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 month, or just the one or two that you like.
Say Something Positive Every Time You Stop
We are so trained to look for the problems that we often focus on what is going wrong. The song could be almost perfect and the best that the band has ever played it, but we tend to focus on the one thing that went wrong. I have to fight against this all the time. Before jumping into correction think of something positive to say.
Stay Off The Podium Two-Thirds Of The Time
This is my daily goal! I find myself failing at it all the time. I have to constantly remind myself to step off the podium. First, it gives us a chance to be closer to the students in the back. That’s where you often have discipline problems. Most of that is due to proximity to the teacher. If you’re walking around all the time, then the students don’t know at any moment where you’re at. I teach beginners. Sometimes students who I thought had good posture from the front of the room, when I get behind them, I can see errors in their posture.
Make One Comment About Tone To Every Section In The Band
What do they need to improve? More air? Clarinets, smile to make your embouchure tighter. Don’t do this every time you stop, but try to make one comment to every section during a class period.
Use The Last 10 Minutes Of Rehearsal As A Run Through
In my rehearsals, we often focus on a concept, spend time practicing it, and work with deep concentration. A run-through helps dissipate some of that tenseness. It also allows you to hear whether the teaching stuck. I like to keep it going quickly. I don’t stop for in-depth teaching, but might stop if they completely rolled through something we had worked on.
Learn Something New About One Student Each Day
This could be it’s own chapter about relationship building. It can be very interesting, especially at a title one school, to find out about a family’s history or their family situation or their living situation.
Make Lots Of Eye Contact
We can get so buried in our score sometimes that we forget that we’re making an emotional connection with the students. They will know that we care when we’re making eye contact with them regularly.
Engage The Entire Band
I once had a clinician – well known and respected – who spent an entire 90 minute class period working on measures 1-8 of the piece with my low brass section. I was too young to think I could ask him to move on. The band hated it. It can be easy to just with whatever section we’re working with. How do we engage others? Get them to clap. Get them to play “air instruments.” Sometimes I have my percussion players “air play” without actually hitting the drum head.
Pick One Exercise To Play Faster and Faster
And faster and faster, all the way to the very end of class.This gives a chance for the advanced students to be challenged. I usually use the metronome when I’m using this technique. I start with a tempo that I know everybody can play. I keep increasing the tempo, lose a few, increase, lose, increase. I go until I lose everybody. Then we might try clapping it at the super, super fast speed and bring everybody back in. They realize it’s almost impossible to clap it at that tempo. It always makes for a lot of fun. It humbles many students who think they’re better and are always asking for increased tempo.
I hope that these tips have helped add spice to your rehearsals.
James is retired from full time teaching. He has served private, suburban, and Title 1 schools and now teaches half time at a charter school. Find out more about James at www.jamesdivine.net Subscribe to his podcast Almost Everything I’ve Learned About Teaching Band.
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