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THOUGHTS FROM THE SIDELINE
Trombone Lessons and Toastmasters Mentorship
Eldred Brown, DTM, IPDD
Earlier this month, I started taking private envision your future growth? Do you seek the
trombone lessons again after almost 30 guidance of an experienced Toastmaster to help
years since my last lesson in 1993. I am now you develop strategies for your growth? Is there
studying with a young music teacher who someone helping you choose your Pathways
moonlights as the bass trombonist for my paths, the projects you want to complete to
community orchestra. I realize that I’d been progress on your chosen paths, and the subjects
doing little more with my practice routine you want to cover in your projects?
than maintaining the skills I developed as As a trombonist, I need to practice at least
a college trombone major. I wanted to take one hour every day to maintain and cultivate
advantage of my new opportunity to grow my skills. In my practice, I focus on such
again as a symphonic trombonist. I see a rudimentary skills as breath support, tone
lot of connections between this pursuit of a quality, scales, strength and endurance on the
mentor and the pursuit of the mentorship that high notes, and musical interpretation. I will
Toastmasters offers us. also use my practice time to master the music
As a trombonist, I need to meet regularly I’ve been assigned to rehearse and perform
with another trombonist who can hear me play, with my orchestra for our next concert. Private
identify what I’m doing well, and offer guidance trombone lessons provide invaluable guidance
on how I can improve my playing. The same is on how I can make my practice sessions more
true of Toastmasters mentorship. When I was effective by showing me what skills I need to
in the Trio, I needed frequent meetings with work on most.
my Trio mentor, Leanna Lindquist, to identify How does that translate to Toastmasters
what I was doing well and what I could do to mentorship? Maybe you don’t need to practice
improve my service to the District. This regular your speaking skills an hour a day, but you
guidance helped me identify holes in my plans should at least practice for a few hours in the
and strategies as well as give me ideas I could days leading up to your next Pathways speech.
implement for such things as incentives. In your practice sessions, you can focus on such
How can a mentor help you identify your rudimentary skills as breath support, speech
strengths and opportunities for you to grow organization, vocal variety, gestures, humor, the
as a leader and communicator? Do you have use of visual aids, etc. Meeting with a mentor
regular meetings with someone to help you before your speech can help you identify what
22 ONE COMMUNITY
