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1) Focus on Warm-Ups. Make sure that you are not putting this on auto-pilot. Your daily warm-up is a chance to focus your performers' minds on tone, tuning, blend, dynamics, articulations, etc. Treat it just as seriously as you would any repertoire. (For a FREE Concert Band Warm-UP, click HERE
2) Focus on Literacy. Incorporate daily drills that will improve music literacy in your performers. Take 2 minutes per day to review what clefs do, the lines/spaces of the staff, rhythm relationships, times signatures, etc. This may seem like overkill, but it will pay dividends in the long run.
3) Focus on Practice Skills. We always tell our students that they “should” practice, but do we instruct them on “how?” Students do not come to your class knowing these skills, and they must be taught. Teach them to slow down and work on correct achievement as opposed to rushing through segments and making mistakes. Teach them to take a note inventory (name every note and make sure they know the corresponding position/key on their instrument). Teach them to mark any unfamiliar parts and to ask you for guidance at an appropriate time. Please use this FREE Practice guide as a starting point: Download HERE
4) Talk Less, Play More. Whether we like to admit it or not, a large part of music performance is muscle memory. The only way to develop muscle memory is through repetition. By all means, stop and make corrections as needed, but get right back into playing. This will keep students more engaged and will also reduce behavior problems.
5) Make Time for Melody. Most students join band to play melody, period. It is our first touchstone with music. However, as most students' band careers progress, they play melody less and less, particularly our low voices and 2nd/3rd part players. Assigning melodic etudes or exercises will further engage all students, allowing them to learn material that they will enjoy and can show off to parents and friends, as well as increase retention. Please download our FREE “Yay-Tudes” that include melodies for all instruments! Download Here! |
