Ensemble Skills Archives - Band Directors Talk Shop https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/category/ensemble-skills/ Learn. Share. Inspire. Wed, 02 Sep 2026 21:33:19 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2-2-150x150.png Ensemble Skills Archives - Band Directors Talk Shop https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/category/ensemble-skills/ 32 32 Building Musical Independence Through Small Ensemble Work https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/building-musical-independence-through-small-ensemble-work/ https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/building-musical-independence-through-small-ensemble-work/#respond Wed, 02 Sep 2026 21:10:18 +0000 https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/?p=14294 One of the challenges I have found in teaching band is giving students opportunities to actually make musical choices. In most of the repertoire we perform, many of those decisions have already been made. Dynamics, articulations, tempo, and style are printed on the page, and as the conductor, I make many of the remaining decisions ... Read More about Building Musical Independence Through Small Ensemble Work

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]]> https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/building-musical-independence-through-small-ensemble-work/feed/ 0 CHAMPION by Justin Williams – FREE Grade 2.5 for Band with Simplified Part Options https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/champion-by-justin-williams-free-grade-2-5-for-band-with-simplified-part-options/ https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/champion-by-justin-williams-free-grade-2-5-for-band-with-simplified-part-options/#respond Sat, 26 Jul 2025 02:15:45 +0000 https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/?p=13707 Already subscribed to the newsletter? This piece was emailed out to our ENTIRE newsletter list on Tuesday, July 29, 2025. Not a subscriber yet? Sign up now and you’ll receive the score & parts right away – delivered to your email. “Champion” by Justin Williams is a Grade 2.5 work for band. It was commissioned ... Read More about CHAMPION by Justin Williams – FREE Grade 2.5 for Band with Simplified Part Options

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]]> https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/champion-by-justin-williams-free-grade-2-5-for-band-with-simplified-part-options/feed/ 0 Diamond Balance – How to Get Better Clarity and Balance From Your Ensemble https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/diamond-balance-how-to-get-better-clarity-and-balance-from-your-ensemble/ https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/diamond-balance-how-to-get-better-clarity-and-balance-from-your-ensemble/#respond Sat, 11 Jan 2025 13:12:45 +0000 https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/?p=13415 There is no shortcut to great ensemble resonance. After 30+ years of band directing, and more than 2 decades of ensemble adjudication, alongside attending and presenting band clinics, I find the one thing that eludes us as band directors is the concept of “ensemble sound.” People ask me often “How do you achieve and learn ... Read More about Diamond Balance – How to Get Better Clarity and Balance From Your Ensemble

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]]> https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/diamond-balance-how-to-get-better-clarity-and-balance-from-your-ensemble/feed/ 0 Flying Solo: Fostering Musical Independence in the Middle School Band Room https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/flying-solo-fostering-musical-independence-in-the-middle-school-band-room/ https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/flying-solo-fostering-musical-independence-in-the-middle-school-band-room/#respond Sun, 14 Jan 2024 13:25:36 +0000 https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/?p=12763 If you’re like most people, you probably remember the first time you had to play by yourself in band class. And if you’re like most people, the reason you remember is probably because it was some degree of terrifying and possibly even traumatic. As band directors, we all want to provide a safe and comfortable ... Read More about Flying Solo: Fostering Musical Independence in the Middle School Band Room

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]]> https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/flying-solo-fostering-musical-independence-in-the-middle-school-band-room/feed/ 0 Play it again…in all 12 keys! https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/play-it-againin-all-12-keys/ https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/play-it-againin-all-12-keys/#respond Sat, 04 Nov 2023 03:26:21 +0000 https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/?p=12650 As students move up in band programs, it is vital they continue to develop their technical skills and ability to read and perform music outside the common keys of Bb, Eb, and F. Many band programs have curricular goals that students learn and perform scales in all 12 keys. While this might be a common ... Read More about Play it again…in all 12 keys!

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]]> https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/play-it-againin-all-12-keys/feed/ 0 Plant in the Fall, Harvest in the Spring: Creating Superior High School Non-Varsity Bands https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/plant-in-the-fall-harvest-in-the-spring-creating-superior-high-school-non-varsity-bands/ https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/plant-in-the-fall-harvest-in-the-spring-creating-superior-high-school-non-varsity-bands/#respond Mon, 09 Oct 2023 05:19:38 +0000 https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/?p=12569 When working with a non-varsity band at the high school level, it is important to consider a full-year curriculum. Don’t wait to get down to the details! Planning ahead will help you have more successful student performances and ensure your students are comfortable with the following: Program expectations Fundamentals on their instruments Music literacy First, ... Read More about Plant in the Fall, Harvest in the Spring: Creating Superior High School Non-Varsity Bands

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]]> https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/plant-in-the-fall-harvest-in-the-spring-creating-superior-high-school-non-varsity-bands/feed/ 0 Tuning – It’s Not Just the Director’s Responsibility https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/tuning-its-not-just-the-directors-responsibility/ https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/tuning-its-not-just-the-directors-responsibility/#respond Thu, 24 Aug 2023 23:27:27 +0000 https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/?p=12605 As Directors, we cannot assume that the students understand what being in tune really is in the ensemble. In a band rehearsal, maintaining pitch accuracy is essential for producing a cohesive and productive rehearsal. Too many times directors get into the rut of taking on the intonation responsibilities of every student in the room. This ... Read More about Tuning – It’s Not Just the Director’s Responsibility

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]]> https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/tuning-its-not-just-the-directors-responsibility/feed/ 0 Musical Nourishment: Designing Your Daily Instructional Menu https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/musical-nourishment-designing-your-daily-instructional-menu/ https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/musical-nourishment-designing-your-daily-instructional-menu/#respond Sat, 14 Jan 2023 00:44:14 +0000 https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/?p=12043 Making the right instructional choices to develop your students can be overwhelming if you don’t take the time to consider the musical nourishment needs for your students’ level of development. There are so many instructional options to choose from, and you want to make sure that your choices are the genesis to a sequential path ... Read More about Musical Nourishment: Designing Your Daily Instructional Menu

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]]> https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/musical-nourishment-designing-your-daily-instructional-menu/feed/ 0 It’s Time to Go Back to the “Non-negotiables” https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/its-time-to-go-back-to-the-non-negotiables/ https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/its-time-to-go-back-to-the-non-negotiables/#respond Tue, 06 Dec 2022 01:03:01 +0000 https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/?p=11959 What are your “non-negotiables?” You know, those key points on which your band program is built? For me, this list is my non-negotiables. Posture: How do my students sit in a chair, set their music stand, and hold an instrument? Is it consistent throughout my program from the beginning band to my most talented senior? ... Read More about It’s Time to Go Back to the “Non-negotiables”

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]]> https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/its-time-to-go-back-to-the-non-negotiables/feed/ 0 A Fundamental Approach to Teaching Individual Listening & Playing Responsibilities https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/a-fundamental-approach-to-teaching-individual-listening-playing-responsibilities/ https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/a-fundamental-approach-to-teaching-individual-listening-playing-responsibilities/#respond Sat, 23 Apr 2022 14:02:20 +0000 https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/?p=11288 A Fundamental Approach to Teaching Individual Listening & Playing Responsibilities Developing strong ensemble skills must start during the beginner year by developing independent musicians through counting skills, aural skills, and technique. Creating traditions, systems, skill sets, a culture of sectionals, a private lesson program, and acquiring knowledge is the basis for student led instruction. There ... Read More about A Fundamental Approach to Teaching Individual Listening & Playing Responsibilities

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