This is the second post of a three part series about Practice tips for the Modern Musician. In my last article, “Use a Stopwatch, Not a Timer!” I discussed the importance of goal-oriented practice sessions instead of just watching the clock. In this article, I want to extol the virtues of ... Read More about Airplane Mode – Practice Tips for the Modern Musician Part 2
Articles
You Know You’re a Band Director When…
1. Turn signals blinking out of order drive you nuts. 2. You are perfectly comfortable telling kids to dump spit on the floor. 3. You know to pronounce the word 'sectional' very carefully. 4. When you meet a middle school age child, you find yourself thinking about how ‘that kid has a ... Read More about You Know You’re a Band Director When…
Measure Mix-Up – Teaching Beginning Band with Games
This Measure Mix-Up game will involve moving around and working as a team. I suggest that students do not have their instruments for it. You can move to another part of the room or have them play the game before they get their instruments out of their cases at the beginning of class. This game is ... Read More about Measure Mix-Up – Teaching Beginning Band with Games
Diagnosing Brass Tension and Helping Students Achieve a Better Sound.
This is the 2nd part of a post about brass tension - read part 1 here. Diagnosing the Real Cause First, you must figure out where the tension is truly coming from. When working with students, I have found there are three main sources of most tense sounds: Face/Head Body Air Since ... Read More about Diagnosing Brass Tension and Helping Students Achieve a Better Sound.
Simple Steps to Teaching Flute Vibrato
Teaching flute vibrato is a crucial aspect of developing flute players. This post gives a step-by-step to introducing the youngest players to the basics of vibrato. Step 1 - Teach students to pulse their sound. This is a critical step! Teach them breath impulse as soon they are ready. Be sure ... Read More about Simple Steps to Teaching Flute Vibrato
Don’t Miss Out!
Did you know that Facebook only shows our posts to about 5% of the people that like our page? To have more people see it we have to PAY Facebook to "boost the posts." That means you don't see all the great content on our website as we add it. In order to not miss out on great ideas for your ... Read More about Don’t Miss Out!