BEGINNING BAND

FUNDAMENTALS
THAT WORK THROUGH
HIGH SCHOOL
Presented by: Julie Capps
Missouri Music Educators’
Association Convention
January 29, 2016
Tan-Tar-A Resort
Chuck Appleton
Establish routines and
procedures in order to
utilize your rehearsal
time to the maximum.

You must have a system

for every aspect of your
teaching and use it
every single time you
teach that objective.
 Have a routine and stick to it,
not only does this let the
students know what they are
supposed to do each day when
they enter the classroom and
what is expected of them, but it
saves time.

The students should know the

warm up routine and be ready
to do that as soon as they sit
down. Put your agenda for the
day on the board.
Be particular about how you set up
your chairs and stands.

Take the time to teach the student

show to safely take the instrument
out of the case and put it away
properly, and teach proper care and
maintenance of the instruments. It
will save you much time and
trouble later.
 THE METHOD
BOOK
Select your beginning band method
book carefully. Then, later, make sure
the music is an extension of your
teaching. Don’t just teach the
concert. Don’t be afraid to continue
using a method book.
Wm. G. Mack
You must start with the basics.
You can assume nothing. What
is your goal for the first year?

The more time you spend on

fundamentals, the better. You
will reap the benefits of this for
years to come.

Tomatoes. 
Drill the fundamentals, no matter
what grade you are teaching. 8-5,
scale patterns, rhythmic exercises, etc.
Don’t slack off on fundamentals
because a concert/contest is coming
up because your band will reflect this
in the way they look and sound if the
foundations are not addressed.
 Air is the lifeblood of the sound.

Most band method books do not emphasize the importance

of breathing. (Breath impulse) Make this an essential part of
your teaching and consistently emphasize the importance
of breath control.

Teach diaphragmatic breathing. Don’t just assume it will

happen. 10% vs. 100%

If students aren’t breathing correctly, it is possible that

other bad habits will develop in trying to create a sound.

Windjammer!
 No one can play an instrument without good
breath support.

Students don’t really practice deep breathing.

You must discuss this, demonstrate it and then
constantly monitor it. We don’t just naturally
breath this way.

Nearly all problems with tone can be fixed with

simply
more air.

Fast, cold air vs. warm air

 THE PRELIMINARY LESSON

Don’t move too quickly. Stay on this lesson as long

as it takes.

Modeling—Suzuki kind of approach

Trial and Error- MUCH Repetition

Articulation:
Start the tone with the tongue, but release with the
air stream.
 Establishing a solid embouchure and
producing a characteristic tone quality
on the instrument should the #1 goal of
the beginning band teacher.

Mouthpieces ONLY-tuning pitches.

Flutes, closed mouthpiece-A
Clarinets, mouthpiece & barrel-F sharp
Alto Saxes, mouthpiece & neck A flat

Brass-Humming and buzzing pitches

 GOOD POSTURE IS AN
ACQUIRED HABIT AND THE
TIME TO START IS THE FIRST
DAY.
Monitor hand positions and posture constantly.
Acquired good habits as opposed to bad habits.
Insist on good posture and hand position. Never falter
from this.

Do not allow the students to develop bad habits.

Good posture and hand position are acquired habits and
the time to start is the first day. Then, when you go to
contest, your ensemble LOOKS like they're going to be
great!
Have a counting system. I use the Eastman
system of counting because of the “t” syllables.
Use this always, even in the sight-reading room.

Start with the pyramid of notes and rests.

You must teach the student to sub-divide the

beat. Teaching the students to count and
subdivide should be one of the most important
goals in beginning band because that will carry
over in every aspect of junior high and high
school band.

Diagram rhythms.
Which is more important, playing a
right note or a right rhythm?

Have the students count every day.

(Sizzle, clap, sing, etc.)

If you can’t count it, you can’t play it!

Don’t dismiss rhythmic exercises:

Rhythm Master, Division of Beat, 101
Rhythms and Rests, Sight-reading, etc.

The most successful bands in the

sight-reading rooms are those with a
system of counting the rhythms.
Lecture 999
Rests are just as important as the notes in music.

Students must learn to observe musical silences now and then things like
such as caesuras, grand pauses, etc. will make more sense later.

Silence can have a dramatic impact in a performance. Teach the students

to respect that silence.

I do not let beginning band students put their horns down in the rests.
(Method book)

Keep tapping the foot and counting through the rests, even if it is at the
end of a line.

Consider how importance counting rests are in the sight-reading room!

(whole rests in 3/4 time)

Making sounds in rests……

Thomas J. Price
Cindy Price Svehla
 MODEL FOR YOUR STUDENTS

This is so important in Beginner Band, but is still

as valuable later, too.

Play for your students! Demonstrate good tone,

phrasing, articulation and style. Show them what it
is to be a musician. They need to know what a
good supported resonant tone sounds like. Help
them develop their inner ear by modeling.
Note: This is NOT rote teaching…..
 STUDENTS ARE A REFLECTION OF
THEIR TEACHER

You don’t have to play the trombone…play on what

you’re good at!

We ask our students to practice. As teachers, we

should show the students we are also active in
playing. Practice your craft!

We are also life long learners! Let your students

know that you are still actively involved in your craft!
UTILIZE YOUR
REHEARSAL
TIME TO THE
FULLEST
EXTENT
Be organized and prepared.

Know exactly what you are

setting out to accomplish in
each rehearsal.

Have an efficient way to

take care of attendance,
etc. in a way that won’t take
away from rehearsal time.
Have a plan to handle student
questions, music requests, repair
problems, etc. in a way that won’t rob
from your rehearsal time. I just will
not fix instruments during class. I
may be able to identify a problem, but
I won’t stop the flow of the rehearsal
to correct the problem. Often, I can’t
fix it anyway…..

If you lose ten minutes in a rehearsal

every day, that’s about 35 rehearsals
per school year, or 20% of your time.
As a conductor, you must be able
to identify mistakes that will correct
themselves and the ones that need
to be immediately identified and
corrected.

Know what you are going to say

when you stop and how you plan to
improve it.

Comments must be made for a

reason.
Don’t just stop in rehearsal to
talk about something that
needs fixed.

Know how to fix it and have a

plan to do so.

Stop for a reason, identify it and

drill it. Solve it!

Make it clear why you have

stopped.

Know the score before you go to

the podium.
Wm. G. Mack
 A beautiful, resonant tone quality
must be “burned into their
minds.” The sooner, the better.
 Recommend listening to
professional recordings. That’s so
easy now!
 Long tones, warm-ups, lip slurs.
(Like brushing your teeth)! Explain
to the students that even
professional musicians still play
long tones and warm ups. If
nothing else, use this time to walk
around and monitor hand
positions, slide positions posture,
etc.
 Don Hanna Daily Warm Ups
Teach HOW to practice. Practice makes
awesome! Teaching the students how to
practice effectively at home on their own
should be a goal. (Ownership)
Don’t practice until you get it right,
practice until you can’t get it wrong!!!
Again, monitor embouchures and breath
support.
Later on, play chorales, small ensembles,
work on tone across the registers, use
scales, chromatic scale.
NEVER sacrifice tone for volume!
Wm. G. Mack
 You can never over listen in regards to intonation.

It is just about impossible to tune a bad tone quality.

Again, this goes back to the applicable set of
fundamentals. You must start working on this on Day
One!
You must tune every day in band. The students need to
know that’s how important it is!
Tuning takes practice. It is an acquired skill.
Tuners, to use them or not to use them? That is the
question.
You must train your students at some point to take some
responsibility for their pitch. (Ownership)
Flutes don’t play in tune. Flute players do.
 Anchor your pitch to the bass line and
balance that way.
Students must play in tune within the section as well as across the
band.
Students musts be taught to listen across the band. Not only does
this help intonation, but also blend.
Mix it up sometimes. (Instrumentation/seating)
They must play in tune within the section, as well as across the
band.
Students need to know the tuning tendencies of their instruments
and how to adjust for those.
Just because the band starts out tuned, doesn’t mean that at some
point, small adjustments might not need to be made. Students
need to learn to listen for these moments and know what to do to
“fix” them.
TEACHING
BEGINNING BAND
WHEN IT’S JUST
ME, MYSELF & I
Motivation is The Key
Set high expectations!
10 second daily playing test….a must in my book.
Chair order….make first chair a big deal
Incentive charts
Spark plug, Brownie points
Practice charts…you decide..
Invite “judges” or clinicians to your classroom.
The best way to motivate students is through performance. Look for these
opportunities.
Middle School Contest
Make your band students feel like they are the most important people in the school.
Funding…Boxtops for Education, Lids for Kids, Best Choice, Prairie Farms,
Campbell’s, PTO
 ON RECRUITING
This should be an ongoing process, not just a once a year thing.
Start band in 5 th or 6th grade? Time is more important than the grade level.
Don’t be afraid to start tubas, French horn…
Pyramid of sound
Mexican Hat Dance routine.
Instrument Testing~Special Thanks to the Staff at Palen Music Company for
preparing and sharing the document that is in your packet today.
YBNB&
Tell the advantages of being in band…..test scores, etc.
Don’t hide the fact that you want the students in your program, but accept
gracefully that not everyone will want to be in band. (That’s hard for me).

Be particular about the equipment you want, unfortunately you may not
always get it!
Band kids are my favorite kids. They’ll remember!
Use your older kids, especially the quarterbacks or
cheerleaders, etc. Show the diversity of your group.
Discuss sports, cheerleading, etc.
No one sits on the bench in band!
Don’t do something because your friends are! But, yes,
do!!!
Everyone gets to sing, or draw or cook at home. Band is
the one chance to learn an instrument without paying for
private lessons, so give it a try!
They’re not signing their lives away. Just try an
instrument!
Certificates & Medals…which brings me to contest….They
learn more in that one month than all year: solos, small
ensembles.
Ownership, pride, teamwork, a sense of accomplishment
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
 Scott Kuhlman

 Chuck Appleton

 Palen Music Company

 Liza Zumbrummen

 Jim Oliver

 William G. Mack

 Rob Goade
 Julie Capps
[email protected]
0 Resources:
0 Rhythm Master Books 1 & 2
0 JR McEntyre & Harry Haines
0 Division of Beat, Books 1A, 1B & 2
0 JR McEntyre & Harry Haines
0 Sight Reading For Band, Vol. 1 & 2
0 B.G. Evans & Norman J. Nelson

0 Please feel free to contact me for more information or

for any documents in email form.
 Thanks to Hal Leonard
and
Southern Music Company.
0 Hal Leonard for allowing my request to use and print
parts of the Rhythm Master Band Book 1 during this
clinic this January. Southern Music Company owns
the rights to this publication. Permission was
granted.

0 “Used by permission of Southern Music Company”