Breathing by Sight: Tips for All Winds

Your sense of sight will likely serve you and your brass and wind students better than your sense of sound when journeying toward effective breathing. Experience it; observe it being taught; and incorporate it during this interactive workshop. Antonio García shares techniques both original and acquired from mentors such as Arnold Jacobs and Richard Erb to overcome his own restrictions of allergies, asthma, the Valsalva Maneuver, and past bad habits. Move air in the most musically productive way! Attendees can optionally bring 16”–18” plastic bags (such as for a loaf of bread), wind instruments, mouthpieces or ligatures, or just themselves.

At a recent state MEA presentation, half of the participants could not successfully complete a provided breathing exercise involving simply inhaling and exhaling—including some wind professors and many music education students. We will explore how to identify such issues quickly and solve them directly—and without financial cost to students or educators.

Photo by A. Aleman

Antonio García (www.garciamusic.com), now in his native New Orleans, is Professor Emeritus and Former Director of Jazz Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University (formerly at Northwestern and Northern Illinois). A composer of symphonic and instrumental and vocal jazz and chamber works, he has been trombonist, bass trombonist, or pianist with 70 major artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Louie Bellson, Dave Brubeck, and Phil Collins. Other roles include: Research Faculty member, The University of KwaZulu-Natal; Past Associate Jazz Editor, International Trombone Association Journal; Past Editor, IAJE Jazz Education Journal; and the only individual to have directed the Illinois All-State jazz combo, vocal jazz choir, and big band (plus All-County and community concert bands and orchestras). He is author of Jazz Improvisation: Practical Approaches to Grading and Cutting the Changes: Jazz Improvisation via Key Centers and a Midwest Clinic Board Member, Brubeck Institute Past Advisory Board Member, Conn Selmer Institute Hall of Fame member, and recipient of the Midwest Clinic’s Medal of Honor.

NAfME presents this live virtual event at no charge to all as a service to the music education profession. To register, you must enter your NAfME member information or create a nonmember account. After registering, check your email for instructions. A recording of this program will be available to all registrants for one week following the live event. Members can also view archived NAfME webinars in the NAfME Academy.

The views expressed are those of the presenter; they do not necessarily reflect the views of NAfME.