Here's An Idea

These are a series of short articles from our newsletter that offer strategies for the everyday challenges music educators face.

Rehearse Back-to-Front

      Working with honors groups, color bands at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, the community bands I conduct and in my efforts to maximize teaching with my school bands, I discovered that rehearsing a composition from the back to the front is an efficient method. 

     I happened on this method when I was trying to expose my students, who were accustomed to
Holst and Kalinikov, to Del Borgo's Prologue and Dance. They were not enamored with the dissonances  and starkness of the composition's opening. I decided to focus on a section in the middle that is quite beautiful and got them hooked on the piece.

     As I worked my way back to the beginning, a section at a time, I noticed things progressing quite well. Instead of constantly stumbling over new material and new key signatures, they already knew what the music was going to do and learned quickly.

     There are several benefits that are derived from this method.

     Most compositions present the major themes and ideas at the end of the piece, the recapitulation. The musicians are able to assimilate these in a condensed fashion and transfer this when they encounter them earlier in the composition.

     Key, meter, tempo changes and transitions are more easily learned since the ensemble has already become accustomed to the material. They are always coming from new unknown material into learned material so they are less likely to “stumble” as the composition progresses, thereby enhancing the feeling of accomplishment on their instrument.

     Most of the time, the end of the piece is the most exciting part of the selection and it creates an air of anticipation in the ensemble. It is a bit like offering a look at the dessert tray before the meal. Perhaps a better example is it is like the previews for a movie where they show you the good parts to get you to see the movie. Some may say it is like reading the last page in the book to see if you want to invest  the time in reading the story.

     This method insures the end of the composition will get adequate rehearsal time. How many times have you heard  an ensemble start a selection great only to stumble toward the end?

     I used  this method with marching band, too. Having the band find their spots in the last chart and then building the show from the back to the front always gave the band closure as they added each set, creating a more positive attitude and secure performance.

     As with any teaching strategy, back-to-front rehearsing isn't appropriate for all situations. I use it on those compositions that have a good deal of complicated material or time is very short and I need to compress my teaching.

Sight Reading 

     In order to successfully sight read a piece of music the ensemble needs to realize more than correct notes, rhythms and tone quality. They need to play in the proper style. A composition by Bach is not played the same as one by Stravinsky. A Robert Smith selection has performance characteristics different than Anne McGinty. Holst, Gillingham, Boerma, Curnow, Edmondson, Ticheli, Cesarini, etc., all have their distinct styles and sounds. King Cotton March is not played the same as On a Hymn Song by Phillip Bliss.

      Being aware of key and meter signatures, tempos and repeats does not offer adequate information to properly realize the composer's work.

      I ask the ensemble to begin with the composer's name, who the arranger is if there is one, then the title, and finally the “traditional” information keys, meter, repeats, etc.. This helps musicians gain an understanding of  composers,  musical periods, style and the mood of the piece. Armed with this information the ensemble is better able to interpret the piece correctly.

  Teaching Rests

      One of the difficulties students encounter in their music reading is the playing of rests. They find themselves lost in the silence of not playing a note and are unsure of the length or how to count this strange phenomenon. I have always found it easier to associate a known concept with an unknown. When teaching the concept of rests I refer to them as, “Notes of silence.”

     I use rhythms the ensemble has mastered. I review the performance and counting of a particular exercise to reinforce and review their learning. Then, I circle the note where I want a rest to occur and ask the ensemble to play and count the rhythm again but not to play the circled note. When they successfully perform the rhythm while not playing (resting) on the circled note, I place the appropriate rest symbol above or below the circled note and have them repeat the performance and counting of the example while I point to the rest placed over or under the circled note. Next, I erase the circled note and place the rest in its place (still circled) and ask the students to perform and count the rhythm. Finally, I erase the circle and have the students perform the rhythm. The students have learned the rest pattern by playing the known rhythm first and then attaching the unknown rest concept to that known concept.  This may seem to be a time consuming process but in the long run this methodical approach teaches the rest concept more efficiently and saves valuable instruction time while enhancing learning.

     A final thought, I always taught and practiced rhythms to an external pulse. Anything from a pair of claves or metronome over the speaker system to a synthesized rhythm accompaniment or a CD by Spyro Gyra, Santana, whatever. This solidifies precision and proper placement of the note values.

     The concept of relating learned concepts to new ones is an efficient teaching strategy that creates successful and motivated learners through elimination of the roadblocks to success.

 Recruiting

While participating as a clinician at Conn-Selmer University this past May, I had the opportunity to observe a presentation on recruiting beginning band and orchestra students by a master recruiter. Bryan Ames is the band director at Knox High School, a small rural southern Indiana town surrounded by corn fields.

Bryan creates full color brochures as recruiting aides. He makes two brochures; one tri fold, six page  (like this newsletter) and a smaller 8.5”x11' tri fold. His text stays basically the same every year. What is so effective is he takes pictures of his current middle school band students  holding their instruments, at parades, concerts, social activities or in band class to use in the brochures.  

His genius does not end there. Bryan takes pictures of his athlete students wearing their team jerseys and playing their instruments in rehearsals throughout the year. This helps reinforce the idea that music and athletics do co-exist.

Happy faces, good times, athletes, you can't go wrong.
 

Middle School Clinic-Tour

This comes from Jane Detweiler at Woodland Lakewood Middle School.

The past three years, Jane has taken her eighth grade band to university campuses before festival for clinics and a chance for her students to hear a university band in concert, visit a college campus and be exposed to other cultural activities. Her students have been to Butler University, Michigan State University, and this past February they traveled to The University of Michigan. The students have had rehearsals with John Graulty, Butler, Wesley Broadnax, MSU, and Steve Davis, at U of M.

Jane contacts the music education departments at the schools and arranges the tour to include a university band concert in the evening and offers music ed students the opportunity to work with her band. The music ed students have rehearsed the group or given comments regarding the student's performance, and Jane is called upon to share her experiences in music education.

In a recent conversation, Jane stated the four main reasons for taking her students on the trip. "1. Group cohesion- Through extended time together the students grow closer to one another. They get to know me better as well. 2. Incentive, reward for longevity in the program. 3. To open their eyes to the larger world, to experience the sound of a university ensemble. 4. To have my students work with outstanding people and get the opportunity to give something of themselves."

While on tour, the students have a campus tour, visit art museums or other cultural and academic enriching venues. The students still rehearse either in a meeting room at the hotel or in one of the rehearsal halls at the college.

Brass – Range development

This comes from Susan Bulock at Walled Lake.

One of the challenges young brass players encounter is increasing their range. Susan uses the B.E.R.P. You can imagine the reaction beginners have to “B.E.R.P.ing”

B.E.R.P. is an acronym for Buzz Extension & Resistance Device. This is a practice device developed by renowned trumpeter, Mario Guarneri. The B.E.R.P. is attached to the mouthpiece receiver of the instrument. The student places the mouthpiece into the B.E.R.P. and performs a set of exercises from the instruction sheet included with the device and then the same exercises on the instrument. This enables the student to replicate the same  position and angle while using just the mouthpiece and B.E.R.P. that they use when playing their instrument.

 The B.E.R.P. facilitates embouchure, pitch recognition, resonance, and range development by showing how the air and embouchure change pitches.

Marching Band – Staying in step

Here are a couple tricks to help students feel the pulse and get the correct foot down.

Have the band begin their  playing by marking time first. During long tone warm ups, tonguing exercises, scales and tuning chord progressions and chorales, start the band with eight to twelve steps of mark time so the students feel the pulse and get the feel for when the left foot hits the ground.  Generally, call out, “left, left…..one, two, ready, play”.

This is a good idea when students are learning drill, also. Have the band mark time four to eight steps before students make their maneuver. After the move becomes secure, have the band play the music for the move while marking time before they march the maneuver and play. This helps eliminate those roadblocks-to-success.

These little tricks will reduce a lot of the cleaning time from rehearsals and create secure marchers.

Practice Card Lotto

This comes from Martha Scharchburg and Gerald Woolfolk who teach band in the Dexter Community Schools.

To encourage students to practice have a Practice Card Lotto on Fridays. It works like this:
·        Put the dates from the previous week (or just the days of the week) into a hat. Then, have a student draw a date (day) out of the hat.
·        In another hat have the names of the students in the class, and have a student select a name from the hat.
·        If the student selected practiced – no matter how little - on the date (day) selected, the class wins a treat. We always used small candy bars. You may want to set some requirements such as the practice card must have been signed by the parents and turned in last week.
·        If the student did not practice that day, you get the treat.

This was always a fun event, and you can't loose. If have to give out candy, odds are most of the group is practicing. You win. If the student selected didn't practice you get chocolate. You win. Although if you win too often, you could loose the battle of the bulge.

Recruiting Pep Band, Orchestra Winds, etc. from your ensembles

This comes from Jim Barry at Okemos.

Recruiting high school band students to play in the orchestra or pep bands can often be a challenging endeavor. Busy schedules, extra rehearsal time and practice can create a small pool of willing candidates to fill these ensembles.

Use phrases like, “you have been recommended by…” or, “your exceptional performance ability”. You get the idea. Also, include the expectations for participation in the ensemble.

Send a personal invitation on your ensemble's letterhead to selected students inviting them to perform in the ensemble. Use phrases like, “you have been recommended by…” or, “your exceptional performance ability”. You get the idea. Also, include the expectations for participation in the ensemble.

This can be delivered through the school mail if your school has it. I preferred to use the postal system. Parents had a chance to see the letter and this seemed to give the invitation more impact.

Handling Money

      One of the great challenges for music educators is the handling of money. Fund raising money, camp payments,  trip money is brought to you throughout the day at the busiest times. This causes interruptions in the daily schedule and can create nightmares for the director.

     Two rules to follow: handle money as little as possible and leave only as much money as you are willing to lose in your room.

     Money should be enclosed in a sealed envelope with the student's name and what it is for written on the outside. Keep a locked box (plastic file box from an office supply store is good) by your stand or someplace secure where students may drop off money. Ask for checks, if possible. When you have time alone, empty the box and record the data or have a parent organization empty it every day.  If you cannot empty it that day, leave it in the school safe.

Advocacy Implementation

Here are a few ideas to help get music advocacy to your parents. With students scheduling classes for next year in February and March and beginning band/orchestra coming in the spring, this is a critical time to get the word out. You can get advocacy materials from selmer.com, namm.com., musicachievementcouncil.org or Focus on Excellence 800-332-2637.

·         Include an article in the school district or building newsletter. Administrators are always looking for material.

·         Include an advocacy article or pamphlets with the program for your pre-festival concert so parents can read it between ensembles.

·         Have an advocacy video or power point presentation playing in the lobby or in the concert hall prior to the concert while students are warming up in the ensemble room.

·         Have a video or power point presentation at the next PTA meeting.

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