hey, ummm, i play trombone, my band teacher is making me play music that doesn`t go any higher than high D. and i am cbable of playing high A flat. (the one above the staff) and i think shes holding em back. what do you think?

I do not think that he is holding you back. Do you struggle hittng the high Ab. If you don;t you should try to get pryvite lessens.

well, sometimes you may feel like you are being held back. but the truth is, even though you are ready for more challengin music, that doesn`t mean that the rest of your section or the rest of your band is ready as well. you can talk to her and tell her how you feel about this. also, try to get music you can work on at home that challenges you more and work on it with a private teacher. that way, you can be the best player you can be even if you don`t get to use all of your potential in school. if you really want a challenge, see if there is a musical pit orchestra or an honers band you could join or something like that. they can be really challenging and really rewarding. good luck!

yes i agree with the person above me and i also think that the range that you are able to play isn`t as important as your ability to sight-read and understand the concepts of the music that you recieve. but thats just my opinion

Not to mention you can ALWAYS improve your musicianship by playing the "lower" level music. Just because you can play high doesnt mean you are adept to playing ALL styles of music proficiently. Im in college i can play 2 Bbs above the staff i can do all the goodies on the trombone but every song i play i pick up a lesson and learn how to play better.

So stay patient and help the people around you.

Maybe your band teacher thinks that you are not good enough for the higher parts.Have you ever made All-County Band? I made 1st chair Symphonic Band and I don`t play high parts all the time and I`m really good at trombone.

Held back.

I once had a student that thaught i was "holding him back" He has good tone and had good articulation and found the right spot on the slide most of the time. But i was having him do fundamental work still. Why? Because althought he was better than the other player his age in performing he read a lot slower than the others his Experience level. by slowing him a little bit we were able to really get an ingrained group of fundamentals so that no matter what he decided to do in the future with the bone hed be able to. After going slow a few months I was able to turn it up so to say and he played Bolaro with only a couple mistakes at the solo ensemble the following year and got a 2+ not bad for a 15 yr old with one year of lessons and a couple years of "public school band"

remember fundamentals are the most important in everything we do. Joe Alessi considered one of the best trombone players alive today sits down every morning blows the same routine of fundamentals because without those, he doesnt have the chops for the day to do whatever crazy stuff he does.

They may be holding you back.....
But you can never hold yourself back.

If anyone does struggle with any note, it`s always good to practice long tones.
I used to be able to hit that real high B flat, but my practice got delayed ever since I was diagnosed w/cancer and getting chemotherapy and all that. (I missed region try outs with that stupid disease. ;__; ) Now...I`m not so enabled to get those high notes at all. I keep pinching. So I`m working w/long tones and I`m getting there...
It`s good to practice... I do it as much as possible..(whenever possible really)
yeeeaaaahhhhhhh.................................

you know like some ppl mentioned before, you should try and get yourself into something other than the im assuming school band. the teacher might not be holding you back, but like in my school we are playin easier music because other players are not at the higher level as the rest of us are.