Recognized as one of the most qualified pedagogues of his generation, Thierry Champs is being solicited by many academic institutions and various associations for teaching master classes and pronouncing conferences.
His innovative educational approach has earned him a Professor’s appointment at the Université du Québec à Montréal, a position he has been occupying since 2011.
Here are the courses he offers:
As Director of Undergraduate Studies since January 2014, Thierry Champs is committed to addressing the needs of Quebec’s teaching institutions through the implementation of adequate training programs that take new technologies into account.
Upon his arrival at UQAM, Thierry Champs decided to create a $1,000.00 scholarship per year for Bachelor of Music students who focus on musical education. The goal of such a grant being to encourage students in the middle of their training to persevere in their studies, as well as in their project to teach music.
As a member of the Institut Santé et Société (ISS), and to optimize the students’ ease in brass instrumental playing, he is an active contributor to research programs in the medical, scientific and pedagogical fields.
His commitment to education is reflected in his close collaboration with the Fédération des Associations de Musiciens Éducateurs du Québec (FAMEQ) where he conducts workshops in the teaching of brass playing. Since 2015, Thierry Champs is Vice-President of the FAMEQ and President of the FAMEQ – Association Montréal.
A passionate of pedagogy, Thierry teaches several master classes in Quebec, France and Mexico. His approach allows his students to acquire techniques whose goal is to optimize their instrumental performance.
Elements worked on in private classes and master classes:
Thierry Champs was strongly inspired by the instrumental playing concepts developed by Robert Pichaureau. Rather than a systematic use of dexterity exercises, such as those taught by certain trumpet playing methods, he favours fundamental exercise and pays special attention to the natural mechanisms of sound production. Such an approach leads both the performer and the educator to focus primarily on breathing, on postures to improve the latter, and on problems related to instrumental gestures (lip position, articulations, etc.).
His teaching also rests on the research of Marc Papillon, kinesitherapist with the Clinique du Musicien in Paris, with whom he has taken several courses. Mr. Papillon’s work focuses, among other things, on optimizing playing through a better understanding and integration of the biomechanics of a musician’s movements.
Without a good basic technique, even a daily practice, a serious approach to work and a foolproof perseverance can make all those efforts damageable. This method is not miraculous, but playing optimally helps avoid the physiological problems abovementioned and emphasizes the joy of playing one’s instrument. If this process is to attain the seemingly effortless playing that we all yearn for, it will require a strong capacity for flexibility and a sustained effort.