Reginald Fink's Pedagogy

Reginald H. Fink was a trombonist and educator. He studied with Emory Remington at the Eastman School of Music and received his PHD from the University of Oklahoma. Professionally, Fink performed as the principal trombonist of the Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra and as a member of the Ithaca Brass Quintet. He also performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, and Rochester Philharmonic. As an educator, Fink taught at Oklahoma City University, West Virginia University, Ithaca College, and the Ohio University. In his book, The Trombonist’s Handbook: A Complete Guide to Playing and Teaching Trombone, Fink provides valuable insights to the art of teaching and playing trombone.

Staying Productive During Summer Practice

The spring 2020 academic term presented unprecedented challenges to us as musicians, as most of us left our school and work buildings as we entered a time of isolation. Summer festivals, concerts, workshops, and conferences have been cancelled and postponed, and the upcoming fall term is uncertain at best. While educators often encourage their students to consider the summer a “third semester” of their annual education, making productive use of summer 2020 is more daunting without the usual resources available to students. If approached in a positive and healthy way, the time free from commitments can be used to make profound improvements in one’s playing.

How Hot Cocoa is Teaching my Students to Breathe

For years I have tried every trick in the book to help students who are struggling to produce relaxed tones on trombone and euphonium. Whether infrequent and shallow nose-breaths create an unsupported sound or a strained, pinched embouchure makes it impossible to play in the upper register, it seems to me that the universal enemy of resonance is tension. No matter the struggle, correcting a flawed air stream always yields positive results. Yes, of course, fixing a mistake will make a student better. That is obvious. What is more interesting is the way my students are finally able to correct their mistakes.