In general, I would like all of my band
students, grades 6th through 12th , to have a better
understanding of dynamics, form, improvisation, and intonation.
In the high school band I try to use our
contest pieces to incorporate lessons with such information. For example, this
contest season the high school band is playing “Air for Band” and “Fantasy on
an Early American Marching Tune.” Since “Air for Band” is rather straightforward
structurally, I used it to show the students parallel period and antecedent and
consequence phrases. After this particular lesson, the students did a stronger
job of holding the phrases out. One student told me “now that I understand that
is a half cadence, I want to play it longer.”
To work on intonation I occasionally hook a
Smart Music microphone up to the computer connected to the projector and we
make a game out of which section is playing the most in tune. The large
projection of the turner really helps students see what sound they are
producing, but it takes a lot of preparation and time out of rehearsing. I need
to promote that activity more often.
For dynamics I record the students playing a
piece or excerpt and play it back to them. While they’re listening, they draw a
picture to show their dynamic range. This usually prompts them to be more
extreme with their dynamics, but it usually seems to be quickly forgotten by
the next class period.
Improvisation is the area that I need to work
on the most in terms of developing staged lessons. Students are too overwhelmed
to jump in a play a non-written solo (or anything non-written for that matter)
and so far my exercises have not done the trick. I am going to look into using
a method book for improvisation, specifically something that could be used in
the concert band setting as well as in jazz band.
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