October 12, 2026

It is the battle scene of the movie, the audience rapt with anticipation as the orchestra hurtles toward the final moments of the score. The timpani pounds, the violinists fingers are flying, the pulsing rhythms accelerate, the shimmer of cymbals fills the auditorium … ugh, was that the trumpet section? It takes patience and a subtle ear to play with excellent intonation. Any band or orchestra director knows that kids are not built to be patient or subtle – or if they are, they didn’t find their way into your trumpet section! With limited classroom time, teaching the subtle intonation refinements may seem impossible – especially trying to pull together a concert program every six weeks. However, developing good intonation in your students may not be as difficult as it seems, and an early investment in a few key techniques will yield very satisfying results. Then and Now The first tuning rescue for your trumpet section happened about ten or fifteen years ago … when manufacturers first began outfitting beginner trumpet models with both a first and third valve slide ring (the first valve slide may alternately have a U-hook). Whew! Whether from the pleading of vexed band parents or as a generous gift to migraine-weary middle school directors, this quantum leap in trumpet quality means even your beginning students can actually play a fully outfitted trumpet. Needless to say, I would suggest retiring any trumpet in your inventory that lacks fully functioning first and third valve slides. From the very first week your students are playing fingered notes, have them use the appropriate slide(s) along with their fingerings. This saves you teaching the concept separately later, and also allows the kids to begin coordinating these motions (and making the needed corrections in trumpet balance and hand position) from the start. Smooth as Silk Good left-hand technique will help the kids be consistent and skillful as they learn to use their valve slides properly. The left hand should remain on the valve casing when extending the third and first valve slides – whether separately or together. When extending the third slide, only the ring finger should extend and retract; for the first valve slide, only the thumb should extend. On the rare occasion, young students may use their whole arm (pushing and pulling); make sure they learn the correct technique of using only the finger or thumb. It is important that the first and third slides move with an easy in-and-out motion. If a slide moves roughly or sluggishly, the student will develop improper technique, or even become frustrated and stop using the slide altogether. Apply a dab of grease along with a few drops of valve oil to a clean slide. If the slide is still being stubborn, send the trumpet to a repair person; this small hassle is well worth the student being able to play in tune. If you have your trumpeters using a marching band lyre (which is inserted in place of the third valve slide ring), have them keep their third valve slide slightly extended to avoid low D and C# being extremely sharp. Following marching season, remind your trumpeters to replace their third valve slide ring and resume using the third valve slide in their regular playing. With a little more investigation, it may be possible to find lyres that attached to the leadpipe allowing the third valve slide to move. Working with the Boss As the metronome is to rhythmic integrity, so is your chromatic tuner to perfect intonation. Ask students to spend time daily with this generous truth-teller; you can also have them practice with a tuner during sectionals, to help them establish the habit. Hold a note, check the tuner. Next note. Check with the tuner. This methodical practice will go over easier with more advanced students, but get the younger ones while you can. One way of doing this is to create a game during after-school sectionals. A friendly competition to see who can make the needle stay centered builds excitement, reinforces the value of tuning practice, and encourage kids to relate to tuning in a positive way. During their individual long-tones warm-up, students can work with a tuner to train their ear. As an external aid, the tuner reinforces students’ internal pitch by giving them feedback and helping them to discern fine distinctions in pitch. Also have the students work with the tuner at different dynamic levels to acquaint themselves with the necessary pitch adjustments when playing piano (they will go sharp) or forte (they will go flat). Teach the students to use the tuner during private practice only – never while playing with the band! When their eyes are focused on the tuner, they will miss the opportunity to develop the most important skill of all – listening to those around them. Huff and Puff Excellent breath support is essential for consistent tuning; improper breath support will result in a sagging pitch and lackluster tone. Teachers should emphasize correct breathing technique from the beginning to avoid many problems with tuning – as well as range and sound quality. A great way for students to learn how their breath support affects their pitch is to have them mouthpiece buzz. When the student has good breath support, they will be able to buzz a clear, even note. If breath support is missing, their buzz will drop to a lower pitch or disappear completely. Tuning to a chromatic tuner while playing trumpet is hard enough; doing so while buzzing is even harder because the trumpet isn’t guiding them to each note and stabilizing the pitch. Students should spend ten minutes a day mouthpiece buzzing with a tuner (or matching pitches on the piano). This will benefit their ear and help them establish muscle memory for the correct embouchure and tongue height for each note. Who’s listening? One of the most important qualities that a young or older student can acquire is active, sensitive listening. We want our students to ask