Masterclasses

Axiom Brass’ commitment to education has led them to develop a series of masterclasses devoted to helping students of all ages improve their musicianship and technical skills. Masterclass topics include:

The Art of Practicing
In the art of practicing, we guide your students through a series of ideas that will revolutionize the way they practice and will maximize their results. This high energy masterclass shows how goal oriented practicing and critical listening can improve anyone’s performance in a very short amount of time. This is a must-have class for high school and college students.

The Business of Making Music
Covering a wide range of topics from forming a group to selling concerts and everything in between, this class is directed to college and graduate student. The entrepreneurial side of musicians has never been as important as it is today. Whether you need to understand how to present yourself on stage or how to create an effective image to attract students, presenters or audiences, this class can help you organize your ideas and execute your plan.  This class is usually open to all students in the music department.

Non Profit Creation / Grants and Fundraising
This Clinic is a continuation of "The Business of Making Music" class mentioned above. Here, we explore the lengthy (and often confusing) process of creating a not-for-profit entity. We go through the application process discussing common pitfalls and errors made when applying for non-profit status. This clinic also answers the questions: "is a non-profit right for what I'm doing?" "What is the difference between a non-profit and a company" "What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?" We conclude the discussion by breaking down the process of grant writing and fundraising which can often be overwhelming.

Beyond the Notes
A class devoted entirely to bringing the music out of the page and effectively expressing your musical ideas. In this class we push the students' imaginations and creativity helping them understand how to translate ideas into an effective musical language.

Ensemble Sectionals
Whether it's band, orchestra, or brass ensemble, members of Axiom Brass use their extensive knowledge from years of sitting in many ensembles (in addition to Axiom) to help students improve their skills playing within their sections. We give students access to our own techniques on tuning, balance, rhythm, cueing, and team work to achieve the best results possible.

Individual Instrument Masterclass
Here we split the brass instruments into individual groups (Trumpet, Horn, Trombone, Tuba/Euphonium). Students get individual attention, but in a group setting. Each corresponding member of Axiom will give students proven techniques and solutions to common challenges related to each instrument.

It is in the Air
This hands-on approach to improving your band’s breathing habits is guaranteed to immediately change your students’ sound, intonation, accuracy, and technique. In this class, Axiom Brass will discuss, demonstrate, and practice with your students the techniques necessary to create and maintain healthier playing through the use of air.

Bring Your Best to the Stage
Do you feel that you always leave your best in the rehearsal room, or in the practicing room? This masterclass will immerse your students into the mental and physical aspects of performance anxiety. Using simple practicing techniques, we will demonstrate and apply different exercises to strengthen both your students’ mental game as well as their physical performance.

Developing a Chamber Music Ensemble
Chamber music brings together the benefits of performing as a soloist as well as the demands of performing in a large ensemble. During this masterclass, Axiom Brass will give you the tools to start and develop your chamber music ensemble. We will demonstrate how a chamber music program can help improve your band/orchestra while expanding your students’ technical and musical abilities.

Chamber Music Masterclass
We use our extensive experiences in chamber music to guide students with both basic and advanced techniques. Using demonstration and explanation, we show students how to become more expressive, efficient musicians and the importance of applying these skills to larger ensembles.

Composer’s Workshop
Brass chamber music, relatively speaking, is rather new with most repertoire being developed since the early 1960s. Few composition programs focus on brass chamber music, so it is understandable that young composers shy away from the challenge of writing for brass quintet. With this workshop, Axiom cultivates young composers by giving them a hands-on experience with a professional quintet. We answer the most common questions we encounter with composers we commission. We give examples from our extensive repertoire, we explain the limitations of extended techniques, and we demonstrate the capabilities of each instrument.

Brass Methods
A typical instrument methods class at a music school will spend a very limited time on brass instruments. Yet, brass instruments are one of the most technically challenging to young students, with many of them developing bad habits that they spend years trying to correct. This class is meant to go one step further in your school's curriculum. We break down each of the brass instruments in detail going over topics that address the best way to hold the instrument, how to form a proper embouchure, how to use air, good posture, sound production, and much more.

Lecture Recital - "Intro to Chamber Music: Building an Audience"
Equal parts performance and discussion, this lecture is designed to ease those unfamiliar with chamber music by breaking down the concert experience. We also discuss ways to not only start creating audiences, but to find creative ways to keep your audiences coming back for each and every concert. The design of this discussion helps both music students who may find themselves one day creating a concert series, or to the future concertgoer looking to experience the music in their community.

Open Panel - "The Future of Classical Music"
One of the most important questions in art music is how do we ensure its future? How we experience music is in constant change. As musicians, it is up to us to adapt to these changes. This open panel discussion is meant to tackle the issues surrounding this question. Open to all students of any discipline, we offer suggestions to those who may be newer to the Classical music experience. We also attempt to dispel common misconceptions of the concert experience. One of our most successful clinics, this discussion is a must for any residency.

Open Panel - "Music - What Does it Mean and Why is it Important?"
In this philosophical discussion, we dig deep and talk about what it is that makes art music so important to us. Why is it important to us? How does music achieve this? What is art music's relevance to our society today? This discussion is ideal for musicians and non-musicians alike.