Date
12-16-2025
Department
School of Music
Degree
Doctor of Music Education (DME)
Chair
Heather Howard Hannock
Keywords
Brass pedagogy, mouthpiece buzzing, higher education, daily practice routines, instrumental music education, instrumental music performance
Disciplines
Education | Music
Recommended Citation
Schmidt, Christopher P., "To Buzz or Not to Buzz: A Survey Design of Embouchure Development Among Kentucky Brass Musicians in Higher Education" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7798.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7798
Abstract
This survey design study examined the methods of embouchure development practiced by Kentucky brass musicians in higher education. The purpose of the study was to explore how collegiate brass professors, their graduate teaching assistants, and undergraduate student musicians apply or omit mouthpiece buzzing in their daily practice routines and private-studio instruction. The study explored pedagogical influences rooted in the teachings of William Adam, Philip Farkas, Emory Remington, and Arnold Jacobs to identify how their philosophies inform contemporary approaches to brass pedagogy. The findings revealed consistent pedagogical diversity among KPUBPs, with most participants using mouthpiece buzzing, long tones, airflow drills, and leadpipe exercises in their routines, tailored to students’ physiological needs to support a student-centered approach to embouchure development during warm-up sessions. Although many instructors viewed mouthpiece buzzing as a valuable diagnostic and audiation tool, others emphasized the importance of using alternative methods to avoid embouchure tension or overuse. Overall, this study contributes to a growing body of research on brass pedagogy by illustrating how reflective and student-centered approaches enhance embouchure development and promote healthy performance practices in higher education. This survey design study included fifty participants representing the eight public universities in Kentucky. Five participants who were employed as Kentucky public university brass professors in the last five years were selected for follow-up member checking interviews to confirm the survey findings by confirming that brass professors employ diverse approaches to embouchure development in higher education, supporting the student-centered approach in brass music departments.
