Dorothy Pino is a veteran music teacher, teaching for over a decade in California, Denver, St. Louis, and abroad. Dorothy was a teacher for over seven years within Denver Public Schools where she introduced the pBuzz early learning instrument at a K5 elementary school with 560 pupils whom she saw around 5 times a month each. More recently, she has provided clinics for music teachers for both general music and modern band applications.
We recently asked Dorothy to provide some observations on the impact of pBuzz on student music education:
What did you expect back when you first started using pBuzz in your music classroom?
When I first started using pBuzz in my classroom, I saw it as a great way to introduce the brass embouchure, note reading, and improvisation to my students. The reaction to the instruments was positive and engaging students with music in a non-traditional way was really successful.
What did you find as you moved forward with pBuzz in your curriculum?
While the pBuzz fulfilled all my expectations, I realized many additional skills were being learned.
- As students lengthened and shortened the instrument using the slide, they were able to see that the longer an instrument gets, the lower the pitch is.
- They also had to learn to auditate notes -- anticipating the sound of the pitch in their inner ear before blowing into the instrument.
- Pitch awareness and air support were conversations that naturally occurred with the pBuzz which doesn’t naturally happen when playing the recorder or percussion instruments.
- By introducing an instrument that requires real breath support and pitch differentiation, the students grew their musicianship beyond my expectations.
Looking back, what advice do you have for other educators who might be thinking about introducing pBuzz into their classrooms?
If I were to start over in the introduction process, I would have students practice singing intervals and echoing them on the pBuzz afterwards, so that this learning was more overtly taught from the beginning.
I would also discuss how helpful the pBuzz is in learning how to breathe for all band instruments, not just brass. While the recorder may help with the fingerings of the woodwind instruments, it fails to show students the amount of air pressure all wind instruments need to produce sound. By developing better breath support and pitch distinction, students will develop one of the most important lifelong music skills - a singing voice! No matter where students take their music skills in life, a singing voice is something they will always be able to take with them.
Would you like to learn more about incorporating pBuzz into your classroom activities? We have many resources that are available to help.
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