• A Parent's Guide to Private Music Lessons
• Choosing Your First Band Instrument
• Playing Music in a Healthy Way
• Improve Your Practice by Improving Your Space
• Learning Music as an Adult: How to Stop Making Excuses and Start Making Music
• Beginning Music as an Adult: Are Private Lessons Right for You?
• Using a Practice Planner to Prepare Your Audition Piece
• Starting Band Successfully - Helping Your Child Succeed in Beginning Band

• Free online metronome
• Staff paper for composition
• Central District Bandmasters Association - All-District audition pieces and scales for young musicians in Central North Carolina
• Teoria.com - Interactive online resource to help you learn music theory.
• PracticeSpot.com - Online resource with articles and tools to enrich your practice.

• Trombone position charts for straight and F-attachment trombones
• Overtone series position chart from the website of Dr. Tom Gibson. There's LOTS of great information in the General Area of his site.
• Bass trombonist Doug Yeo - Plenty of helpful info on trombones and music education!
• 12 major scales for trombone (1 octave with arpeggios)
• 12 major scales for intermediate trombonists (includes arpeggios & 1 octave of thirds)
• Embouchures.com, a site devoted to helping you take care of your embouchure
• Chop Saver, a lip balm to soothe your lips and keep them functioning well
• Online Trombone Journal's site dedicated to helping beginner trombonists
• How to Clean Your Trombone Slide - Watch the video below!

Like this video? Check out Summerglen Music on YouTube!


One of the best tools for learning music is the metronome. One drawback of the metronome, however, is that you have to set the speeds manually - not good for gradually speeding up your tempo. Here are 3 MIDI files of a click track gradually speeding up over 100 measures. Use it for practicing rudiments, scales, or difficult passages. MIDI files will play in most audio player programs. Right-click to download to your computer.

• 30bpm-80bpm(MIDI)
• 30bpm-100bpm(MIDI)
• 80bpm-120bpm(MIDI)
• 40bpm-120bpm (mp3)

Searching for your perfect 3 minute rudiment? Here's a trainer metronome to help you out - count off at 40 bpm, one minute to get to 110, hold it for a minute, and one minute back down to 40. Lock it in and impress your friends (or contest judges).

• open-closed-open(MIDI)
• open-closed-open(mp3)

Drum Rudiments Video (Andrew performs all 40 rudiments at 80bpm!)


Want more percussion stuff? Check out Andrew's YouTube Channel!