Allison Martin

I'm a trombonist by trade who has been playing for almost 20 years. Since graduating with a bachelor's degree in trombone performance from the University of Georgia, I've performed in numerous settings in several countries, including orchestras, jazz bands, and chamber ensembles. I'm also a studio/session musician, recording both remotely and in person. In education, I have over 12 years of experience; I teach private lessons in trombone and euphonium, and I also teach low brass and marching drill.

I taught English as a second language for five years in Japan, where I learned Japanese. I have the N2 certification of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test along with extensive experience with realistic Japanese conversation!

For trombone/euphonium, I like to have lessons that are fun and insightful. To me, the most important aspect of playing (especially brass playing!) is awareness: being able to recognize what is happening, and being able to make changes to improve what isn't going well (and what IS going well--that's super important!). With that in mind, I like to take time for a student to lead, and to guide them to a better practice technique. Finally, I like to go by my favorite trombone motto: "experiment!" Trying new techniques or physically changing how we play to get a better sound is an ongoing journey, even for seasoned players, so it's also an important focus in lessons.

For Japanese, I actually believe a lot of the same! Speaking a language is very much like music; it's a kind of performance, and it can be intimidating at first! Trying is the most important thing, so I like to give plenty of time for real-time practice and questions. For lesson structure, I tend to teach around students' needs, and I like to base lessons on certain grammatical points or situations. The book series I use--in addition to many native materials--is the Genki series. Most importantly, I like to make distinctions between the "book" Japanese and real Japanese!