***ADVANCED BAND PERFORMANCES***
PEP RALLY (RED RIBBON WEEK) - Friday, October 21, 2011 - 2:30pm
PELICAN FAIR - Saturday, October 29, 2011 - 11am (arrive 10:30am)
GRANDPARENTS DAY - Thursday, November 17, 2011
CHRISTMAS CONCERT - Wed, December 7, 2011 - 6:30pm (arrive 6pm)
SPRING CONCERT - Wednesday, April 25, 2012 - 6:30pm (arrive at 6pm)
Message to Parents and Students
Missed practice (personal time or school time) cannot be replaced. It is very important that band students practice their instruments at least 15 minutes each day so they can develop and maintain the muscles and coordination necessary to be successful young musicians.
This does not have to be an intense mental and physical endeavor (see the PRACTICE section below). Practice time with instruments should be a time of review, exploration, and discovery....FUN!
Parents, thank you for supporting your child's musical experience.
Students, thank you for your attentiveness and participation in class.
PRACTICE GOALS and REMINDERS
1) assemble instrument correctly (and quickly)
2) correct posture
3) correct hand position
4) correct breathing
Daily practice, at the least, should include playing "long" tones of all notes covered in class (notes and rudiments for percussionists):
1) hold steady pitch for as long as possible
(percussion: Left and Right strokes sound the same)
2) tongue pitches ("too" or "doo"...NOT "HOO")
3) maintain supportive embouchure/hand position
(not too tight; not too loose; no puffy cheeks)
A more extensive practice session will also include one or more of the following:
1) review of materials covered in class
2) working on small parts of a selection that are challenging
(skips, leaps, fingerings, rudiments, etc.)
3) explore other selections or notes we have not covered in class
ALWAYS make best effort to:
1) maintain a consistent good tone - (continuous air stream)
2) maintain a steady beat
3) play rhythms correctly
4) maintain proper articulation (tonguing or sticking)
5) play phrases (breath in correct places; includes percussionists)
6) play correct articulation (slurs, accents, staccato, marcato, etc.)
7) attention to dynamics (p, mp, f, ff, crescendo, decrescendo, etc.)
AFTER PRACTICE SESSION
1) remove reeds (clarinet and saxophone)
2) empty water out of instrument
* brass, use water keys
* woodwinds, use swabs
3) wipe instrument with soft cloth
4) pack instruments
The metronome keeps a steady beat for you. Set the tempo to as slow as you need to play without mistakes. PERCUSSIONISTS...use this when practicing the rudiments andbegin with one stroke per click.
TUNING
You must begin the tuning process with CORRECT POSTURE, EMBOUCHURE, and AIR.
If you have to relax your embouchure to match the pitch,
your pitch is sharp and you need to "pull out" (mouthpiece, slide or head joint).
If you have to "tighten" your embouchure, your pitch is flat and
you need to "push in."
