SMMC would like to congratulate trombone student Scarlett Y. for earning the “Student Of The Month” award for May 2026. Scarlett has been taking lessons with SMMC since June 2024. This June will mark two years of enrollment in private lessons. In that time, Scarlett has developed into a promising young musician. In addition to trombone, Scarlett also takes piano lessons and participates in San Marino Music Center’s Chamber Ensemble class where she meets with a clarinetist and trumpeter to make music! Scarlett is no stranger to performance as she has participated in our winter recitals for the past two years as well.
When Should You Start Learning Trombone
Often times, students get introduced to trombone in late elementary or middle school band. From late August to mid-October, countless families visit SMMC to rent from the various band instruments we offer at our shop. In addition to learning to play the instrument, students also need to learn proper care for the trombone as well. Common supplies needed include slide lubricant & spritz bottle, slide grease, polishing cloth, mouthpiece disinfectant & brush, and most importantly but often overlooked, a music stand.
The instrument itself is large and children need to be strong enough to carry and hold the instrument. They also need to have arms long enough to reach all seven slide positions. Lastly, having a strong set of lungs to be able to blow long and hard are another reason the trombone is more suited for children aged 10 years or older.
What To Expect When Learning Trombone
In terms of learning to play, the first thing covered is buzzing into the mouthpiece. This helps to develop the embouchure-how the muscles of the mouth and cheeks are shaped-which when used correctly, helps produce a sound. The basic shape for developing a good embouchure involves a few steps:
1) keep the corners of your mouth firm like when you finish saying the letter “m”.
2) keep the center of the lips relaxed enough to vibrate.
3) keep your cheeks and chin muscles relaxed so you are not introducing added tension.
Now with this in place, buzz your lips at the center of the mouth. Once this is doable, the next step is to buzz with the mouthpiece placed in front of the mouth. When done correctly, the sound coming from the mouthpiece will sound similar to a kazoo or to duck calls!
Next is developing lung capacity. Students can often be surprised to learn how much air is actually needed to be able to sustain a note! Working on long-tone exercises is the foundation for developing lung capacity. Essentially, students are tasked to take big breadths and blow one note for a long period of time. The goal is to sustain a smooth, clean and steady volume. As students work on these exercises, they strengthen their lungs and expand their diaphragms to be able to take bigger breaths. Over time, trombone students can expect to have strong lungs that can blow down even a house of bricks!
In Her Teacher’s Words
Scarlett takes lessons from Dr. Cameron Ghahremani. Dr. Ghahremani holds a Doctoral of Musical Arts from the University of Miami, a Master’s in Orchestral Trumpet Performance from McGill University, and a Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music. He has taught a San Marino Music Center since 2017. In that time, he’s helped to inspire countless brass and piano students achieve their musical goals! Of Scarlett, Mr. Cameron writes:
“I started working with Scarlett two years ago. I recognized very quickly that she had an innate talent for the trombone. She didn’t seem to share that sentiment at the time. However, since then she has doubled her range, risen the ranks to leading positions in ensembles at her school, and has done her first big solo performance in this year’s Winter Recital. Scarlett is also currently applying for local youth orchestras. She is one of the youngest students I have ever had to begin working on a Concerto. She’s proven to be one of the most committed students to her instrument. When she embraces them with confidence, she continues to develop her skills exponentially. I am extremely excited to see the kind of musician she is going to develop into in the coming years. I’m grateful to have gotten to help her discover her passion for music.”
Scarlett deserves all the acclaims she gets from her instructor. Kudos to you on all your achievements!
Scarlett’s Recital Performance
As Dr. Cameron mentioned earlier, Scarlett participate in this year’s Winter Recital and played beautifully. Enjoy this excerpt of her performance from January 25th, 2026.
In Her Own Words
We sent Scarlett a list of questions to learn a little more about her likes, dislikes and what inspires her to play! Here is what Scarlett had to share:
1. How long have you been playing trombone and what do you like most about playing it?
“I have been playing trombone for 3 years. I like to play different songs by various artists on my trombone.”
2. How did you get started playing and why did you decide to take lessons?
“I started to play trombone because of middle school band. I started to take lessons so I can better craft my musical ability.”
3. How do you make time to practice? Do you have any advice for students who struggle with consistent practice?
“I try to fit practice time in between my school work and other activities. When you enjoy your music, you will find time to practice.”
4. If any, who are the artists you look up and why do you like them?
“Curtis Fuller and Bill Watrous. I like both these artists because their tone on the trombone is smooth but you can still hear the defined accents and staccato.”
5. What is your favorite food, movie/tv show, video game, etc.?
“My favorite food is Korean BBQ, while my favorite tv show is Singles Inferno. Lastly, my favorite video game is Roblox.”
6. Besides music, what are your top 3 activities you like to do in your spare time?
“My top three activities are listen to music, watching Korean and Chinese dramas and swimming in my competitive swim team, the Arcadia Reptiles.”
7. What have you done in the past year that you consider to be the most fun?
“Our family went to Taiwan, we ate lots of yummy food, saw a lot of interesting things, it was such a great experience.”
Thank you for sharing Scarlett!
Start Your Musical Journey
Surely, you or your child are ready to get yourselves started on your musical journey! In that case, our wonderful teachers are eager to work with you. Study with degreed educators who have years of experience. Whether you are a beginner, have not played for years, or looking to make the jump to intermediate or advance level, our teachers have the tools to help you achieve your ambition! Book a trial lesson today!