"Middle School Students Starting Band Rehearsals?

Concert Band Techniques" Waukee Middle School Band

Mary Crandell and Deb Dunn, Directors Assisted by, Alec Garringer

Addition of “practice loops,” introduced by the Harlan Middle School band staff.

Iowa Bandmaster Conference May 11, 2018

Catholic Pastoral Center, Des Moines IA Day #1 - Practicing our Routine

• How to enter the band room • Where to store books/binders/instruments/cases • All cases marked with purple duct tape • Where to unpack instruments (Designated areas labelled for specific instruments outside of storage area) • How to find assigned seats

o name cards or sheet music labeled with student names are on chairs o If their name is on the music, they keep it, if not they know we will be handing it back in

• How to start class o students do not play a note until the student leader of the day steps on the podium and gives the “signal”

to play a Bb concert pitch o student leader may proceed with an FTL (Follow the Leader) Song by Numbers or Function Chorale

• Students look for the “Music Order of the Day” on the white board and proceed to organize their music accordingly Rehearsal structure

• Around the Band, page 2 – Fundamentals of Superior Performance, by Jeff King and Richard Williams o Learning the art of breathing together to play together o Training young ears to balance & blend while playing a unison note in sections and full ensemble o Utilizing the “OH” vowel creating unison ensemble sound o Instilling steady pulse, 72 bpm

• Function Chorale, #2 - Basic Change, by Stephen Melillo o Pyramid of Sound – Balance and Blend o Dynamic Level Chart (dynamics are assigned a numeric value) o Changing tempos and style through conducting techniques

• Lex’s – Lung Exercises (Breathing Techniques) o Drop Jaw o Breathe in, sounding like Darth Vader o Out with a “TOH” o Pinwheels or Sizzles, longtones o With or without metronome o 4 counts in, 4 counts out X 3; 4 counts in, 8 counts out X 3

• Band Dominoes – plugging in each student’s sound with their neighbors’ sound around the entire ensemble • Fundamental Rhythm Drills directly correlating to the pieces being rehearsed.

o Each repetition adds a new focus for students: clarity of style, dynamics, tempo, rhythmic accuracy, balance and blend

o Hand written on board o Method book rhythms o Looping

§ “Majestic Loops” Used in conjunction with Brian Balmages’ piece, Majestica § Loops created and reproduced with permission by Ryan Meyer and Tom Cronin of Harlan

Middle School

The Hands – On Experience Music Order:

1. Student Leader / Bb/ FTL/ Function Chorale, by Stephen Melillo –used with permission.

2. PSAs a. Music Quotes / Motivational Sayings / Cartoons b. YouTube / TedEd short videos

i. Your Brain on Music (1min. 55 sec.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUjCO59kNcg ii. How Music Effects Your Brain (4 min. 44 sec.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng iii. Music Processing (2 min. 17 sec.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVIiYyD2_YU&feature=related iv. How Music Really Works Part 1 (6 min. 34 sec.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SEtgQsIJSw v. How To Practice Effectively (4 min. 49 sec.) https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-practice-effectively-

for-just-about-anything-annie-bosler-and-don-greene#review vi. How To Read Music (5 min. 23 Sec) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN41d7Txcq0&t=198s vii. Music and Math: The genius of Beethoven (4 min. 19 sec.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAxT0mRGuoY viii. Jazz or Something (2 min. 23 sec.) https://youtu.be/71mRQb4SViA

c. Student Research – Music Is Series……History, Science, Math, Physical Education, Language, Art, Social

Science

3. Foundations (qtr note = 72bpm) Tempo may vary according to where we are in the school year or what pieces are being rehearsed that day

a. p.2 – ATB on Bb Concert b. Lex’s /Pinwheels c. p.2 – ATB with Pyramid Chords (1-3-5-1) d. p.6 – “Band Yoga”

4. Function Chorale, #2 – Basic Change - Can be used with all keys – today we will use Bb & F Concert a. Repeat for Phrase Clarity (4 mm vs. 8 mm) b. Build first block for balance & blend c. Repeat for Dynamic Contrast (level 3 to 8 back to 3) d. Repeat for varying styles via conducting techniques

5. Student Created Warm-ups a. Based from established warm-up routine b. Formulated from musical context

6. Band Dominos a. Plugging each student’s sound to their neighbor’s sound - by “sneaking in” or pretending they have “music

ninja” capabilities.

7. Fundamental Rhythm Drills (ROTD) 72 bpm – The addition of a new focus for every repetition enhances student concentration, understanding and musicianship, therefore increasing the chances of these concepts being embedded into the concert band pieces we rehearse. Rhythm segment - Cimarron Fanfare, by Robert Sheldon (used with permission by the composer).

a. Count & Clap (Repeat for Rhythmic Accuracy)

b. Play on Bb i. Repeat for Rhythm Accuracy ii. Repeat for Clarity of Articulation (Say it, then Play it)

iii. Repeat for Dynamic Contrast

iv. Repeat for Increased Tempo

8. “Majestica Loops”

9. Concert Music Order - Listed next on board & rehearsal continues on from this point a.

b. Implementing Function Chorale schematics into learning harmony of concert band literature. Example: m. 110 – 112, Hypnotic Fireflies, by Brian Balmages (used with permission by the composer).

Band Rehearsal Techniques & Bloom’s Taxonomy: “Putting It Together”

Many Thanks to the Following: 1. Everyone in attendance today 2. Our Students at Waukee Middle School 3. Student Teacher: Alec Garringer 4. Waukee Instrumental Music Staff 5. Waukee Middle School Staff and Administration 6. Friends at Harlan Middle School: Ryan Meyer and Tom Cronin 7. Iowa Bandmasters Association for accepting our session topic to share with our

colleagues today 8. Brian Balmages for permission to use Majestica and reference Hypnotic Fireflies 9. Robert Sheldon for permission to reference Cimarron Fanfare 10. Kjos Music for providing Foundations of Superior Performance Books 11. SBO Magazine for publishing our article (Today’s session is stemmed from the August

Issue of SBO Magazine: http://sbomagazine.com/current-issue/1449-rehearsal/5866-fabulous-middle-school-band-rehearsal-techniques.html)

12. And especially, being able to teach with the best instrumental music collaborator and friend in the business

Creating: Students create warm-ups and produce the start of class Evaluating: Balance & Blend with the Pyramid of Sound; Levels of Importance Analysing: Function Chorales (stand -alone) or used within a piece Applying: ATB; Loops to the Piece Understanding: Fundamental Rhythm Drills Remembering: Putting all of the Rehearsal Techniques into action