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, a little about us and our programs. We each began our careers as assistant directors at high school programs of different backgrounds. We each have different feeder situations, school populations, and program sizes, among many other differences. Though our programs are very different, we have many things in common that have helped us find success for our students. Success means different things to our programs, both competitively and educationally. It probably means something different to your program, too.
Program expectations
It’s important to establish clear program expectations with your students in the fall. Examples of these expectations are your attendance policy and grading policy. Also, systems in your band such as what materials are needed, how assignments or pass-offs are submitted. For example, “If I lost my music, what do I do?” In some programs, extra copies of music might already be printed and are available to grab at any time. Other programs have librarians, and those students can make copies for other students, or a request needs to be made for the librarians to take care of outside of rehearsals.
A mentorship program where older students in your program mentor younger students can help build relationships, clarify expectations, and integrate younger students. Of course, you must clearly outline the expectations for your mentors. They should help younger students with uniforms, pass-offs, make sure they’re at rehearsal on time; the list goes on and on. Writing these expectations down and posting them for your students publicly on your band website, classroom management system, or just emailing them to students and parents can help everyone stay on the same page.
Fundamentals on their instruments
When instructing your students on fundamentals, take the time at the beginning of the year to establish concepts the way you want them. Provide examples of quality tone and define articulation syllables. Make sure every exercise you do with your band has a purpose. Your students should be able to repeat your goal of the exercise back to you and self-assess their achievement.
Having a list of fundamentals that your students should be exposed to on a weekly basis can be helpful.
An example for brass students would be:
- Breathing
- Singing
- Mouthpiece
- Lip slurs
- Articulation
- Note lengths
- Double/triple tonguing
Work on tuning, balance, and phrasing with a chorale. To develop your students’ technique, expose them to different exercises in different keys each week; it’s even better if you work on the technique in music they will play!
If you begin a comprehensive fundamental routine in the fall, then your students will be much further along in the spring. There’s certainly a spectrum of available options when discussing fundamentals vs. warm-up. Before a performance, you may warm up your students by giving them some tidbits of fundamental exercises to ensure a comfortable performance. Conversely, early in your school year, it is more helpful to spend up to entire class periods with your band working on mastering fundamental concepts.
Challenging your students and treating them like they are the top band will help develop their skills. A mixture of working on ensemble concepts one day of the week and individual skills another day of the week can help develop both worlds simultaneously.
Similarly, students have to be taught how to practice.
Effective practice techniques include:
- Isolating rhythms
- Play exercises one note at a time
- Finger their part
- Say note names
- Use a two-note drill
This can make even the most difficult passages digestible for younger students and help eliminate frustration. If students know how to practice, then the hope is that they will feel more effective and even practice more often!
Music literacy
Many directors dread sight-reading, but the more music your students are exposed to, the better readers they will be.
Examples of ways you can help your students’ rhythmic literacy include:
- Counting exercises
- Count, clap, tap their foot
- Count the pulse while clapping a rhythm
- Clap the pulse while counting the rhythm
Rudimentary exercises can be exciting when you make different sections count different measures. You can also pass the exercise around the room individually, between sections, between woodwinds and brass, and percussion. Aside from exercises, use your stand tunes and other event music to practice the skill.
You can walk your students through a mock sight-reading process, or just apply music literacy fundamentals to the music. Examples of ways you can help your students’ melodic literacy include:
- Finger, count, say note names
- Practice for 30 seconds, then assess their improvement
- Practice just the articulations (rhythm) on one note
- Play just the first note of each beat/cell/measure/phrase
The more different ways you can get your students to practice the music, the deeper their understanding will be. You can also write melodic material for your students that contains either the “traps” that you will see in a typical contest sight-reading piece or specific fundamentals you’ve outlined, like scale patterns, modes, or intervals that have troubled your students in the past.
Ultimately, you know your program best. Tailor your expectations and plans to fit your students specifically. Find out your students’ strengths and weaknesses through different kinds of assessment, then program to highlight your strengths and target your weaknesses in rehearsal. It’s a lot easier said than done! If you improve on your weaknesses, is that not a successful year Even more importantly, help your students take pride in their accomplishments, too.
Dexx Moore is entering his 5th year as an assistant band director at Aledo High School. He is responsible for directing the sub-non varsity ensemble, non-varsity jazz band, and teaching music theory. He assists with the marching band, and varsity and non-varsity concert ensembles. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education at Texas State University, and is currently in progress on his Master’s Degree of Music Education at Southern Methodist University.
Shane Lemanski graduated Summa Cum Laude from Texas State University and has taught at Brandeis High School in San Antonio for the past four years. A clarinet player by trade, he also marched as a self-taught euphonium player with the World Class Finalist Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps. During his college career, Shane seized many opportunities to lead, serving as the Drum Major and Band Manager of the Bobcat Marching Band as well as President of the Theta Alpha chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi. Shane’s ensembles have received consistent sweepstakes ratings in large part due to the mentorship and support of his teachers, coworkers, and friends. Shane is currently working on earning his Private Pilot license to travel the country.
Michael Lehmann is a native of San Antonio. After graduating from Texas State University in 2018, he began his career at La Porte High School, where he has served as an assistant for the past five years. Michael is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, Church Music Association of America, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity, and Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honor Society. During his free time, Michael enjoys stargazing and spending time with his wife, Marissa.
Related Reading:
Preparing Your Non-Varsity Band for Spring Contest and Beyond
Taming the Beast – The Middle School Non-Varsity Band: Overcoming “Summer Brain” and “Summer Chops”
It’s Time to Go Back to the Non-Negotiables
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Taming the Beast – The Middle School Non-Varsity Band: Overcoming “Summer Brain” and “Summer Chops”
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