Band directors tend to be Jacks of all trades.  We know how to play every instrument in the band but yet we tend to specialize only on one, the instrument that we grew up playing.  Once in a while in our teaching we will stumble across a difficult case, a student that for whatever reason is having difficulty understanding and executing the proper technique or embouchure for their instrument.  

Think back to your experiences with a flute player that just can’t shape their air stream properly, a brass player that just can’t seem to buzz correctly, or a clarinetist that just can’t seem to get their fingers aligned right to cover the holes completely.  Each of these scenarios has played out again and again over time and specialists on those instruments have developed many different tools to help aid teachers in fixing them.  This series of short articles focuses on many of the different tools that are available to help you as a teacher get the best possible tone and performance out of each of your students.