MIDDLE SCHOOL BAND POST 23

Inspect instruments. Have an agreement with members that you may check instruments anytime with or without their presence. Do this during open periods, lunch hour, etc.

Woodwinds: look for bent keys, weak springs(no springs!?), missing corks/compressed corks which let keys rise too high thus causing pitch to be sharp, keys which play the throat tones of cl.(G#, A, Bb) are likely to need adjustment, fl. head joint cork placement, use a leak light inside saxes and other large WW, try alternate fingerings such as trill keys, cl. 1st line Eb with fingers 1 and 4/ similiar 1 & 4 notes on other WW, bent ligatures, dirty mpces, joint/mpce. corks. Reed players should have at least 3 playable reeds in an approved reed case.

Brass: In my H.S. band there were unannounced inspections. Members would stand behind their chairs, then pull all slides and put them on the chair. Dented slides are sent to the repair shop. Brass should have a mpce. brush, flexible tube cleaner, oil, etc. Explain carefully the damage this cleaner can do to the inside of a valve casing.

WW mouthpiece cleanliness: use mpce. brush - DON'T touch tip of mpce with brush. Clean tip gently with soft cloth. Explain, that in order to thrive, germs need darkness, dampness, and warmth which is just what the mpce. provides. Or you could mention the girl in one of my early bands who wore lots of lipstick. I asked to see her cl. and found that the reed was a reddish black, and didn't need a ligature to hold it on.

Do these things regularly during the school year. Don't use rehearsal time during contest preparation.

MIDDLE SCHOOL BAND POST 22

Endurance and mature sounds are prerequisites for a good performance. In beginning band you should have stressed the ability to play various dynamic levels while maintaining intonation and tonal quality. Band members never practice enough at home. Make the band rehearsal a physical experience which strengthens the embochures and diaphrams. Demand a full sound when the score calls for it. Too many kids will not maintain a full tone. Don't let them be anonymous. Hear solos to find out who the weak sisters are. Don't ridicule or berate these kids. The embarrassment of exposure is enough. Tell them to work on this at home, and then play again later.

Why don't they play full sounds? Could be bad embochures/breath support, laziness, bad reeds/mouthpieces, dirty brass tubing, non-assertive personalities, physical weakness, immaturity, health problems. We band directors are paid a lot of money because we can diagnose and treat the foregoing maladies. Yeah, yeah, I know!

Serendipity led me to a booth at the TX Bandmasters Assoc. in San Antonio about 30 years ago. Bernard Portnoy was showing his clarinet mpces., etc. I liked the sound and bought one for myself. Later I talked the H. S. director into buying enough for the entire middle school cl. section. The investment paid off. Tone and intonation improved. Of course, you still have to get embochures and breath support right.

Less than 4 weeks until concert contest..........

MIDDLE SCHOOL BAND POST 21

Post 20 spoke of hearing 2 people play together to check tuning. You might ask which one is the the A440 guy. Certain players were designated as the standard for tuning in their section. Yeah, they liked having other members coming to them for the pitch. The band should have learned the correct position of tuning slides/barrell joints/mpces/head joint position and cork location long ago.

Don't forget to tune the valve slides for the F/Bb Horn as well as the 2 tuning slides. Also, there are some lazy players who resist the effort of properly placing the hand in bell. You will hear bad intonation, but which one is the culprit? Suggest the other members seated behind the horns be aware of horn hand placement - the idea that someone is watching may help. If you place the 1st horn on the right side of section, then he/she can monitor the section. However, I preferred to seat the section leader on the left side so as to exert musical leadership by playing through the section. Developing pride within the horn section is the best way to solve this problem.

Yes, we do need electronic tuners. But the final test of tuning is hearing 2 people play together.

Less than 4 weeks until the contest.

MIDDLE SCHOOL POST 20

Start your rehearsals with full band playing. No matter how bad the trombones were at measure 30 yesterday, it's important to begin with everyone. Focus on musical aspects: communication between baton and performers - precision, dynamics, phrasing, balance, style. Stop the band as necessary to make corrections. Be concise. Don't waste rehearsal time.

Intonation? Too many directors waste time listening to individuals play with an electronic tuner, telling the pupil to "push in" or "pull out". They should have learned to play in tune with another person early in their first year of instruction. Tell your band to be responsible for playing contest music in tune with another person. When the group is beginning to tire, give them a brief rest by calling on 2 players to perform a few slow, legato notes in unison. Let the band judge their tuning by answering yes or no on cue. Go quickly to other pairs. Those not in tune should play for you before the next rehearsal. In one minute's time 3 or 4 pairs can play.

What was wrong with the trombones at measure 30? Were they out of tune? Do they know that when they play the arpeggio Ab, C, Eb beginning on the top line of the staff, without moving the slide, that there will be at least 2 notes out of tune? Other arpeggios? If they have not previously used this tuning process, DON'T start now. It will only make things worse. Work on it after the contest.

This contest preparation is about middle school bands, but is completely applicable to high school bands. Less than 4 weeks before contest...........

MIDDLE SCHOOL BAND POST 19

We just finished 6 weeks of section rehearsals(Post 12), and have 4 weeks until contest.

Record all 3 pieces, stopping briefly after each one. Your teaching partner(or guest judge) will be writing comments. Then begin spot rehearsing. What the judge has to say and what you hear on tape may keep you awake that night.

Be sure no sections or individuals are too loud or too soft. The band may be well balanced and in tune at the MF level, but lose those qualities as they crescendo or decrescendo. At the FF level some members will be playing their maximum good sound while others will have to hold back a little.

Occasionally the balance can be improved with a pencil. Analyze the score and reinforce the weak parts. Once I found only 2 players had the 3rd of the chord. They were the 2nd horn and the 2nd alto sax - both young/puny players. I added the 1st trombonist to that part and balanced the chord. In my H. S. band I had a 1st chair all-state alto saxophonist who sometimes reinforced the 3rd cl. section on technical passages. Edit the parts for those who can't play all the notes. Simplify, or if absolutely necessary, just tell them not to play that passage. No, you shouldn't always play music that every one can play perfectly. This is unfair to those acheivers who are capable of performing on a high level. However, some of the contest music should be technically easy enough for everyone.