Okay, I've been in music my entire life, but now that I have reached college I have discovered that I now must play music on my trombonewhich is in tenor clef. I have no idea how to read this clef and I feel stupid asking my college professor, so can anybody who knows how to read it please give me an explaination on how to read it? This would be very much appreciated.

Abish, I don't know much about playing the trombone, but I did find a web site that may give you a little information. The very last section on this page will give you some information concerning transposition.

http://www.wiu.edu/trombone/notes7.htm

This site http://library.thinkquest.org/10693/reading.html
concentrates on reading music with the first part specifically addressing reading pitches and speaks to tenor clef.

Based on information I found when I did a search, it appears that many students of music have also been confused and have feared Tenor Clef. Do not be too leary of asking for help from your professor. I am sure that he/she too had to ask for direction when they were learning.

Good luck and I hope this helped.

Middle C is indicated on the fourth line up, which is where the centre of the clef is placed. The reason for different clefs is to enable as much of the written music as possible to be placed on the staff for that particular instrument. The alto clef looks exactly the same, but the centre of the clef is on the middle line, thus indicating that that is where Middle C is located. Simply count up or down from your fourth line to work out the notes, just as you would for, say Treble Clef. I think only viola regularly uses alto clef, but cello uses it occasionally. Hope this helps!

As a PS to Lydia's point (see above) there is no reason not to ask your professor anything at all about which you are not clear. On the one hand most teachers are delighted to help whenever they are asked questions by serious students; and on the other, they are being paid to impart knowledge! So ask away...

On re-reading this after almost a year (not a lot seems to happen here!) I realise that the end of my last-but-one post above is somewhat misleading. I meant to write that 'cello uses bass, tenor and treble clefs, not alto clef. We were discussing tenor clef, but I worded the above somewhat ambiguously...my apologies, and I hope no-one failed a university entrance exam on account of this (!)