<n: nucciocreative

Around the World in Twenty One Trumpets

Brass For Beginners, LLC

This was an incredible opportunity to incorporate years of accumulated knowledge about textbook development into a new and innovative approach to teaching music and world history. Brass for Beginners grew out of a music teaching method for young brass players developed by a Baroque Classical brass professor as a classroom aid. Initially it was determined that, though the musical aspects of the program were effective, keeping younger students engaged was problematic. The initial materials that were created incorporated a caveman character that helped to alleviate the rote mechanics of repetitive exercises but failed to tell a comprehensive story. With guided input into how to pace and provide the teaching materials in a way that helped students comprehend the content, I guided the project toward a more useable teaching tool. Simultaneously, we developed more deeply integrated the “caveman” narrative and expanded it to teach world history, covering major standards for both British and American markets. This one-two approach appealed widely to instructors charged with teaching multiple subjects, as it provided quantifiable markers in comprehension, vocabulary, world history, math, science and the arts. The program was a huge success in the UK and has been adopted by several institutions here in the states, as there are few programs that so effectively teach cross-curricular subject matter.