Middle School Band Question
ARR LEBON1
your favorite pieces for starting the year for different levels of groups in
the Middle School bracket.
What do you do to start the year with your second and third year bands?
What do you do with for the first day of beginning band?
How do you help kids select instruments that they will be succesful at for the
start of beginning band?
When will your first performance be?
Lets take this newsgroup back from the spammers for awhile and talk about some
band subjects!!!!!!
Jim LeBon
Paul Lorigan
snip>
> What do you do to start the year with your second and third year bands?
>
The first day we play (which is actually not until the third day of
school),I usually start with a simple chorale - "The Crusaders" works
well every time. Next I will start with a grade 1 1/2 piece (in my
district the kids don't learn an instrument until 7th grade, so most
kids have only been playing a year) that is fun and energetic. After
being away from band for the summer, I find that it is best if I ease
them back in. The first year I taught, I tried to have them play
"Mars" on the first day and it was a disaster!
> What do you do with for the first day of beginning band?
>
Rules and procedures. Actually our first day of school is a shortened
day. The next day is spent picking instruments. Breathing comes next
and then we start to work on rhythm. When everyone has there
instruments checked out or rented from the music store, they learn how
to put them together. This is often the most challenging class of the
year, as there are 50 students in one class with mixed instruments.
> How do you help kids select instruments that they will be succesful at for the
> start of beginning band?
This is the most difficult part of my job. Everyone wants to play
clarinet. I start with a survey. Last year nearly everyone came back
with clarinet marked first and flute marked second. To help solve
this problem, I bring in some of the advanced kids, and if possible a
few high school kids, to demonstrate brass instruments and a few less
common ones like oboe and french horn. I find that when they see
their peers playing other instruments, than they are more likely to
try one.
>
> When will your first performance be?
Third week of December.
>
> Lets take this newsgroup back from the spammers for awhile and talk about some
> band subjects!!!!!!
Great Thread!
-Paul Lorigan
Jeff Kelleher
plor...@mail.fremont.k12.ca.us (Paul Lorigan) wrote:
> arrl...@aol.com (ARR LEBON1) wrote in message
news:<20010717092747...@ng-mk1.aol.com>...
>
>
> snip>
> > What do you do to start the year with your second and third year bands?
Plat simple music that they can feel good about. No, I don't always do
this, but on the first day of band, I want them to play something they can
feel good about. Actually, I always have them warm up with some short
(8-24 measures) chorale. I can raise my baton, give a dwonbeat, and have
them play something they know, or can read, and play well.
> >
Anyone care to offer their favorite few pieces for Middle School Band? How
about "Portrait of a Soldier", Cimmaron Overture", "Famous Canon" or
"Pavane" (Faur
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