AMEA State In-Service Conference February 6-7, 2015 Session 5 & 12 Focus on Fundamentals For Young Band Director of Bands - Poston Junior High School Mesa Public Schools - Mesa, Arizona Email: jabock@mpsaz.org Website: http://band.postonmusic.org The Basic Fundamentals of a Young Band Rehearsal: TONE- posture, stretching & breathing, long tones & warm-ups/flexibility TECHNIQUE- rhythm studies, scales, method book/etudes Class time can be broken down into different activities and focuses: 5 minutes- stretching & breathing 5 minutes- long tones, warm-ups, flexibility 5 minutes- rhythm studies 5-10 minutes- scales 10-15 minutes- method book, etude, technique, tuning, chorale 15-20 minutes- repertoire
2015 AMEA State In-Service Conference Focus on TONE: Posture Constant, daily reminders- young students won t do it automatically. Non-verbal cues and reminders. Model good posture yourself. Catch them doing it right. Show videos of more professional musicians Bravo Music- All Japan Band Competition Videos www.bravomusicinc.com Stretching & Breathing Exercises Make it a habit, it s just what you do! Get excited about it! Fun names & silly songs- why so serious? The Breathing Gym & The Breathing Gym Daily Workouts Focus On Music- http://www.focus-on-music.com/ Let the kids lead them sometimes too! Long Tones & Warm-Ups Using beats helps internalize pulse and gets you off the podium and around the room. DrumBeats+ (iphone & ipad App), GarageBand, Dr. Beat, Drum Set Player? Change the beat and the tempo so they always have something to listen to. Move to/feel the beat! Use this time to work on tone, balance, blend, attacks & releases, posture, air, technique, articulation, dynamics, etc. Make the focus change every day so they always have to think and improve! Don t let your warm-up routine get too mundane. Use any resources available to you or write your own. Visit http://band.postonmusic.org to access the following warm-ups for free. htt
Poston Band Warm-up Packet Excerpts Clarinet 2015 AMEA State In-Service Conference Trumpet Euphonium Percussion http://band.postonmusic.org Resources
2015 AMEA State In-Service Conference The Percussion Problem When spending rehearsal time on air and tone with our wind players, we must keep in mind our young percussionist. Find creative ways to build structured fundamental practice into your rehearsals for them to. Practice Pads- Builds confidence, doesn t affect the band while they are learning When they all play at once they help each other learn. A weaker drummer on a practice pad won t affect the band in the way a loud snare drum can. They can work through their issues without being put on display. Recommendations: Remo 12 single sided practice pad Steve Weiss Extended Height Concert Snare Drum Stand Kitchen mats cut up on music stands Mouse pad, block of wood and some duct tape Breathing Exercise with Percussion Rudiments Breathing exercises are incredibly important for wind players. Often, percussionists are told to join in on them, but what if they could be improving their own skills during that time instead? ee-aa-oo = 8 on a hand We elongate the breathing exercise to do 8 of each so percussionists can practice grip and technique with 8 on a hand. In-sip-sip, Out-push-push = Flam-tap-tap, Flam-tap-tap Leaky Chunks or Fight For Air = Roll practice Tap the beat for inhale- flams on the sips- buzz rolls on the exhale chunks 5-15-5 = taps, flams, and rolls Flow = Paradiddles Change from quarter notes, to eighth notes, to sixteenth as student progress. Long Tones and Warm-Ups for percussionists Alternate days between keyboard and snare skills MWF = mallets, TR = snare/practice pads
Focus on TECHNIQUE 2015 AMEA State In-Service Conference Rhythm Studies Daily rhythm practice builds rhythm reading and understanding Pat rhythms on shoulder rather than clapping- builds confidence. Students are less afraid of being wrong because it s not as loud. Crossing an arm across the body engages the brain differently. Visual incentives (The Rhythm Race) helps kids see their progress and motivates them to learn and pass off. Learn when to move on and come back to a rhythm. Drilling the same rhythm over and over gets boring and frustrating, a fresh perspective the next day can do a lot for learning. Everybody counts because everybody counts! Rhythms for Band- Douglas Akey- Mesa Public Schools Basics in Rhythm- Garwood Whaley- Meredith Publications Rhythms pages in the back of method books Scale Study Incentives for passing off on scales get kids excited to learn them! Have kids pass off at their own speed/level. It gives highly motivated kids a chance to shine while the slower learners have plenty of time to figure it out before trying. Celebrate when a kid passes off! Applaud even when they don t to encourage them to try again. Sticker charts are always a great motivator for kids! They love to see their name. SCALE WARS 3-5 students sign up in a binder before class to pass off After we ve practiced our scales those students play the one they signed up for If no one signs up students are chosen at random Scales are PASS/MISS- no one fails they get told what to fix and to try again tomorrow. When they pass they put a sticker on the chart. When they pass ALL 12 Majors and the chromatic- they win Scale Wars! Choose to be on the Light or Dark side of the force and sign the poster while we play Star Wars Music and cheer really, really, loudly.
Method Book & Etude Studies 2015 AMEA State In-Service Conference Just one or two exercises per day so you can get to concert repertoire Use the accompaniment CD/tracks Add tracks to ipad/ipod TempoSlow- app- allows you to slow down mp3s. Use the same drumbeat as the warm-up Play piano accompaniment from the book while students play The Learning Process Pat and Count Rhythm Sizzle Play while teacher models Choose the instrument with the trickiest part or new concept/note Students play while teacher plays Play without teacher modeling Have sections play alone Have rows play alone Assessment Even assessing students doesn t need to be a chore! Keep it fast and simple. Practice Checks- every week or every other week 4-8 measures of music, exercise from the book, or a scale Go around the room and use a simple rubric Feedback can be clear and concise Start somewhere different in the room each time Tips, Tricks, and Ideas Fast pacing is key! Talk in time to keep students ready to play at a moments notice. Daily Announcements can slow the pace of a class, place them between activities to keep things moving. There s so much to teach in so little time. Try focusing on different skills on different days. Major Scale Monday, Technique Tuesday, Sight Reading Wednesdays, Tonal Thursdays- (so they don t all have to be alliterations!) Students can help manage classroom tasks so you can focus your energy on instruction! Band Council Student Leadership- creates ownership for the program
Poston Scale Packet Version 2 Excerpts 2015 AMEA State In-Service Conference Each student in the band program uses the same scale sheet, regardless of their level. Concert Bb/Written C - Clarinet - range accommodations are written for struggling students Every scale sheet begins with the one octave scale in whole notes. It uses accidentals instead of the key signature at this point to bring attention to the critical pitches. Concert C - Trombone/Euphonium The less experience bands focus on the one octave scale and arpeggio with a metronome. The lines now implement the key signature. Concert Ab - Flute Even beginning students can see that there is more than just the one octave on each scale. More advanced players are required more octaves. Concert Db Major- Percussion Percussionists often struggle learning keyboards so the visual at the top of their scale sheet helps. They are required to SAY the names of the notes in the scale in order to pass off. http://band.postonmusic.org Resources
2015 AMEA State In-Service Conference Rhythms for Band- developed by Douglas Akey- Mesa Public Schools