Cheek puffing

Under a new reward-system culminating (Sam hopes), in a Halloween sleepover....he has to practice his clarinet for 10 minutes every day.

He has only just started learning but today I noticed that he was puffing out his cheeks as he blew the notes, which were sounding very weedy. I know that he is not supposed to be cheek-puffing since controlling air direction is the same for a brass player (and I play the French Horn). However, it was really really hard trying to identify and then describe to him what it was that I do.

Anyway with a bit of perseverance in front of the mirror I think we've cracked it. Less air is escaping from around his mouth and the notes are sounding slightly stronger.

At the end he complained of a stomach ache and that is when my light bulb moment happened, and I remembered what my horn teacher used to say - breathing control is ALL to do with the diaphragm, and that IS where it is supposed to hurt - not in your cheeks.

Roll on tomorrow when we can try again.

:-)