different pitches. The trombone, however, has a slide that the musician can use to make the instrument longer or shorter to produce lower and higher pitches. Please enjoy these two great brass pieces. 

Unfortunately, the euphonium isn't often used in "orchestral" brass like the instruments above. It is, however, utilized in bands, brass bands, and as a solo instrument. Here you'll see a solo euphonium player accompanied by an ensemble of low brass musicians. It is a really neat piece of music that showcases what the euphonium can do. I love it! Please enjoy.