Share this story of the "Band Puzzle" with your students to help them understand how their individual piece fits into the big picture... Have you ever put together a 1,000 piece puzzle with a group of people? My family loves puzzles. When we first start we dump out all the pieces and flip them ... Read More about Motivate Your Band – The Band Puzzle
Articles
A Systematic Approach to Improving Trumpet Tone Quality
Improving Trumpet Tone Quality: In order to produce a beautiful trumpet sound, the performer must have a thorough understanding of the fundamental habits essential to brass playing. The next step is how to translate these fundamentals from theory to practical application in the classroom. A ... Read More about A Systematic Approach to Improving Trumpet Tone Quality
Start Your Beginner Flutes the Right Way
The flute can be an awkward instrument to hold and many students struggle to balance it properly. As band directors, you can teach your students three points of contact that make balance easy! Those three points of contact are the chin, the bottom knuckle of the left-hand first finger, and the ... Read More about Start Your Beginner Flutes the Right Way
Promoting Musical Independence in Ensemble Teaching (TMEA Preview)
Promoting Musical Independence in Ensemble Teaching Secondary school music is dominated by the structure of the performing ensemble. This model has many positive attributes including the ability to engage a lot of students at once, to offer a very valued sociocultural environment, and to offer ... Read More about Promoting Musical Independence in Ensemble Teaching (TMEA Preview)
4 Clarinet Hacks – Better Clarinets in 30 Seconds
Here are 4 clarinet hacks that can greatly increase your student's comfort and chance of success. #1 Mouthpiece Patches I LOVE mouthpiece patches! I don’t really care that they protect the mouthpiece (though this can be a nice bonus). I love them because it dulls the sense of vibration on ... Read More about 4 Clarinet Hacks – Better Clarinets in 30 Seconds
It All Comes Down to Communication
Rehearsal time is very precious, and we directors want to make maximum use of that time in terms of efficiency and productivity. The more our students play, the faster they improve. But there are times during a rehearsal where the director has to address the ensemble in order to give corrective ... Read More about It All Comes Down to Communication
