When I teach clinics with middle or high school band flute sections, directors almost always ask me to focus on intonation. Usually the director checks back in on me after ten to fifteen minutes and asks with astonishment, “How did you get them to play in tune so quickly?” With attention to a few basics, your flute section’s intonation can improve as well.

Length of Flute: Adjusting the Cork
    The first step in getting a flute section to play in tune is to adjust the instruments so they are all the same length. This sounds simple, but if the headjoint cork is not properly positioned and the headjoint is not pulled out enough from the body, the flutes may vary in length from one another by as much as a half-inch.
    To adjust the cork placement insert the cleaning rod (the end with the line) into the headjoint. The line at the end of the cleaning rod should be adjusted so it appears in the center of the embouchure hole. Flutists refer to the crown end of the headjoint as the north end and the tenon end as the south end. If the line is south of the central position, turn the crown to the right to make the adjustment. If the line is north of the central position, then unscrew the crown a few turns and then push the whole crown and cork assembly into the flute. Then recheck the line on the cleaning rod position. In this adjustment the goal is to get the line slightly to the south of the central position so you can tighten the crown to bring the line into place.
    The best cleaning rods are made of wood or plastic. For many years cleaning rods were made of metal, but continued use of the metal rods scratches the interior wall of the tube which affects tone and intonation.
    Some cleaning rods have three adjustment lines. The middle line is used for the actual adjustment in the center of the embouchure hole, while the lines on either side are meant to line up with the outer edges of the embouchure hole. (Piccolo players should have a cleaning rod that may be inserted into the instrument without taking the instrument apart. This type of rod is especially useful in quickly swabbing the piccolo when water builds up in a key while playing.)
    When adjusting the cork position, you may find that the cork has shrunk so much that it is impossible for it to be kept in place. The best solution is to take the headjoint to a repair person and replace the cork. However, in the meantime, remove the cork assembly and wind a piece of plastic tape around the end. Depending on the size of the cork, it may take one or two pieces so the cork stays in place. It was once thought that you could take the cork and place it in a cup of water overnight and it would resize itself. After a lot of experimentation, most repair experts have found this unsatisfactory and prefer to simply replace the cork.
    Sometimes the problem is that the cork has swollen and is stuck in the headjoint. There is a tool to fix this that can be purchased or easily made. A hole is drilled into a dowel rod that is ¾ of an inch in diameter. After removing the crown from the crown assembly, the dowel is placed over the stem of the cork assembly. It then can easily be pushed so the cork releases towards the tenon end of the headjoint.

    The cork should be removed and inserted from the tenon end of the flute because the headjoint is larger at that end. When replacing the cork, the cork should be shaped to follow the taper of the headjoint, meaning that it is be smaller at the crown end than at the tenon end. Corks should be fitted carefully so small tuning adjustments can be made. If the cork fits too tightly, the flute will sound flat and the tone will be dull. If students lose the headjoint crown they are readily available at a repair shop.

Length of Flute: Assembly of the Flute
    Unfortunately on many of the plated beginner flutes the plating stops at the beginning of the tenon. This means the headjoint is nice and shiny until the tenon. Fashion-sensitive young flutists often do not want to pull out the headjoint and allow the non-shiny part to show. Fortunately on step-up flutes, the plating continues to the end of the headjoint. Start the tuning process by the pushing the headjoint all the way into the tenon box on the body of the flute. Then back the headjoint out about ¼ inch. Use a ruler to check this distance. Align the center of the embouchure hole with the center of the right hand keys (F, E, D) as these three keys are inline. The goal in playing is to keep the embouchure hole level with the floor or ceiling. Once the headjoint is in position, use a red or black marker to place several marks around the headjoint and the body of the flute. These marks will last about three weeks and then it will be necessary to re-mark the instrument. The overall goal is to have the distance between the center of the embouchure hole and the center of the first key on the flute to be between 91/4" to 93/8" inches. For a while some flutes were made with engraved arrows to show the proper alignment of the headjoint and the body of the flute, but they were often inaccurate.

Balancing the Flute
    How flutists balance the flute in their hands directly affects intonation. The flute should be placed just above the third knuckle back from the nail on the left hand index finger. This knuckle is placed under the flute to lift up the instrument.

    The right thumb (placed either on the back side of the tube under the F key, between the E and F keys, or under the E key) pushes the flute forward so the embouchure plate is firmly positioned in the flutist’s chin. The right hand little finger may occasionally assist in this. Flutes should never be balanced or held with the left hand thumb. The goal in developing a fabulous technique is to balance the flute so when playing, the fingers simply close keys effortlessly and there is no shifting or rolling of the flute in the players’ hands.

    Since the design of the flute is heavier on the back side (the side toward the player), it naturally rolls back when a player removes the thumb from the B or Bb keys. However, when students place the flute just above the left knuckle, it sits in a small ridge or trough and will not be affected when the thumb moves. Notes that require the left thumb to be removed (and consequently can sound flat without proper balance in the hands) are C5, 6, 7; C#5, 6, 7; and G and G#6.
    This tendency often causes intonation problems in the top octave. Better players figure out how to balance the flute and keep it from rolling when the left thumb is removed. However, other students will not have conquered this problem, and their flutes will be in various stages of rolling back when playing notes without the thumb. If students are still rolling back, remind them to turn the flute back into position when they replace the thumb on the flute. The keys and embouchure hole should be parallel to the floor or the ceiling. Otherwise weaker players will be flat on these notes, and stronger players will be technically in tune. However, since our ears tune pitches from the bottom up, the weaker players will set the perceived pitch, and the stronger players will sound sharp. 
    Once flutists understand how the instrument rolls in, they are on the way to playing in tune. Many directors have found success in turning to the flute section in places where thumb-less notes appear and saying thumbs as a reminder to compensate for the design of the flute. If said often enough, students will remember to always keep the keys and embouchure hole level with the floor or ceiling.

The Air
    The three things to remember about blowing are the size of the air stream, the speed of the air stream, and the angle of the air stream. The size of the air stream is determined by how separated the vocal folds are. If the vocal folds are closed, then the amount of air coming from the lungs will be smaller than if the vocal folds are separated. Have the students pant slowly to experience the location of the vocal folds. While panting, ask the students where it would hurt if they were panting outside in negative 20 degree temps. (Alternatively, use an anatomy chart or one of the youtube.com videos to illustrate the anatomy.) Next ask students to say HO, HO, HO as the H helps separate the vocal folds very well. For years I said, “Open your throat,” until one day I began asking students where their throats were. The array of answers I received sent me back to the drawing board to find a better way to teach this concept. Learning to play with the vocal folds separated will solve many problems with tone and intonation.
    The speed of the air stream is often the biggest culprit in learning to play in tune. Have students play a note using the tuner. The first goal is not to play in tune with the tuner, but to play the note so the needle or dial stays still whether it is flat or sharp. Once students can sustain the pitch and keep the needle still, then work on playing an accurate pitch. It often helps to have students play the note while sitting with their legs stretched out in front of them so the body is in the shape of a 90 degree angle. This position helps them observe how tight the abdomen should be when playing well. Learning to play with even air will improve overall tone quality and the shape of the individual notes. It also helps students build a foundation for playing with good intonation.
    The angle of the air affects the tone quality and the pitch. This refers to where the air stream touches the blowing edge of the embouchure hole (opposite from the player). If the air is too high on the wall, the tone is airy and will be on the sharp side of the pitch. If the air is too low on the wall, the tone will be dark, edgy, and metallic and will be on the flat side of the pitch. Remember the embouchure hole remains level with the floor or the ceiling when playing (except for extended techniques such as pitch bending), and the flute should not roll forward or back to change the angle of air. When in proper playing position with the flute balanced well in the hands, the angle of the air is changed by the lips or the placement of the tongue inside the mouth. Have student place a hand in front of the mouth and practice blowing, angling the air from the base of the palm to the tip of the middle finger.

Target Practice
    Since flutes require a higher flow of air than all other instruments except the tuba, students find it exhausting to play and continually try to find ways to avoid releasing so much air. Many can actually get a pretty nice tone by playing on a small amount of air, but generally when they do so, they are playing on the flat side of the pitch. Have students select a point or target across the room and play a note directing the air stream to the target. This visualization exercise helps them play on the exhale and keep the air moving out towards the audience.  
    This can be very tiring until students get used to moving large amounts of air rather quickly. I also use a toy pinwheel to test whether students are blowing the air out. If the pinwheel spins, they are good to go. If not, then they know exactly what to work on. 

Posture
    Intonation and tone production are directly affected by a student’s posture. In order to play the flute well, make sure students have enough space to play comfortably and pain free. Often three flutists play from one music stand with the ends of the flutes staggered in front and in back of each other. This simply is not a good solution. Each flutist should have a separate stand so when playing while sitting, the end of the flute can angle away from the right shoulder with the end of the flute in front of the nose. Compared to the oboes and clarinets, flutists should have quite a lot of room; they each need their own space.

Exercise: Learning to adjust
    Have two students stand back to back. One student plays an agreed upon note but decides whether to play the note in tune, sharp, or flat. While holding the note, the other student plays the note and adjusts until he finds the pitch. Then students switch tasks. This helps the students learn to adjust to each other, and gives the rest of the class practice in discerning whether a note is in tune.

    If you don’t practice something, it won’t be there when you need it. So remind students regularly to align their instruments correctly, sit properly with good posture, and practice exercises that remind them to separate the vocal folds, play with even air, and learn what to do when intonation does not match the rest of the group. At least once a month, check repair and alignment of the instruments.    

* * *

Special Fingerings
•    C#5 is a sharp note on all flutes. Add any or all of the right hand fingers to bring the pitch down.
•    On new scale flutes the F#6 should be played with right hand 2nd finger rather than the 3rd. However, F#4 and 5 should be played with the right hand 3rd finger.
•    G#6 is a very sharp note. Add the right 2nd and 3rd fingers to lower the pitch. It is preferable to use this fingering on longer notes rather than in scale passages.
•    When playing C7, add the gizmo key plus half-hole the E key.
    

The post Flute Intonation appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    Martin Hebda is now in his 13th year teaching at Casa Grande Union High School in Arizona. His program has grown from 70 to 120 students during that time and ensembles at his school include marching band, two concert bands, jazz band, color guard, and percussion ensemble. He attended the University of Arizona and also taught at Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson. Hebda has arranged music for a wide range of ensembles, including marching bands, percussion ensembles, vocal groups, and church ensembles. Because some of his formative musical experiences took place in competitive marching band, he understands the value and limitations of competition in music. “Competition keeps students driving toward something. The competitive can be a negative aspect, but we do not approach competition with the mindset of being better than another group. The approach is that we want is to have our best show. Students like it.”

When did you realize that you were destined to teach music?
    Drum corps sealed the deal for me in the early 1990s. I was in marching band at my high school, and after my sophomore year, I went to Drums Along the Rockies in Denver and watched a bunch of corps. I loved the marching and the music. Their performances were so much better than what a high school could produce. I saw some of the members walking around the stadium and realized that they weren’t any older than I was. I auditioned in the fall, and the next summer I marched with the Denver Blue Knights. I was the first person from my high school to march with a drum corps, and the next year I brought six more people to march with me.
    Drum corps brings discipline. Anything you do requires inner discipline. I tell my band that discipline is unique to each person because each is in charge of his own discipline. I can tell students what they should do but ultimately they are responsible for the results. Drum corps is tough; it pushed me and made me focused. Because I played all summer, I came back as an improved musician and became a leader at my high school. It snowballed from there. I marched again the next summer and then went on to college. In college I looked more into orchestra and jazz, but I valued the two years I marched drum corps, and it brought that focus and discipline for all types of music.

What helps most to drive home the notion that discipline is each student’s responsibility?
   This is my 13th year here. If I came in as a first-year teacher and expected the level of discipline that I do now, it would not happen. It develops over time. The director sets expectations, and sometimes the students push it further and can surprise you. I don’t tell students a lot of rules on the first day; we teach them as we go.
    Every Tuesday during summer the band gets together to move for a while and play. During these summer chops classes, when we stand in horn arcs the returning members will stand the correct way. The newcomers want to fit in, so they follow by example. Freshmen want to be like everyone else, so it does not matter whether they are disciplined coming in. If I want greater discipline, I tell my returning members to step it up, and the newcomers will just join that. This approach makes the freshmen much less nervous when band camp arrives. In fact, by the time we get to band camp, I’m not really teaching them how to march as much as just fine tuning how to march.
   That said, we do not have cuts in our program. I will take someone who is not a great marcher and work with them. Maybe it takes two years for them to be able to march in time, but I will work with them. The ideal is to develop each student.
    I also do not see music as a win-at-any-cost activity. Once a student had a stroke early in the his senior year. He recovered quite well, and halfway through the marching season he was able to walk and hold his instrument and play. It was a big goal for him to know that I would let him on the field if he could walk and march. It didn’t matter how much of his form he regained – I just wanted him to have the opportunity to get back onto the field.

What should marching band directors consider when picking show music for the year?
    When directors ask me to arrange music for them, I send them a form. One of the first questions on the form is “What do you want out of this show?” I want to know if the show is going to be halftime fun or competition. If it is competitive, are they aiming to compete in their state only or nationally?
    After this decision is made, directors should get the design team together and start brainstorming show ideas and concepts. Some groups focus on music while others focus on general effect or visual. It is important to know what is driving decisions. Think about what your band has done in the past and whether you want to change gears. Some people like playing rock or classical music every year. Other schools like variety from year to year. Think not only of your goals but also the expectations of students. The show should be something kids can grasp and get excited about. It doesn’t matter what you choose if students are not excited about it. To me, the most difficult part of the fall show is picking a theme and choosing source music. Once I have that, the writing is easy.
    Once you have an idea of the theme and source music, it is time to consider strengths and weaknesses of the group, an important step that is sometimes overlooked. If you want to play Mahler but lack strong brass, that may be a poor choice. Don’t feel like you have to use all of the source music. You can use just a piece of a song and adjust difficult rhythms for the level of the group as needed.

What are the keys to arranging for marching band?
    When you work on music, you can get tunnel vision, and getting fresh eyes on an arrangement can be helpful. Ask questions of arrangers you know. Write a section and give it to someone to critique. When I go to regional honor bands, other teachers who know me from college will find time to pull me aside and ask me to look at their work.
    It is okay to change the key from the original source music, although it can sometimes loses the bite of the original. When people want me to arrange for them, I ask about changing keys. Some people hate changing keys, even if it means their band is playing in E major.
    Ranges should also affect choice of key. Sometimes lowering the key by a third can help the trumpets immensely, but care must be taken that the low brass parts do not get so low they become muddy. If you lower a key, know what you are going to lower it to before you start. If I lower a piece a third, I might write the arrangement in the original key and write parts a little high, knowing that when the key is changed the ranges will be perfect.
    Just because you have the horses to play difficult music doesn’t mean everything has to be difficult. The best groups rarely write for their trumpets above a high G. If the trumpets play too high all the time, it buries the low end of the band.
    It is more difficult writing for smaller groups. Don’t write things that are too complicated for the smaller groups, and avoid putting too much melodic responsibility on single players. If you write for a group with three trumpet players who are all average, you want to double melodic lines in that section.
For a novice arranger, it is better to start with stand tunes that an entire marching band show. My first arrangements were simple tunes with a low brass line and a melody being played by the higher instruments.
    It is also worth considering how difficult it will be to put a section together versus how much reward will be gained from it. Something can be high energy and high in general effect without being the most complicated rhythm or passage. If it takes hours to put a passage together, it probably isn’t worth it.

What tricks have you learned over the years for writing for drumline?
    We write an easier drumline book in the fall to focus on technique and then beef things up for winter drumline. The most common comment from music judges at competitions is that the battery is playing too much, too loud. too often. It is okay to have just a section of the drumline play. I don’t look for flashy runs as much as how the sections relate to and interact with each other. Early on in drum corps, there would be a drum solo, for which the drums would come to the front and play for a bit, then go back and the horns would come back in. Having percussion mixed with the winds is good. Having just a section of the battery play with a section of the pit is good. I like to see things coordinated.
    The pit sounds muddy when voicings are too close together, whether on the keyboard you are writing for or between two different keyboards. If there are two contrasting melodies, one on vibe and one on marimba but they are in the same octave, they cancel each other out. Have one line in a different octave so it cuts through.
    I try to have marimbas do similar things. If I have three marimbas, I will have them all playing different notes in a chord. It depends on the ability of the musicians as well. When arranging, I ask how many students they have who can play four mallets. I also ask whether there are students they are trying to ease into four-mallet playing. Parts can be written that introduce four-mallet playing.
    Do not write for an instrument just because it is available. A school might have four xylophones, but it is rarely beneficial to use more than one. Too many xylophones gets clinky. Be especially careful of writing rolls on xylophone and glockenspiel.
    As with parts for winds, ask and observe other arrangers for ideas. The man who writes our pit book has a master’s in composition and is on his way to earning a doctorate as well. When I rehearse the front ensemble, I pay attention to how he notates things and which effects work best. Do research on what others are playing. When you watch other bands, focus on their pit and percussion and mimic what sounds good.

How do you teach students to play with musicality?
    I like to give students something to think about while they are playing. If you are playing a march and there is a part you want to be lively, you could have students think of a circus, with a clown jumping around. If the music has a back-and-forth between clarinets and horns, with the clarinets playing a beautiful, lyrical melody and the horns occasionally interjecting something darker, I might suggest a scene where a girl tells her boyfriend “I love you,” and ask how the other person should reply. Should it be the same volume? Should it be mumbled? It should be heard, so the rest of the ensemble should not cover that voice up. The director studies the score, but students only see their part, so they will often need such things pointed out.
    I ask students what the music makes them picture, and sometimes students give extremely creative answers, but other times they are unsure. I would rather ask first and then will tell them what I envision if they have no ideas. Some of the younger players don’t have the ability to relate music to something, but by their sophomore or junior year, they can come up with good imagery.
    I talk about playing expressively more and more these days. I would rather hear a wrong note or rhythm from someone who was playing musically than absolute perfect notes and rhythms without musicality. This is especially important in jazz, where playing correct notes and rhythms is meaningless unless it is done in the correct style.
    I have a young jazz band this year, and we are getting down to the basics on this. I have gotten my trumpet out and played with them more this year than in all twelve of my previous years of teaching here put together.

What role does listening play in teaching students to play with better tone and style?
    Students don’t realize how lucky they are. They are tired of hearing this, but when we were growing up, if we wanted to listen to a piece, we had to go to the library and maybe find a record after some diligent searching. In the internet age, almost everything is available online for them to hear.
    Students should pay attention to how their instrument should sound. They will not know how to produce a characteristic sound on their own. If you say “play with a warm sound” they have no idea what that means. I bring upperclassmen in to play with students as much as I can. I also get some of my staff members to work individually with students who need to hear how their instrument should sound.
    There are many options for lessons with listening. I have a list of good recordings of all the instruments, and once a day during concert band season I will play one of them so the whole band can hear the characteristic sound of an instrument. I have a projector, and it is no trouble to spend five minutes of class watching a video and commenting on it. I ask students what they notice. Students coming from middle school rarely are aware of what the instruments can do or even what the full range of an instrument is. Playing recordings helps teach them all these things; one favorite is the clarinet solo at the beginning of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.

How do you make the transition from hearing a great characteristic sound to producing their own?
    One key is having students play with someone who is better than they are. This is where your best student leaders can really make the biggest difference. Have students play with someone else and try to match their sound. I saw this happen at a conference; the clinician had a beginner play a note, and then he played the same note with a beautiful tone before asking the beginner to try again. Just by listening and matching, the beginner was able to get closer to the clinician’s sound. The mechanics matter – air and embouchure are still important – but playing with someone better than you can be a big help.
    Some students enjoy playing with the director; others are intimidated by the idea and would rather play with another student. Duets are also good for building technical ability. If your leaders are in the band room practicing, the underclassmen will see that and realize they need more practice, too. No one should ever feel like they are good enough and have nothing to practice.

What advice would you give to new teachers?
    Enjoy your students. I don’t have students that I dislike. There will be students who try your patience or don’t follow directions well or aren’t as musical, but I care for all of my students, and that is how I know I am doing the right job.
    It is important for a director to think through a philosophy of teaching. My goal is to prepare students for all walks of life. Some students continue to play in college and beyond, but few people major in music. So, I am simply preparing the majority of students for life and helping them have a good musical experience. Everything in band prepares you for life; just as you do not come late to rehearsal, you do not come late to work.
    Have goals for each year. Everyone makes changes when they come in, but you do not have to make every desired change the first year. It is better to feel things out. I wanted to have a disciplined, regimented program, but my first year, the primary goal was to make band fun again. Then we started to grow, and the goal became pushing musicianship a little bit further. After ten years, the goals have changed and become more specific.
    In marching band, the number one thing to do is surround yourself with a good staff. Many people try to find people based on where they marched or where they went to college, but it is better to choose good people who understand the values and goals you have for the program. There are great performers and marchers out there, but find someone who will gel with your staff; for us this means someone who will focus on the education of the students rather than only on winning. If your staff lacks camaraderie, then the students won’t have it either. I will take people who haven’t taught before; we can teach them to be good teachers. If you don’t have a staff, work with the district and boosters to find a way to get help; marching band should never be a one-man show. My program is what it is because of the staff.
    If you are going into a new school, research the community. I learned about the history of the program, both the good times and difficult times. I learned what the traditions were and what the students and community thought was important. Think of the first semester you come in as still a period of learning what is going on.
    Be consistent. Be fair. Be true.

The post A Conversation with Martin Hebda appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Serves
All musicians.

   Memorize everything. Melodies, scales, chords, chord progressions, form, lyrics. Do this one song at a time.
   Listen to original recordings of songs you want to play. Try to get inside the heads of those musicians who originally played the song. Memorize their solos.
   Sightreading is important. Do some every day. Become a good sight reader.
   Use your ears all the time. Listen to everything all day long. Don’t let sounds go by your ears without checking them out…was that scale dominant or diminished? What’s that pattern he just played? What type (quality) scales and chords do they use on TV, radio, etc.? Become a master of sounds. Don’t let them slip by you or you won’t be able to use them when you solo. Train your ears to hear.
   As a general rule, the fourth note of major and dominant scales has a lot of tension. Learn how to use it and how to raise it a half step to create the
#4 (#11) sound that jazzers often use.
   Jazz insists that you use the bebop scale. That extra note is like opening up a whole new world of possibilities. It can lengthen your lines and will instantly make you sound more professional. The C7 bebop scale is C D E F G A Bb (B) C. Don’t play the added note (B) on a downbeat.
   Keyboard skills are extremely important. The visual aspect of the keyboard plus the ability to play more than one note at a time allows your mind to perceive harmony differently than playing a single-line instrument would. If you are not a keyboard player learn to use it as your most important tool. Memorize one octave in your mind. Use it mentally to solve problems and answer questions.
   Listen to the bass line of jazz groups. The bass is usually the foundation and if you can hear bass you’ll have much more fun playing music the rest of your life. The bass note will affect the position of the note you play in relation to a given scale.
   Sing before you play. Your voice is much closer to your musical mind than your fingers or your instrument. Sing, sing, sing. Sing out loud and mentally. Become familiar with all the intervals up to the octave. Minor and major seconds make up scales. Minor and major thirds make chords. Perfect fourths help outline chord progressions like ii / V7 and ii / V7 / I. Chords moving in 4ths are everywhere present.
   Altered dominants seem to dominate the jazz vocabulary. Do you know the most used altered dominants and can you play them? Work with Volume 3 “The ii/V7/I Progression” and Volume 84 “Dominant 7th Workout” to hone your skills. Altered dominants and the bebop scale make up much of jazz players’ melodic lines.
   Being able to play tunes in all twelve keys is an important part of learning the jazz language. I find that if we learn the melody and the chord progression in several keys, say three, and can improvise smoothly, the other nine keys aren’t nearly as difficult to master. It’s getting from the first key to the second and then to the third that seems to be the scariest. Once you do it to several songs or chord progressions you’ll find yourself making a habit of it and that’s when your ears will take a quantum leap in hearing and execution.
   Learn to transpose if you play a transposing instrument. Song books are often in treble clef, concert key, and if you play saxophone, trumpet, or clarinet, you’ll have to transpose the notes and the chord symbols to your key.
   Transcribing solos off records is important to learn pitch and rhythm recognition, shape and contour of phrases, how others build their solos,   how group interaction influences note choice and rhythms, and what notes others begin and end their phrases on.
   Blues. Twelve-bar blues have been around since the beginning of the 20th century. Jazz and blues go together. To a jazz musician, playing the blues  doesn’t mean just playing off the blues scale. The jazz musician has added much to the history of American blues progressions and often they are quite complex. This is the natural out flowing of the creative mind mixed with desire and what we call talent.
   Learn the standard blues progressions in all 12 keys. Begin slowly, stay in one key, and outline the changes. Get to where you can hear the blues progression in your sleep. Mentally hear yourself playing the blues while walking down the street. You don’t have to have your instrument to play the blues, or any tune for that matter. You can think it. Think where your fingers would be and visualize yourself making music even if you are far from your instrument.
   Ballad playing usually takes more time to perfect due to the slow tempo and the exposed nature of the harmony. Also, your sound coming out of your instrument is more exposed when playing whole and half notes. Work on sound every day. Listen to the masters every day. Your sound is an important part of your musical personality. Who do you want to be? Learn a ballad in the original key and then move it up or down a half step. Stick with it until you’ve mastered the new key. Don’t leave the practice room until it’s yours. Then, tomorrow, try it again and see how long it takes to put the pieces back together again. After you do this in the new key several times your fingers will learn the new patterns and the sound of the new changes and you’ll be off and running again except now, you’ll be able to solo on the ballad in two keys instead of only one.
   Strive for freedom via discipline. Use every minute of your waking day to arm yourself with the knowledge that will make you free. Think, think, think. Ask questions. Explore. Listen.
Learn “I Got Rhythm” changes in several keys. Learn turnarounds in several keys. You’ll find that what you learn is sprinkled throughout hundreds of songs and chord progressions. Volume 47 “I Got Rhythm” and Volume 16 “Turnarounds, Cycles, and ii V7s” can be a big help.
   Fast playing and proper eighth note articulation have long been a feature of jazz. Concert band, marching band, pop music, etc. requires a different approach to how the notes are articulated. Listen to jazz players and you’ll find differences, but the main thing you’ll find is that their notes, when they come flying out at lickety-split tempos always have forward motion. This occurs when proper articulation is applied and your fingers are fine tuned.
   Time. Play and practice in time. Use a metronome. Jazz is about time. Don’t be wishy washy with your time. Listen carefully to each note as it is played. Does it match what you’re hearing in your head? If it doesn’t, figure out why it’s off the mark. If you can’t figure it out, ask for help. Articulation is next to importance to note choice. Don’t overlook it when practicing.
   Composing is an important part of musical expression. Write songs that come to your mind. Some people keep a musical notebook of their original ideas. You’ll find that what you think today can often be reshaped tomorrow into something you never dreamed could be. Don’t let original ideas for songs escape you. Write them down or play and record them. Capture them while they have life. Finalize the song and make it yours. Types of songs: bebop, swing, Latin, bossa nova, originals, ballads, odd meter, mixture of Latin and swing, free form, or free form combined with any of the above. Composing a melody and hearing it played by a competent group is quite exciting.
   Inspiration seems to fill a need for musicians who are on the path of self-realization of who they really are and what their actual potential may be. We are all different and have varied goals in music and life. We receive inspiration from various sources. After September 11th, 2001, music helped to heal and quiet the mind and body of millions of people around the world.
   Reading inspirational literature and hearing lectures by inspired people help bring life into focus on an individual basis. Jazz has always sought to allow the musician to express how they feel about life at any given moment. It’s very hard to express adequately on an instrument that you are only vaguely familiar with. The more control you have over your instrument the more it will allow you to express. A good instrument can be a big help.
   Positive thinking plays an important role in practicing. “I think I can, I think I can” is what the little engine said as it pulled its train up the hill. Let’s keep thinking positively and reap the rewards on a daily basis.
Music is for life.  

“This article is from The Jazzer’s Cookbook: Creative Recipes for Players and Teachers and is used by Permission, Meredith Music Publications. Royalties for this project are being donated to the Jazz Education Network (JEN). To learn more, go to .”

The post The Recipe for Advanced Jazz Improvisation appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    The bassoon’s role in bands is often misunderstood. Attitudes against the bassoon usually stem from one of several prevailing misconceptions regarding the instrument. Below are some of the most common misunderstandings about the bassoon, along with recommendations that should help music educators in making their student bassoonists a successful part of the program.

Size
    The most common objection to starting a student on the bassoon is usually about size. Some of this is based in fact. It is true that the bassoon requires a wider finger span than other wind instruments, because the tone holes must be distributed at a relatively wide distance and must also be angled. The width and weight distribution of the instrument also present some challenges.
    With the right tools and guidance, however, people of all shapes, sizes, weights, and heights can play the bassoon. Even a smaller-than-average student should be able to play the instrument successfully.
    The bassoon, much like the clarinet, requires its tone holes to be covered completely by the pads of the fingers. To do this, proper positioning of the hand and body position is imperative. Often people mistakenly believe there is an issue with hand size when the real issue is a problem with the physical approach to the instrument. Correct bassoon playing and hand position should be confirmed by examining four physical elements.
    First, the seat strap (to be used during seated playing) should not be too far back on the chair. Placing the strap too far back will affect the angle of the instrument and cause problems with the arm, wrist, and ultimately, finger placement, all of which should be natural and comfortable. For proper positioning, the seat strap should be placed from one to three inches back on the chair and should be visible between the legs of the player.
    Second, the left hand should support the weight of the instrument at the base of the index finger (i.e. at the knuckle that connects the finger to the hand). Supporting the instrument in this way may take students a while to master. A common difficulty is that the forward inclination of the instrument gives a sensation of instability, and sometimes beginning players try to use other measures to prevent the instrument from falling. Some students, for example, may anchor their pinkies or thumbs against the body of the instrument. This should be avoided, because it will only create tension and limit dexterity.
    Third, proper position requires the right hand to form a C shape that is not collapsed against the side of the bore. This too can feel slightly unnatural to beginners, whose natural tendency will be to bend at the knuckle in order to rest their palm against the side of the bassoon. To help with proper positioning of the right hand, students may make use of a crutch, which is standard on most bassoons. This hand positioning device may be used bulb-up or bulb-down, depending on the student’s size and comfort.
    Fourth, the bocal does not need to be parallel to the whisper key pad, but the tone hole in the bocal must be covered when the whisper key is engaged. It may be necessary for the bocal to be slightly angled in relation to the whisper key pad in order to ensure a natural wrist position.
    For students who cannot span the distance to reach all tone holes, even with proper positioning, many student bassoons now have a plateau key, or an extended key in place of the left ring finger tone hole. This mechanism makes the finger span of the bassoon similar to that of any other woodwind instrument, which should prevent size considerations from discouraging any students away from the bassoon.

Volume
    It is true that the bassoon does not have the decibel capacity of some other instruments, due to the predominance of overtones in the bassoon’s sound. These overtones give the bassoon its warm and rich tone quality. This is one of the bassoon’s best attributes as an ensemble instrument, even though it may not offer the strong presence of an instrument like the oboe or trumpet. The bassoon’s overtones and tone quality give it the capacity to blend well with other instruments in large and small ensemble settings. The bassoons complement and equal out the more penetrating sounds of other instruments, creating balance within the ensemble.
    Ensemble directors should strive to understand the role of the bassoon and appreciate its value to their various ensembles. Throughout music history, composers have made good use the bassoon in bass, tenor, and alto roles. Even in the band setting, where bassoon parts tend to be doubled by other instruments, the bassoon has the potential to make significant contributions. Even when the bassoon is not itself a melodic force in and of itself, it plays an important role in making its collaborators sound better.
    Directors should also recognize that in music where the bassoon does take on a solo role, the player should never force the sound. The optimum volume for the bassoon is reached when it is allowed to resonate freely. A tense and forceful air stream will only serve to make the pitch sharp, not to increase volume.

Difficulty
    Several years ago I was hired to teach private lessons to a girl who had recently started the bassoon in her junior high beginning band class. The student showed up at her first lesson feeling very frustrated and disappointed with herself. Several weeks into the school year, this student had  watched as her classmates acclimated to their instruments with ease, while she struggled with seemingly the simplest of tasks. Many attribute this scenario to a simple explanation: that the bassoon is simply too complicated an instrument for a beginning student.
    Every instrument has challenges that can make it seem too hard. Regarding the bassoon, most people cite the number of thumb keys (13), and the number of fingers used (up to 10) as the major challenges.
    These challenges are difficult, to be sure, but the greater difficulty encountered by beginning bassoonists, compared to their peers in the band, is often a matter of repertoire. Most beginning band players grow accustomed to the instrument and gain confidence by playing ensemble works of gradually increasing difficulty. Usually the beginning band works will be in the key of Bb major. This is a sensible choice for the ensemble as a whole, because Bb is an easy key for most wind instruments. On the bassoon, however,  Bb can be a challenging key, particularly for the beginner. It contains forked, vented/flicked, and half-holed fingerings. The lower octave, in particular, contains pitches that employ thumb/pinky combinations that can be difficult for the beginner, who needs time to execute these demands successfully. For this reason it is often best for beginning bassoon students to work on pieces in C major, at least during solo practice.
    The beginning junior high student I worked with years ago grew discouraged in the band setting, where her part was doubled by many other instruments. Parts that others could zip through with ease were difficult for her to play, and she deduced this to be a reflection of her abilities. After we worked on bassoon-specific repertoire and technique, however, this student quickly flourished and caught up to her classmates.
    Directors and students should understand that what is beginning material for most instruments will often be at a much higher difficulty level on the bassoon. To develop fundamental skills on the bassoon, students should work on bassoon-specific beginning repertoire to supplement their experience playing large ensemble repertoire. Music especially designed for bassoon beginners not only will help in developing fundamental skills, but it also will help in building confidence and morale. (One set of beginning etudes that I recommend is the Weissenborn Method for Bassoon.)

Manufactured Reeds
    Unless your bassoon students take private lessons, most likely they will be playing on store-bought reeds. Both the director and students alike should understand that manufactured reeds are an unfinished product. A manufactured reed is known as a blank, meaning that it just has the reed blades cut and no other finishing is done. Reeds are sold this way because it is assumed that players will want to finish the reed to suit their own preferences. If a manufactured reed blank is played on as if it were a finished product, the sound will likely be wild, buzzy, and resistant with poor response. Neither you nor your student will be satisfied with the sound that results from playing on a manufactured reed as-is.
    All bassoonists should play on hand-finished reeds. If the student does not have the opportunity to work with a private instructor who can help with hand finishing their reeds, good finished reeds can easily be obtained online. Woodwind and especially double reed supply companies boast a variety of hand-finished reed options, and they will be happy to help find one that suits your students. Although one might assume that there is an added expense in obtaining a hand-made bassoon reed, there are many fine options that cost equal to or even less than a manufactured blank.
    The benefits of playing on a finished reed will be immediately noticeable and worthwhile. As the primary contributor to pitch, tone and response, the importance of the reed to the bassoonist cannot be overstated.
    Despite the myths and misconceptions that are sometimes attached to the instrument, the bassoon serves an important purpose in large and small ensembles alike. Any student who is responsible and engaged will have great potential to excel on the instrument, provided that proper assistance is given. I encourage all directors to address the challenges of the bassoon with confidence and to explore how the bassoon can contribute significantly to a successful band program.    

The post The Virtues of Bassoon appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Sophomore Year
    Marching practices for the band at Jefferson Davis High School (Montgomery, Alabama) began in the late summer. We had ten days of summer practice in the muggy Alabama heat. Each day was 9-12, 1-5, and 7-9, except when we had Wednesday night off. We did not march uphill, in the snow, both ways.
    One day while walking from the practice field back to the bandroom, the juniors started a cheer for themselves. (This was my first introduction to class warfare.) Not to be outdone, I started to lead a cheer for the sophomores: “Give me an S! Give me an O!” and so on, until I ultimately misspelled it by leaving out the second “o.” Shaking their heads, the upperclassmen dismissively remarked, “yeah, they’re sophomores all right.”
    In marching band we were required to use copy books, small little books of blank staff paper on which we copied down every note of every song we played, and we played a lot. As best I could tell, the point of these books was to help us memorize the music. I lost mine during marching season one year and had to copy the whole thing again. I always assumed that other bands used them, but I have never met anyone who has.
    A real highlight of the year was missing school for one or two days to attend a band clinic at Troy State University in Troy, Alabama. This gave me a chance to watch bands from other schools and visit the exhibits. There weren’t many exhibits there, but at the time it was amazing to me because I had never attended a band clinic. I was like a kid in a candy shop.
    I remember standing in a hallway and seeing Johnny Long, the director of bands at Troy State (who I gathered to be a legend among band directors in the state), going crazy over the fact that Auburn High School was going to play Capriccio Italien. He kept pacing up and down the hall, repeating something like, “I can’t believe they’re going to play that! I can’t believe they’re going to play that!”

Junior Year
    I did not practice my trumpet much my junior year. This was mainly due to discouragement. I had practiced a lot during my sophomore year but didn’t make much progress. I always continued to practice my band music, but I did not work on much beyond that.
    I was late to a summer practice once because the car engine would not shut off. My director was known for making a major issue out of tardiness. He would often stop rehearsal to grill a student about tardiness, even if that student had never been late before. This director asked me why I was late, and the band sat quietly to wait for my answer. “My car wouldn’t stop,” I answered, not knowing exactly how to phrase it. My friends laughed when someone asked, “Then how did you get out?”
    Our undefeated football team that year won the state championship at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. We marched drill to Chuck Mangione’s Feels So Good on an artificial surface, which was an unusual experience for the time.
    Since our two drum majors were graduating, there were two positions open—one for a male and one for a female. (I have since questioned the logic of that.) There was no tryout for the position, but night after night I practiced in front of my bedroom mirror, conducting songs of my favorite groups, Chicago in particular.
    In what was one of the major disappointments of my life, I was not selected as drum major; at that point in my life I don’t think I had ever wanted anything so badly. Since there was no tryout I didn’t feel like I even had the chance to show what I could do as drum major. To this day I’m not sure what the director was thinking. He broke the news to my good friend Steve and me while we were at the clinic at Troy State. Steve, who had put his name in the hat on a whim and didn’t really care either way, was given the position. After hearing the news I was not very pleasant about the decision and did not talk to Steve for the rest of the day. It was not one of my better moments.
    After enduring that disappointment, I still had a chance to be elected band president, but trying to get elected to the band council was worrisome. Our director filled the lesser offices first, so if you wanted to be president, you had to bypass being nominated for all of the other positions. Then, if you lost the run for president, you would not be on the band council at all. (This came back to haunt the band the next year when the best candidate did not get elected president and had no position at all.) Fortunately, my main competition decided to run for vice-president, and that cleared the way for my uncontested election as president.

Senior Year
    One of my main goals during my senior year was to be a positive influence. In the previous two years there had been considerable complaining and several near-revolts within the band, over matters ranging from hair length to marching style. Other members of the band council felt the same way. That year, however, we accomplished our goal of making the band more positive, and the whole band had a great year. I am not sure if my director noticed that we were the ones making the difference.
    One day during marching band that year, all of the trumpets were asked to stand. Our director then rearranged us. I was first chair and section leader. In front of the band, the director asked me and the second chair player to switch places. I thought this was humiliating to say the least. It didn’t help that the second chair was a little sophomore twerp who put me down behind my back to my friends, not thinking that they would tell me. If I am honest about it, I recognize that he played better than me in many ways, but I thought he should have had to prove it on a playing test. Then if he won we could have switched chairs between rehearsals.
    Our pep rallies for the football team were the best. It helped having a really good football team. The student body would chant “We want the trumpets” We want the trumpets!” and we would run out and play the trumpet cheer, which was something we stole from the University of Alabama. At one pep rally we wore paper bags over our heads and sauntered out like the unknown comic of the Gong Show.
    I practiced much more during my senior year than I did my junior year,  and I also began taking private lessons from a trumpet player in one of the Air Force bands stationed at Maxwell Air Force base. Despite all that practice, I missed making All-State by three points that year. I think that hurt more than not getting drum major, because it felt like a permanent stain on the rest of my musical career.
    I ended the school year strongly. I defeated the first chair player in a challenge before our final concert. His parents came to the challenge after school and sat there while we played off the music in the director’s office. We were not told the result that day, possibly because the parents were there and the director didn’t want to get mugged. The next day my director moved me to first in front of the band as everyone cheered.
    I was also the first student conductor of our band. This would not have happened without my dad. He knew I was discouraged about not being selected as drum major, and in what was probably the only time my dad ever talked to one of my teachers concerning something he was unhappy about, he told the director about my strong interest in being a band director and how I needed to be encouraged in that direction. To my director’s credit, the unexpected result for me was becoming a student conductor for the spring concert. I conducted the march Proud Heritage by William Latham. Many years later I conducted this piece again at Region Contest with my own band.

From the Past to the Present
    I’m not exactly sure why I remember some things and forget others. I believe that some memories stand out because I knew at the time that I was going to be a band director, so I was particularly sensitive to issues relating to that career choice.
    So how did these experiences affect my future career? I have never made my busy students use copy books. I am probably a little more understanding if a kid gets in a funk and doesn’t practice as much as I would like. I believe that punctuality is important, but I don’t make a scene about it, preferring to talk to habitual offenders privately. I hold drum major tryouts each year, even if it jeopardizes the chances of a person who I would prefer be the drum major.  Sometimes the judges have selected drum majors who I would not have chosen, but they ended up being very good. I also hold chair try-outs where a cumulative score of several tests determines the chair, and I recognize good leadership when I see it.  And, most important, I never misspell the word sophomore.

The post Old Days appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Editor’s note: The Instrumentalist profiled Gerry Miller in April 2013. We asked him to follow up with more detail about how his program works throughout the year.

    As the school year begins to fade and our longing for summer overtakes our thoughts more regularly, I find that our ensembles are often performing at their very best. Hopefully, teaching the ensembles in April and May is no longer hampered by unrefined technical phrases (although we can occasionally find a nugget here or there that needs some polishing) or tone qualities that stick out. More often, whether we are finalizing preparations for our formal contest or for a festival or trip performance, we are truly blessed with the opportunity to refine our students’ musicianship inside the concert program we have labored so diligently to choose and have all worked so hard to perfect.
    I often compare great musicianship in an ensemble setting to a wonderful evening spent talking with old friends. We all know the personalities involved, much like the instrumentalists in our ensemble – we have our quiet, shy friend who doesn’t say much, our loud, boisterous companion from high school that blurts out whatever comes to mind, and even the mild disruptions from our young children as we talk. It is a conversation – a verbal dance – and much like the art of great conversation, there can be times when things don’t seem in focus, such as being unable to hear something we desperately want to hear, or something that seems out-of-place or off-color. In developing the conversational abilities of the ensemble, thus deemed our musicianship, we divide the dialogue into a five key areas: phrasing, style, dynamic contrast, tempo, and musical markings.

Phrasing
    In returning to our analogy of musicianship as a great conversation, I often demonstrate to my students how we use phrases in the English language. There are short phrases and long ones; some phrases end with periods, while others end in commas, exclamation points, or question marks. Some phrases ascend, while others descend; there are the rarest of phrases that grow to one important word, then diminish down to the end (think Shakespearean sonnets).
    As conductors, it is our task to consider the shape of each phrase and how we envision that shape traveling through and communicating the ideas within the music. We often begin, in our score study, with a diagram of each phrase. Most composers today offer plenty of rehearsal markings, and making a list of these along the left-hand margin, then diagramming the shape as rectangles, triangles, and trapezoids, helps greatly in determining the overall phrasal language, as well as the apex points within a piece or movement (see www.wakelandband.com/ instrumentalist for some examples).
    Frequently, we find that one of the fundamental hindrances to great phrases is that students do not finish phrases with the same energy they have at the start. To demonstrate the concern, we often ask the ensemble a simple question, such as “What did you have for breakfast?” with a lift at the end, versus the same question as it diminishes into the word “breakfast.” We ask, “Don’t you hear the desperation? Do you want every phrase to sound so desperate and weak at the end?”
    We have also found that using an index of shapes, much like the ones we used to diagram the apex points in the work during our score study period, helps students understand the variety of phrase-types requested of them. Phrasing is, after all, a byproduct of air. We often joke with them by trying to read a really long sentence, such as those legal disclaimers from prescription drug commercials, without pausing for a breath; it is laughably impossible. However, by using the subtle context clues the author provides (commas, semicolons, and logical break points), we often assemble fully understandable sentences with little difficulty. Musically, phrase length is principally influenced by air.
    Therefore, revisiting how we breathe becomes vitally important. We spent a great deal of time in January and February emphasizing methods for proper breathing; it is now important that we verify these practices being put into place in the repertoire. Once we have established that everyone in the ensemble is breathing appropriately, and that the volume is consistent and correctly shaped, we can begin to address phrase length as either a one-breath phrase or a stagger-breathing phrase. With stagger-breathing phrases, we create breathing points – sometimes by assigning students letters (letter As breathe at a certain spot, then Bs breathe), sometimes dividing by parts (first clarinets breathe in measure four, then second clarinets breathe in measure five), or by assigning individual breaths to each player in the ensemble. Regardless of when students breathe, the sound must be one that matches the desired shape.
    To exemplify phrase shapes in a more digital format, we shift to the Tonal Energy app. This app can be displayed on a projector screen or large monitor from many mobile devices. The scrolling Analysis tab allows students to see how their section shapes, and how that shape melds with the rest of the ensemble. Once we set some norms in place, it becomes an efficient process to copy and paste one paradigm over to new phrases until a work flows with grace and ease.

Style
    As a young director, I found that adjudicators would often criticize the style with which my ensemble performed certain works; most of their remarks centered around the ensemble performing with a same-ness that wasn’t always stylistically appropriate. I remember talking with a veteran director who put things in perspective for me: “when [judges] talk with you about style, they’re primarily focusing on the back of the note.” In our formal preparations, we spend so much time fixated on starting notes together, and maintaining energy through the note, that we can easily neglect the back of the note. In reality, there are only a few discernable options with which we can treat the backs of the notes: 1⁄2 value, 3⁄4 value, 7⁄8 value, and full value. How we use these inside of the repertoire is entirely up to us and is only limited by the palette available to the students in the ensemble. We might utilize the 1⁄2-value space, which feels very wide, light, and sparse, on a march or a transcription of a Baroque piece for band. The 3⁄4 value works well with British marches, most fanfares, as well as dense, accented chords in contemporary writing, where listeners benefit from a moment before the next voicing arrives. The 7⁄8 value is arguably the hardest to clarify: it requires just a sliver of light to pass between each note – like the boards on a fence – so that no two notes touch, but they maintain a connected feel. We don’t feel that there is a prescripted use for the 7⁄8 style, but if 3⁄4 value feels too separated and full value feels too connected, this is likely what we are aiming for. Finally, the full-value or connected style is utilized for nearly all lyrical playing as well as dramatic allargando moments in orchestral transcriptions and similar works.
    The task of matching style is sometimes hindered by individual instruments sticking out past the prescribed value. To avoid this, we often have staggered values inside the ensemble. For example, consider the standard orchestral-impact ending with a short I chord, followed by a short V chord, followed by a long I chord. Depending on the tessitura, the highest instruments will sometimes eclipse the lower instruments in note-length, hanging past the 3⁄4-value we might be seeking. To avoid this, we sometimes have the soprano voice perform 1⁄2 value on the short notes, while the altos play 5⁄8 value, and the tenors play 3⁄4 value. We finish with the basses at 7⁄8 value to add resonance to the chords. Although we may not have strictly defined 5⁄8 and 7⁄8 value for the ensemble (at a fast tempo, this is nearly impossible to discern), students grasp their role in the release point, and as a result, the ensemble’s sense of style and resonance will improve dramatically.
    Consider each work in full. Does it adhere to one style throughout? Most marches will, although the Trio sections can offer some variance. Overtures may shift from one style on an A section to something entirely different on the B section. The ensemble should rarely change their approach to the backs of notes with each new phrase, but it may be necessary to change it midway through a work to reflect the ideas of the composer.
There is not necessarily a right-versus-wrong approach to how to treat the backs of notes, although some judges can make it seem that way. If the entire ensemble is performing a march with notes at 3⁄4 value, and it is done together and neatly, even the toughest of judges would offer a platitude like, “that’s not how I would have done it, but it works.”

Dynamic Contrast
    For many years, the go-to phrase for judges seems to be “I could use more dynamic contrast.” In Pablo Casals’s The Art of Interpretation, he states that we must make a volume difference of 10% or more for the audience to perceive even the slightest dynamic contrast. We describe dynamic contrast to our ensembles by using the visual metaphor of actors in stage makeup. Most students have seen a friend performing in a theater production, and from a distance, the friend looks as he normally does, with features that are easily discerned from the back of the auditorium. After the performance, however, they approach the friend and see that, in stage makeup and up close, his facial features appear completely over the top. This isn’t to say that use of dynamic contrast should appear gross at close range, but it should feel over the top to most young performers. If we were to look back at our decibel-meter (as mentioned in the March 2014 ), we seek a crescendo from mezzo-piano to mezzo-forte to rise approximately 2-3 decibels. A volume change from forte down to pianissimo would likely drop 9-10 decibels (nearly half-volume, based on the logarithmic function of decibels). It is useful to practice these changes from section to section, then match them inside the ensemble with appropriate considerations for melody and accompaniment instruments.
    In addition, composers often employ special dynamic effects, the most common of which is the forte-piano. For these effects, we brainstorm for a word that best communicates the composer’s idea. With forte-pianos, we use the word zoom. We begin by having the ensemble say zoo as fast and strong as they can, then pressing their lips together for the mmm as quietly as possible. The result, by using common, spoken words, is often a good demonstration of how the air must remain fast as it transitions from forte to piano quickly. Every dynamic effect in our music can be exemplified with a word, and through that word, students will develop an understanding of the direction of the air utilized to accomplish the composer’s desired sound.
    A final consideration (and, at times, a hindrance) in creating great moments of dynamic contrast is the general direction of the musical line. On most instruments, descending lines naturally decrescendo with consistent air. So, to maintain the volume of a descending line, we advocate flowing air towards the back of the phrase to facilitate volume stabilization. Similarly, when the melodic line ascends, it will naturally louden. As a result, we have students back off just slightly as they ascend (ensuring that tone and pitch do not suffer) so that the tops of phrases do not jut out of the texture unnaturally.
    It is necessary to consider descending lines that crescendo (using substantially more air), descending lines that decrescendo (maintain air speed/volume and let the physics of the instrument work), ascending lines that crescendo (maintaining air speed/volume), and ascending lines that decrescendo (backing way off the air). Of these, the last is the most difficult. This process may require quite a lot of time to codify, but in the end, the ensemble’s use of dynamic contrast will be clear to the audience and adjudicators.

Tempo
   An appropriate mastery of tempo in the ensemble requires diligent research on the part of the conductor and constant work with an audible metronome in both sectionals and full rehearsals. During our research, we look for at least three recordings of the works in the repertoire, and we clock each tempo on a chart. We try to be extremely diligent – finding each ritardando’s pace as it slows, as well as the most subtle of tempo transitions and mild alterations. We make a grid of tempos for each recording so that we can compare and contrast those things we liked in one recording versus what we may have disliked in another. Ultimately, we need to find what works best for our ensemble inside the given literature, but having a well-researched opinion will offer the best chance at success.
   An audible metronome is the second most important ingredient in a dialogue about tempo. After offering clinics in band halls near and far, I don’t think it matters if the metronome is in the front, the back, or on the sides of the concert ensemble (marching band is an entirely different discussion), as long as the metronome is audible to every performer in the space. The use of subdivision can help clarify many phrases, as well as aid in finding where the ensemble is pushing or dragging the tempo. Ultimately, a well researched and evenly paced performance will present little criticism in regard to tempo.

Musical Markings
    When we reach the final stages of preparation, the students are often questioned about their ability to play everything the composer chose to place on the page in front of them – every crescendo, every accent, and every Italian word. As well, we must consider if every musical marking is being communicated all the way to the back of the concert hall. The best test can be done quite simply: choose any phrase from the music and strip away everything but the notes and rhythms. Print the phrase out and ask a section to perform the phrase as it appears in their music, adhering as best they can to every musical marking on the original page. Ask students to write what they hear and see what responses are offered. For example, the horns may feel like they are accenting a low A, but the accent doesn’t resonate because the note is low in the tessitura, and students are struggling to play it with a centered sound. We may find the same with descending lines that crescendo, or fortepianos on high notes in the woodwinds. Many times, students feel like they are performing the musical markings, but these are frequently lost in the complexities of the demands of the repertoire. Helping the ensemble understand how exaggerated these effects need to be will greatly enhance a performance’s appeal to audiences and judges.

In Conclusion
    It is our hope that, with all the work we have undertaken, our ensembles will be able to offer musically fulfilling performances for our audiences and adjudicators. We want to make contests and festivals worthwhile experiences designed to help each student showcase growth over the course of the school year. Our time on-stage should feel enjoyable, and, through the translation of music from the composer’s mind onto the printed page and into our instruments, it is our hope that we elevate the experience and add an additional dimension to everyone’s understanding of the repertoire we have chosen.    

The post Five Aspects of Great Musicianship appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    When it comes to leading better rehearsals, all directors steal ideas from each other. There is always a colleague who has a great technique for keeping students focused in class and striving for excellence. We asked a distinguished group of directors at all teaching levels to share the rehearsal ideas that have proven most effective over the years.

What is the most useful idea that you learned from someone else?

Justin Antos (Eisenhower High School, Blue Island, Illinois): The best rehearsal technique I learned from another teacher is always to make time in the day for score study. This task is not easy for the busy music educator to accomplish. However, it is imperative for an effective and efficient rehearsal. Score study gives the director the ability to predict what may go wrong in the performance of a piece of music before it happens, and will give the best insight on how a piece of music should sound, making it far more difficult for mistakes to slip by unnoticed.

Mary Land (Young Harris College, Georgia): Several tips taught to me by Marguerite Wilder:
•    Use a lead sheet when introducing new music. A lead sheet is a unison series of melodies or somewhat tricky phrases from the real music. The students learn the lead sheet together, then when learning the full band arrangement they are familiar with their parts and have the confidence and independence to play their parts with success. Another bonus from lead sheets is a built in reinforcement, if needed, to aid or support a weaker section when playing the full band arrangement.
•    You know how hard it is to learn the names of your beginning band students? You know a hundred new names at once? Have your students neatly print their names at the top of the first 10 pages of their band book. Then as you move around the room while teaching you can recall their names by looking at their book.
•    Beginning band hand position for all instruments: wrist straight, thumbs straight fingers curved.
•    Use a 3-ring binder rather than a folder for middle school students, and 3-ring hole punch everything including the band book.

Fred David Romines (Marywood University, Pennsylvania): The Sizzle Technique – younger students sizzle passages with an actual sizzle sound. The technique reinforces breath support and crisp articulation. My high school director used this technique all the time. The result is a more resonant tone and clearer articulation.

Charles Ebersole (Fleetwood Area High School, Pennsylvania): Peter Boonshaft once mentioned that the one thing we never have enough of as music teachers is rehearsal time. The understanding of this fact has helped me to be more prepared for rehearsals, both in terms of score study and planning for each practice. It has also helped me to develop a sense of urgency during rehearsals so that we are able to accomplish as much as possible even if we do not have a lot of time or the entire group present.

Brian Anderson (Fremont High School, Nebraska): The best technique that I learned from another teacher was from my cooperating teacher, Dale Duensing. He believed that for rehearsal success, nothing could substitute for preparation. He always said the teacher does the homework before the class starts, and it was not limited solely to score study. Preparation also included the arrangement and maintenance of the physical plant, clearly defined daily objectives, investigation of potential musical issues, equipment issues, and classroom management issues. I have followed this advice throughout my career.
    Thirty years later, I find that if a particular rehearsal did not go very well, 98% of the time my preparation was not thorough enough. It is a horrible feeling to walk away from a poor rehearsal knowing you were the one who did not do his job.

Duane Chun (Buena High School, Sierra Vista, Arizona): I had the good fortune to watch Richard Saucedo rehearse an All-State band. During one point in the rehearsal he was working a section of the band specifically on blend and balance – a few players were sticking out. He asked the band what were they listening to from those around them. He talked to the students about getting their sound within the sounds of the players around them. The concept of getting inside the sound of those next to you stuck with me. Not only does this help get a section sound blending and balancing in terms of tone, dynamics, and articulations, but tuning issues also improve.

Amanda Drinkwater (Marcus High School, Flower Mound, Texas): I cannot recall to whom this particular technique should be credited, but I learned early on in my teaching career to help students develop literacy by having the winds sightread passages on a single pitch.  When the students are in developmental stages, isolation of all performance elements aside from note accuracy (rhythm, style, volume) can ultimately help develop a more confident and mature performer.

Stephanie San Roman (Oswego High School, Illinois): The best rehearsal technique I learned from another director actually came from Ed Lisk’s publication, Alternative Rehearsal Techniques.  Basically, it is a tuning method that helps students eliminate the beats on a daily basis and creates pitch awareness skills that students will then utilize throughout the rehearsal. Not that eliminating the beats is anything new, but this process involves each section leader listening to the instrument below theirs, down to the tuba (who is the only one with a tuner). Once each section leader is in tune and balanced with the other instruments, it becomes the job of each section member to match pitch to their section leader. I like to have students do this individually – the section leader plays a concert F, then one section member joins in and adjusts as needed before moving onto the next section member. This may sound like it takes a long time for each student to check pitch with their section leader each day, but after establishing the routine, it only takes a few minutes. Incorporating this process on a daily basis has drastically improved the overall intonation in my ensembles.

Steve Katzenmoyer (Fleetwood Area School District, Pennsylvania): When you are behind the conductor’s stand, the students are the either listening or playing, not talking. Give the students breaks by stepping to the side of the conductor’s stand and letting them stand and stretch, talk to neighbors. Mutual respect is wonderful.

Matthew Temple (New Trier High School, Winnetka, Illinois): Music in a legato style quickly reveals a band’s ability to play with rhythmic integrity. Students often become sloppy with pulse due to the slow tempo and slurred/legato articulations that obscure the beginnings of notes. The typical solution is to instruct students to subdivide mentally. A rehearsal technique that dramatically improves this issue is what I call bopping. Some directors call this technique “playing the hits” or “attacks only.” This approach is frequently used on the marching band field, but works wonders in the concert setting as well. I learned it from my conducting mentor, Joseph Manfredo, who currently teaches at Illinois State University. Students play the rhythms as written in a given phrase, but don’t sustain notes any longer than an eighth note. This allows students to hear all composite rhythms clearly and align the beginnings of notes. You can use a metronome while doing this exercise or have students who are not playing subdivide out loud. When students return to the music as written with full rhythmic values, the difference in clarity is immediately obvious.

Brian Shelton (Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi): It is a simple but effective technique –  chanting rhythms in the proper style. I have used it with students from beginning bands to advanced college ensembles. It helps them to execute the rhythm properly, and it challenges their commitment to the style and intent of the music. It can also draw them out of their lethargy if I do not feel they are playing with energy.

Charles Staley (Neuqua Valley High School, Naperville, Illinois): I learned Happy Circle Time (my ensemble’s name for the exercise) from Dennis Glocke, Penn State. The winds/percussion set up in one very large circle, sitting anywhere they choose. The only rule is that they do not sit next to someone from their section.
Some examples of goals for this setting are:
•    Breathing together for more confident entrances
•    Establishing internal pulse for better ensemble vertical alignment
•    Shaping phrases
•    Becoming more aware of the relationship of their part to other musical lines

Gabe Musella (Spring High School, Texas): When you stop to correct or clarify the musical idea, be concise and efficient. Being wordy and vague only weakens your message and bogs down the flow of the rehearsal.

Steve Peterson (Ithaca College, New York): Persistence. Do not accept (or label) something as being good until it truly is. The good teacher is the person who will correct a mistake one more time than the student is willing to make it. Acknowledge accomplishment and im-provement as it happens, but don’t accept something that is less than is should be.

David Fodor (Evanston High School, emeritus, Illinois): I have had such great mentors over the years that it is hard to come up with just one specific technique. However, I would say that sharing your love for the music with both intensity and humor during rehearsals is important. One technique I saw Don Owens (Northwestern University, Emeritus) use that works well for me is having band members add a + or – to their dynamic markings, to emphasize listening for balance across an ensemble. Just because a player has a forte marking does not mean it is the most important thing to be heard, and conversely, a soloist might have a piano marking but need to be on top of the balance.

Elizabeth Peterson (Ithaca College): I learned (and I’m still learning) many rehearsal tricks or techniques from others. I have an old notebook that I refer to and continue to add to. I started writing in it in 1984. I stole ideas from college conductors, mentors, guest conductors, peers – any rehearsal I could observe. I still go the All-State rehearsals and steal ideas from the conductors. The trick is to make these ideas work for you – your style, personality, and energy. So, I can’t say that I have one technique I learned from others. I have many and when something seems stale, I go to that notebook and find another way to do it.

What is a helpful technique that you have developed?

Matthew Temple: I have spent a great deal of time working on the concept of listening relationships in my ensembles. It makes the difference between a good band and a truly great band.
The central tenet of this technique is listening versus watching. Sound is directional so every student has a unique vantage point in the ensemble. Players towards the back of the ensemble often have to watch the conductor more and play slightly ahead of what they hear.
    This applies most frequently to the percussion and low winds. Players closest to the conductor need to spend the majority of their time listening back for pulse and alignment. If they simply watch the conductor, they will often play ahead of the audible beat instead of waiting for the sound to arrive from behind them.
    Because textures vary throughout each composition, listening relationships are constantly in a state of flux. The conductor must help students identify which sections to listen to and at what moments in the music.

Fred David Romines: I like to have people with the melodic material play while those who will provide the accompaniment listen with a critical ear. As the soloist or section with the melody plays, I ask the others to listen for the expressive elements that are being applied (vibrato, increased pressure on certain notes – these could be places where the performers are shaping the melodic lines or pressing into the contours on the phrase. Then, I ask the other players who support these melodic ideas to provide the accompaniment that enhances, but does not obscure, the expressive elements of the melodic material. This usually results in a higher level of responsiveness from the accompaniment and also increased expression and musicality.

Charles Ebersole: I have developed a warm-up routine using a variety of materials: David Newell’s chorale books, the famous Fussell book, Richard Schwartz’s The Tuning C.D., a book of marches that I had compiled for us, and other materials. We use two or three things from this list at every rehearsal, but always begin by working on tone and intonation. Over the years, this focus on basics has helped the band to apply this knowledge to all the literature we play.

Brian Shelton: It is hardly original, but I engage the students through questioning, as with the Socratic method. No matter the group, I challenge them to answer questions about the music. No answer is wrong, and it is important that they feel safe when they answer. I then guide their answers so they come to my way of thinking and understand why I do what I do. The music becomes more meaningful and they take greater control of their own musicianship.

Stephanie San Roman: I know plenty of other people use this technique, but I like to have the entire band sing, play, and clap each other’s parts. If there is a tricky rhythm in the trombone part, I will write it on the board and have everyone figure it out and play it together on a concert F or other unison pitch. Then the rest of the band can stay on that unison pitch, and the trombones can switch to the pitches in the music. Again, this seems like common sense, but I remember how much of a difference it made when I started doing it consistently during my first year of teaching. This way everyone is engaged the entire rehearsal, and when the trumpets have the rhythm later on, they already know how to play it.

Mary Land:
•    Starting middle school band class in a dignified way sets the tone for the entire class rehearsal. I like for students to stand at the beginning of class, hold completely still, face the front, and wait for me to tell them to have a seat. This is our outward and visible sign that class has officially begun.
•    We all play together or we don’t play at all – a great phrase that basically means stop playing.
•    When the goal is a delicate release without clipping the note, let the note evaporate as if it were a puff of smoke.
•    Marcato notes are played in a pointed style
•    In order to play in a legato style, stretch and pull one note into the next.

David Fodor: After this many years of teaching, I have realized that I reuse many effective rehearsal tricks I have seen used before, perhaps with a twist. I enjoy using analogy and metaphor in rehearsals. These ideas generally surface at the moment a particular concept is perplexing the ensemble.
    For example, when I encounter the loss of intensity in a soft passage of music, I may relate it to the intensity of to trying to scream when you have laryngitis – it won’t be very loud, but it sure will be intense.
Another trick I use with younger players is called Wacky Friday. One Friday each semester, I allow the freshman band to sit wherever they like, as long as it is not their usual seat. This sounds like chaos, and there are some predictable outcomes, such as the tubas sitting in the front row, and friends who never get to sit next to each other plopping down together. However, my educational motives are to get students outside of the box for a different perspective on playing together, and to create a new listening experience for the day that we can discuss at the end of the rehearsal together.
    For the last five-to-ten minutes of the wacky rehearsal, I ask students to say what they heard differently, and how it affected their own playing. Details like blending, balancing, tuning, and articulating usually surface in this discussion, and students often have a stronger appreciation for their regular seating the next Monday. Speaking of the Monday after a Wacky Friday, the listening concepts carry across for you to continue improving those same details listed above and much more.

Justin Antos: I place a considerable emphasis on the warm-up procedure in my rehearsals. Every day as part of their warm-up, my students play through a particular major scale and arpeggio along with its three relative minor forms, play and sing through a chorale in the same key as the scale of the day from the Treasury of Scales book, do breathing exercises, and perform short rhythm exercises with the scale of the day using Garwood Whaley’s book Basics in Rhythm. This is where many of my students’ technique starts to take form. In my opinion, there is never an excuse to skip the warm-up.

Brian Anderson: I always begin and end each rehearsal with music-making. Current brain research says that in a 45 minute class period the first 20 minutes is the prime learning time, followed closely by the last 10 minutes of the period. During the middle 15 minutes the brain slows down and is not as active. With that in mind, it makes no sense to deliver announcements or perform administrative duties during the prime learning times. Use the down time for these duties and make them as brief as possible. Active music making should always be the main priority.

Duane Chun: I also like to use an analogy from Tim Mahar about keeping a steady tempo when making entrances, especially after long rests. He says, “it’s like jumping on a moving train – you need to be going the same speed before jumping on, else you’re going to get run over.” I find this opens the door for good discussions on how to keep time and pulse.

Charles Staley: About two weeks before a concert, I involve my wind ensemble students in setting priorities for rehearsal. I send the ensemble a recording of our most recent rehearsal and invite students to take note of musical problems requiring immediate attention at the next rehearsal. Students bring their answers to class. Each section selects what they agree to be the highest priority problem to solve. Many times, this ten-minute exercise sets our priorities for the next two or three rehearsals. The bonus is that all students (including the percussionists) do not mind spending time to address identified problems, even if they are not playing that particular segment. Students who are not playing actively listen to help assess our progress.
    A modified version of this exercise can be used with less experienced ensembles. I list three musical selections with different performance goals, and ask students which of the three selections needs the most work. Any one of the three selections will offer a wealth of problems to solve, so the students can’t make a wrong choice. By coming to a consensus on rehearsal priorities, there is a much better chance the students will buy in to the rehearsal process.

Elizabeth Peterson: I use the technique of isolation. I know that is not a trick and that isolating has to be balanced with good pacing. I think it is effective to isolate the melody, countermelody, harmony, harmonized melody, or however it breaks down. It is more effective to say, “let’s hear the people who have the melody” instead of “let’s hear the first clarinets, flutes and first trumpet.” It helps the students to learn their function. Also, isolate by instrument color: woodwinds, sax choir, all the clarinets, or whatever. When we isolate, others get to hear with whom they play. They learn each others parts in rehearsal. The trick is to not let them think that they can use this as time to practice their own part. Pacing is also an issue, but to keep everyone involved, you can have people subdivide out loud or ask them to listen and identify “the most out of tune note in that passage” or something about what they are hearing. Continue to ask specific questions about the music so all stay actively engaged.

Gabe Musella: A technique born out of limited rehearsal time when doing camp bands and region bands is to have first chairs in every section play a passage to establish the desired clarity and balance while other students finger through their music. Then I add everybody in with a simple instruction; “play no louder than what you just heard and fit into the established texture.” This is a quick way to obtain clear, noise-free, ensemble sound.

Steve Katzenmoyer: Never underestimate the value of recordings of the music you teach, particularly among beginning and intermediate students. You certainly don’t want students simply to copy what they hear on the recordings, but many students struggle with realizing the symbols on the printed page. Young students benefit from having a model to guide them as they become proficient on their instruments.

Steve Peterson: The craft of using questioning techniques to keep all students involved and motivated during a rehearsal.

The post Tips and Tricks That Make Everything Better appeared first on The Instrumentalist.