Jazz is my forte. Yet in my entire career I have worked with small – sometimes tiny – jazz bands. I have started jazz bands from scratch several times. Here are four strategies for working with a small jazz band. #1 – Jamie Aebersold Play-AlongsThese have been around at least since the 1980s when I …
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It’s normal to make mistakes. Here are the Top 13 Mistakes Director’s Make – and I’ve been guilty of all of them. #13 – Not Planning Enough: You need to plan, plan, plan, have a calendar, whatever works for you. I need a visual calendar showing me a month at a time. I plan the …
We hear so much about doing the proper score study to prepare for instrumental ensembles. In my earlier years of teaching, I really struggled with it. No time. No energy. Through the years, I found a way to make it a little bit easier. I sit down with my scores, a pencil, and a notebook. …
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I soon tired of finagling with grades and trying to account for everything! Pencils, participation, pejorative looks. Can you keep up with all of that? If so, great. It seemed too time consuming to me. My system has evolved over 26+ years of teaching and is VERY simple. The “old” way of doing things is …
Read more “Rethinking the Score: Radical Grading Approaches in Band Education”
Marching Band should be a part of the program at all high schools. Do you agree or disagree? Why? I have found that many who disagree have been hurt in the past by a school that has abused their time and led to burnout. Marching band adds to students’ lives in so many ways. I …
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Add Some Spice To Your Rehearsal Spices take something that already tastes decent and makes it just a little better. That’s what these ideas can do for your rehearsals. Don’t try to incorporate ALL of these ideas in one day. You’ll drive yourself crazy. Try one a week, or one a day, or one a …
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8 Strategies For Surviving I absolutely love teaching! I love teaching music! But there have been MANY times I thought of leaving the profession. At those times, I had to dig deep and remember my calling. I’ve had to look at other jobs and think, “What would those be like,” ultimately deciding that I didn’t …
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Spend some time on your resume’ (but not too much). Some of this may depend on what point you are at in your career, but generally speaking, prospective employers don’t care that… They might care that… What they care about the most… Have an expert look at your resume’. When I say expert, I mean …
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Guest Post by Gary Barton Though heterogeneous beginning band means that all instruments are being taught simultaneously in one room, the scenario may not be the same from school to school. Some schools have mixed instrument classes but more than one teacher may be assigned. I have seen classes with just one teacher, but other …
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In 1986 I attended the Army School of Music or – as we affectionately called it – The Pool of Mucus. It was a great time for me, although it was also a very busy time. I started school in October 1986, was married in December of 1986, and was determined to “advance out”, to …
Read more “Cockroaches in the Coffee, Tablecloths, and Music”
Three community members in a two month period! A couple of years ago, we lost the district superintendent. She was hit while riding her bike – and many in our community witnessed it happening! Shortly after, a student was killed in a car accident. Soon after that, a student committed suicide. WE got the word …
Warning! Don’t try to change everything when you are new to the position. Listen to the “why things are done this way” of your community. There may even be a reason to keep a “bad” tradition for a time. When I started at my 2nd school, I noticed that there were absolutely no traditions to …
Teaching a Brand New Drum Major The first and most important thing is to teach the drum major how to sound a roll off, usually in conjunction with the drummers. Here’s a decent example of a roll-off. Have your drummers learn a cadence. When the drum major wants the band to play, he/she will blow …
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+ 6 More Tips #1 Get To Know The Secretaries and Custodians I taught high school for 13 years. We had an outstanding secretary named Joyce. We became friends. Even after she retired and moved away, I went to visit her and her husband. She set the tone for the entire school culture with her …
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Have you ever noticed that the flutes are often the best behaved students in the band while the drummers…well, you know! YOU can do a few simple things to turn this around. It’s not that flutes are better than percussionists. The saxes are the absolute best section. Podium The podium FEELS safe, but it can …
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I know exactly how to fail at work life balance. I burned out – TWICE!!!! It happened at my first teaching job about 6-7 years in. I was determined not to let it happen again. It happened at my 2nd teaching job about 11–12 years in. I was determined not to let it happen again. …
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I’m NOT against Christmas – I promise Those who know me well know I have a strong faith in Jesus Christ, and Christmas is an important holiday in that faith, but I quit doing Christmas concerts decades ago. So much is happening in December already! Everybody seems to be putting on a performance. Every school …
It was about 5 years after the passing of my father-in law (Frank Brummet), managing his funeral and dealing with his estate when we finally felt strong enough, emotionally, to begin the long process of going through his lifetime collection of poetry, short stories and memoirs. You see, he gave us the rights to his …
The Big Lie One of the biggest lies we’ve told students – not on purpose – is that practice makes perfect. Not true! Perfect practice makes perfect! But most students don’t know how to practice. Early in my career I often had students fill out impressive practice logs with 10 hours a week of practice. …
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I once had a colleague who was my feeder for the high school band. He made a statement that bothered me some. He stated, “I don’t worry too much about posture and tone. I’m focusing on getting the kids to have fun and enjoy band and figure you will fix those things when they reach …
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No single method of discipline will work for every student in every situation. Each student is different and may need a different approach. And the student who always does what they’re supposed to but is having a bad day will require a different approach than a student who never does what they’re supposed to. It’s …
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Establish AND Practice Routines and Procedures The time you invest early in the school year in processes and procedures will pay HUGE dividends throughout the year! Teachers often tell me, “I just don’t have time to spend on procedures.” I understand that we all want to perform the best that we can at concerts, and …
Julie trying out a trumpet Music is a language onto its own, but it requires a master translator to bring it to the masses. In my 26 years as a teacher, I have had the opportunity to observe a lot of teachers. Julie Harrison is the absolute best! I had an opportunity to work with …
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As humans, we lean towards the easy but that’s not always what we are called to do. Everybody has a purpose, a reason for being on this earth. One person described life as being composed of two critical moments… In case you are not familiar with his story, here are a few highlights about Moses. …
In 1989, I was in the Army Band and received orders to be reassigned to Japan. I was so excited – and so was my lovely bride. We enjoy experiencing new cultures, meeting new people, and having our minds expanded by different ways people do things around the world. In the days leading up to …
I saw this posted recently. I don’t know if it’s a true story, but it definitely sounds like how Yogi would explain jazz. Interviewer: Can you explain jazz? Yogi: I can’t, but I will. 90% of all jazz is half improvisation. The other half is the part people play while others are playing something they …
When it comes to musical instruments, the saxophone stands apart as a true masterpiece. With its unparalleled ability to evoke emotion, its versatile sound range, and its captivating blend of elegance and energy, the saxophone has rightfully earned its place as one of the most beloved and revered instruments in the world of music. Recently …
Believe it or not, 36+ years in the music field and I almost didn’t join band in 6th grade! Maybe I didn’t know the benefits, or maybe I was just too young to care. Learning a musical instrument offers a wide range of benefits that extend beyond simply acquiring a new skill. The most important …
I’m a band teacher and belong to several social media sites where other members can post questions, express struggles, and share resources. It’s great most of the time, but I have noticed a disturbing trend where, when responding to a member’s difficult situation – instead of posting helpful advice – members post responses like this: …