Braces and Brass Players

It used to be when beginning students would get braces, it would effect their playing considerably. I don't feel that this is the case so much anymore. Braces of today are not quite as bulky as they used to be when I was growing up. They seem to do as effective a job as those of years past.

You do need to be careful with students with braces and make sure that they are still playing in a good position so as to not let them get away with poor embrouchure. You also want to make sure that they are playing in a good position as to not comprimise tone quality.

I have a student who has some dental problems that really affect his ability to play the horn. We were just getting him to the point where he was starting to take off. He has recently gotten braces. Luckily for him and for me, it has not affected his ability to play. While the braces are something that he will have to deal with, the fact that they are not a hinderance to his playing ability is a good thing. This student has a strong drive and desire to want to play the instrument well. As a beginner, he is already exceeding the abilities of the rest of his class. While I want to encourage him, I do not want to have him get too far ahead of his class, or he will become easily bored. This is the type of challenge that I am blessed to have. Now I just need to figure out what steps to take from here.