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International Trombone Week

Hello, trombone player! Thank you for bringing goodness to the world.

International Trombone Week 2021 was held April 11–18. Of course we celebrated all month because that’s what we do every year. 😉

We spotlighted some of the activity around the world and appreciated everyone who let us know what they did to mark the occasion.

–> Please start planning now for next year’s ITW. The official dates are April 3-10, 2022. Everyone is welcome to join the fun. <–

How can you participate? Here are a few guidelines:

  • Stay healthy. Mask up, get your vaccine, and go practice your lip slurs.
  • Encourage others. Follow the fun by visiting this page, and social media such as Twitter @tromboneweek.
  • Create something of your own and share it. Use the ITA’s event form to tell us about what you’re doing.
  • Listen to great musicians playing great music. You can enjoy many recorded events from past ITWs, too.
  • Mostly, play your trombone … and if you don’t know how to play the trombone yet, ITW is a fabulous time to learn.

Need ideas?

You’re in the right place. Let’s get started with the incomparable Sandra Boynton‘s wonderful animated gif-gift for ITW:

 

Many trombone ensembles share recordings like these examples:

Feed your ears well. For instance, listen to the many trombone players and ensembles that have shared special content during ITW:

  • Atlanta Trombone Ensemble unveiled an amazing performance of BoneWeek Fanfare #2.
  • Calgary Philharmonic’s Trombones hosted their annual ITW celebration called Slide Into Spring.
  • North Carolina Brass Band trombone section sent this performance of Longhorn by Michael Davis. Thank you to Seth Frack (tenor), Drew Leslie (tenor), Jeremy Marks (tenor), and Sean Devlin (bass).
  • Ryan Keberle, trombonist and composer, extended free resources and a discount to celebrate International Trombone Week.
  • Wycliffe Gordon wished everyone a Happy International Trombone Week by sharing videos and resources.

Play your trombone! You can play whatever you like (as long as it’s the trombone, please). Here are some fantastic options for free sheet music:

  • BoneWeek Fanfares: Celebratory trombone octets by Brad Edwards. This page lists the fanfares and includes at least one performance of each one.
  • Quartets by Nick Adams, Spencer Schaffer, and Patrick Cooper Sullivan
  • Trios by David Caldwell and Colby Norton
  • Will Baker has an extensive collection of exercises that will make you happy while improving your skills.
  • Justice Fanfare by William Pagan-Perez as part of Harmonic Revolution: Music for Change (Donn Schaefer, University of Utah)
  • Trombone features from BandMusic PDF Library
  • Solos including Doug Yeo’s arrangements of Bach’s Cello Suites
  • Brass Bandbook from The Preservation Hall Foundation
  • Song for Health by Steven Verhelst will help you show your appreciation for health care heroes.

Create and learn with this list of ideas:

  • Practice a new scale, warm-up, or exercise each day. We played through a mode-a-day: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian.
  • Pay a visit to your well-worn copy of Arban’s.
  • Give your trombone and mouthpiece a good cleaning.
  • Have an impromptu garage concert for your neighborhood while practicing safe social-distancing. (Nice job, Will Baker!)
  • Call your grandmother and play her a jazz standard. How about Blue Skies, for example?
  • Share a video of your recital or past performance.
  • Wish a front line healthcare hero a very Happy Birthday.
  • Learn to use music notation software and arrange something for a trombone friend.
  • Read a great article about alternate positions in bebop (I see you, Tony).
  • Record an excerpt using a multi-track video app (like Roger Cutts did). While we’re talking about our friend Roger, enjoy some of his legendary Opera Excerpts!
  • Soak up some trombone history with Will Kimball.
  • Share a painting or drawing of a trombone.
  • Do a daily trombone dance-of-joy or an inside parade (Thank you, Sandra Boynton!).
  • Listen to this beautiful NPR TinyDesk Concert with Ryan Keberle and Catharsis.
  • Write a poem about your trombone stand.
  • Post a favorite trombone-related quotation.
  • Take a moody photo of your favorite mute.
  • Pose a philosophical question to your trombone colleagues.
  • Go outside, be still, and meditate on trombone goodness.

Above all, stay healthy. Connect and share with your community online this year. There are many things you can do without a crowd whether you play the trombone or just love its sound.

Stay up-to-date, connect with us, and tell us how you’re celebrating.

Be kind and play big. We’re (still) in this together.