Choosing tutor books, my comparison of two.

 

An appraisal and comparison of 2 contrasting tutor books for your instrument.

 

One is a recent publication and the other is a ‘band method’ or for group tuition.

 

The two tutor books I have chosen for this assignment are as follows: -

 

• Standard of Excellence Book 1 - ‘Trombone’
• ‘The Trombone’ by Otto Langey

 

I use both tutor books in my Instrumental teaching and are very contrasting.  The former, is a recent American publication and the latter a more traditional ‘Boosey and Hawkes’ tutor book.

 

Below I have compiled a table showing what I believe to be some of the important basic factors of a tutor book.  I have then given a percentage score (100% being the highest) depending on how well I believe the books cover my points.

 

 

 

Standard of Excellence

Otto Langey

 

 

 

Does the Tutor Book Stand Out?

90%

40%

Is it applicable for a Beginner?

100%

80%

Are exercises explained?

80%

80%

Is the book Progressive?

70%

100%

Is group teaching applicable?

70%

60%

Is any music theory included?

60%

40%

Is additional material required?

50%

50%

Does the book help the teacher?

70%

50%

Does it make learning interesting?

60%

50%

 

 

 

 

 

I will now look in more detail at the factors of each book (combining my results from the above table) before contrasting the two.

 

 

Standard of Excellence

 

Good Points

 

• The book stands out.  It looks attractive and is only about 60 pages so not too daunting
•  It can be used with absolute beginners and has shows how to hold the instrument, talking in length about posture and even note production.  Warm ups and flexibilities are also included from an early stage
• At the top of every page is a small theory summary covering new concepts such as a new key signature, time signature or even simply the naming and lengths of notes
• The book is progressive to a certain standard and is most applicable for learners playing from absolute beginner to about the 6 month or first year stage of playing
• After every new concept is explained there are several exercises that will stress the point and then a test for the learner to take before moving on to the next idea
• At intervals during the book there are pieces that can be played in a group situation and every book in the set is arranged so the parts make up simple harmony and/or can be played as a round
• The book does help the teacher as it is very progressive, setting the student tasks and tests in addition to being very instructional and informative
• If used only for a short period, the Standard of Excellence is a fairly interesting way to learn the basics of trombone playing

 

Bad Points

 

• The book is very americanised, for instance all musical terminology and theory is American rather than Latin.  So for European teaching it can be confusing when for example crochets are referred to as quarter notes etc.
• I feel supplementary material is also required to keep students learning in the right way, the book simply doesn’t cover all the important aspects in enough detail
• Over long periods of time the material can become very monotonous for both the teacher and student and really doesn’t change its approach to instruction as the player develops

 

 

 

 

‘Otto Langey’ The Trombone

 

Good Points

 

• The book is a great reference to the history of the trombone and the rudiments of basic music
• The book takes the player through from the very beginnings of playing to the challenging material for good amateur or professional players
• In addition to exercises, the book contains scale practice, study’s, duets, trios and even some basic excerpts

• At the start of each chapter there is a blurb telling of the general expectations of that part of the book.  The blurb also gives advice on how to play each chapter well and explains some of the basic theory needed for the exercises
• As there is a section containing music for groups of varying size therefore the book can be used fundamentally for certain parts of group teaching
• There is a significant amount of varying material in this tutor book so that it is easy to keep the pupil interested in the specific task

 

Bad Points

 

• The ‘Otto Langey’ looks like a very daunting way to study as a learner.  It is also fairly old fashioned and sometimes complicated so may be more applicable for teaching adults rather than children
• There a no exercises for group teaching at an early stage, only music for groupings of trombones and this is more for the intermediate to advanced player than for a beginner
• Exercises rather than ‘well known tunes’ are used to get across the point and could be seen to be less productive or at least less interesting than the other option
• Much supplementary music and examples would be required for the very early beginner yet the selection for slightly more advanced students is substantial

 

Summary

 

After looking at these two different ways and approaches to learning, it is clear that both books use vastly different methods.  The new and American Standard of Excellence is a sound way (with additional material) to start off a first time brass student and its use in a group situation is high.  The ‘Otto Langey’ on the other hand is of more use to the already established player who wishes to further their playing standards and have repertoire for a group situation.  Of course there is no perfect tutor book as each one is so different.  In my experience a teacher’s selection of the best points between a variety of different books is the most productive way to learn.