Welcome to my page about me, my students, and the best instrument around, the trombone.

Hi, my name is Meghan Lee McDonnell. I am an alumni of Ohio State University, and a music teacher. This is my website, which is dedicated to the instrument I love to play....the trombone, and to what's going on in my music room(s).

If you don't know how strongly I feel about the trombone by now, you obviously haven't visited my homepage. I love it. I think everyone should play it. Music expresses who I really am, and it allows me to be myself. I consider the trombone to be an extension of my body. So, for all of you out there who play the trombone, who want to play the trombone, or just like to hear about the trombone, I've included some links. I plan on adding pictures soon, more links, cool info, and maybe even music as well...

As for my own trombone playing, I am a former member of Ohio State's trombone choir. In addition to playing in trombone choir, and symphonic band,while I attended Ohio State, I was 3rd chair in OSU's Jazz Lab ensemble. Our Trombone Choir opened for the American Brass Quintet at the International Trombone Conference. We played there on Friday, May 30th, 1997. I have been playing the trombone since I was 9 years old.

I studied under Joe Duchi, my trombone teacher at OSU. He is not only the trombone professor at OSU, but he also plays bass trombone in The Columbus Symphony Orchestra. He's a great guy and has really helped me improve my playing in the four years I studied under him. I had to totally re-do my embochure, and so I struggled to relearn how to play. But my efforts payed off.

I play on a Getzen horn. A Getzen 1047F to be exact. I just switched, and now I play on a 5G mouthpiece. (I also have a 6 1/2 AL) I really like the Getzen, and hope to play an Edwards Horn sometime when I can afford to buy one. My Getzen trombone is named Carl.

I also have two other trombones which don't get played very often anymore. A Holton "collegiate" student model horn which is silver and very old. (I'm looking to sell him, if you're interested, e-mail me.)And also an "Accord" (and you thought it was just a car!) student model which I originally got in the 5th grade when I started playing. (I would never call George crappy...)

My sophomore year in college I taught music camp for Bexley High School, my alma mater. My senior year, I student taught at Norwich Elementary, in Hilliard, Ohio with Jayne Wenner and taught beginning strings, and K-5 general music. I also staudent taught at Centennial High school in Columbus, Ohio with John Stahl and taught high school band and jazz band. I had a wonderful time teaching at both schools.

My first year I taught full time at two different schools. Trinity School in Grandview, Ohio and St. Mary's School in Delaware, Ohio. I taught K-8th grade general music, and 4-8th grade band. (I taught 3 bands, 4th grade beginner, 5th grade intermediate, and 6-9th grade advanced band.) I took the advanced band to compete at King's Island. Even though we came in last by 1/2 of a point, I told the kids they should be pretty proud as our band represented 1/4 of the 80 students in grades 6-8. Every other band we competed against had at least 150 members!

Two years ago both my St. Mary's fourth, 5th and 6th grade students and Trinity students in 4th, 5th and 6th grades did a really neat unit where they invented their own musical instruments, wrote a paper about them, and presented them for their classmates. They did excellently! To see their work, which is currently on display at the "Virtual Museum of Music Inventions," click below. The link will take you directly to the Trinity student's work, but if you click back to the schools menu, you can also view the St. Mary's student's work. The Virtual Museum of Music Inventions, Elizabeth Rexford, curator.

If you are a trombone player, know a trombone player, or are a trombone wannabe, and you want me to add your trombone link to this page, go right on ahead and e-mail me!!! I'd love to add you! (And if you'd add me too, that would be really cool!)

Tips on playing trombone for band students.

My page of trombone links.

My new page on the history of jazz trombone.

For a complete history of the trombone, follow the link below:
The history of the trombone.

What's going on in my music room?

I am in my third year of teaching in Olentangy (my fourth year of teaching so far) at both Wyandot Run and Alum Creek Elementary. I absolutely love it! I teach 1st and 2nd grade general music, and 4th and 5th grade strings, What were some of the highlights of what are doing, and will do this year?

First Grade students at Wyandot Run are working on in-tune singing, and pitch matching. Tey learned about the beat, rhythm, fast and slow, loud and soft, and high and low. They will soon begin learning rhythm writing, including tas, ti tis and rests. They will use popsicle sticks to write their rhythms, and work as a class to write them on the board. They have played gathering drums, tambourine, egg shakers, rhythm sticks, and more instruments. They learned, and are learning too many singing games to list! They sing alone to Stinky in front of their class and practice both pitch matching and will soon practice the solfege they will learn. They will learn solfege handsigns for "mi" and "so" and will be introduced to Mr. New who they will get to know better in 2nd grade. We are also looking forward to the spring and to the musical we will perform for the whole school. I see first and second grade general music classes for 35 minutes two times a week.

Second grade students reviewed the above concepts, learned about "La" and are now working on "low." (do) They will also learn about re this year too. They already know about barlines, time signatures, and measures, and will soon start working on tika tikas, or sixteenth notes. They love to write melodies on the staff, and are learning many more challenging singing games. We have an upcoming program in March.

Fourth grade strings students learned about their new instruments, how to care for them, and how to hold them. We start out plucking, but by Christmas we will be learning to bow. In order to remember how to hold our bow, we will learn a cool story about a captain and his crew, told to us by Nonon Mooney, Miss McDonnell's famed music teacher who still teaches at Montrose Elementary. We will also have a phone contest. And we have 2 concerts, one in the winter and one in the spring. There are 58 students in 4th grade strings this year! WOW!

Fifth grade students started with some review of fourth grade material but were soon ready to continue on. They are doing an awesome job and are already getting prepared for our winter concert, at which many of the 30 fifth graders will perform a solo or group piece. Some of the fifth grade students also attended summer strings camp!

I am currently working on my Master's of Music Education and Kodaly certification at the Kodaly Institute at Capital University. Last summer I was lucky enought to have the opportunity to work with some amazing teachers. To name a few: Julie Swank, Fernando Malvar-Ruiz, Bruce Swank, Lensi Igo, and Peter Erdei. I also played in a chamber group (brass quintet) under the guidance of teacher Marta Erdei. I was lucky to meet Mrs. Kodaly, who came to see our final performance of Mozart's Requiem, conducted by Peter Erdei. It was an illuminating experience, and my teaching will forever be changed. I look forward to my final three weeks of coursework this summer after my wedding, and my graduation.

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My page of webrings.

Awards my page has won, and which I am very proud of

My page of awards.

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© 1996 tbonegrl7@hotmail.comI check this one daily...
But I'll also get it eventually if you write to:tbonegrl07@aol.com

If you like the trombone,and you want to tell me all about how much you love it, e-mail me!!!

Meghan Lee McDonnell (tbonegrl7@hotmail.com)