NACB

As guest conductor for the NACB this week, I was able to hold my 1st rehearsal in my new band room, and conduct the concert!

• In regular rehearsals, we don't play the national anthems, so I didn't either, but I got a little nervous thinking about it and should have practiced it. However it went off almost flawlessly. The band wanted to slow down more than I did towards the end, so I followed them a little more than I should have.
• Fairest of the Fair went quite well, though I had to relax - they didn't go my tempo. I think it was the percussion & trumpets that slowed us down.
• Sabre Dance sounded great but the trumpets missed the repeat at the beginning. I was holding up a finger so they'd wait, but they weren't watching. Given another opportunity I'd hold that hand up higher.
• Best Broadway Marches was overall very good, but a train wreck in the middle. The tempo was supposed to be suddenly quick again and trumpets enter, but they totally missed it. I tried to start there quickly, and they still didnt' play! The THIRD time, they got it. I was real happy with the slower section, as the low instruments followed me quite well.
• The Beatles Forever was smooth.
• Trumpets, Ole! Great tune, and the group got the tempo changes very well. Big help from George the tubist.
• Burnished Brass was easily played right through.
• Hello, Dolly was trouble. The middle section got kind of screwed up with the sound effects and missed entrances. It was still fun though.
• Shenandoah is such a nice tune. The baritone player wasn't quite loud enough, but my 1st clarinets kept their level down just right.
• Dry Bones is awesome. I almost skipped it, but the clarinet players really wanted it (probably since they get to stand up!)
• We didn't play the last two songs, due to lightning. I was really ready for Men of Ohio, too!

NEBDI 2011

Jeff King - Getting Your Students to Practice

• Mr. King believes that the best way to get students to practice is to set clear objectives with a definite timeline for those objectives
  
  • Instrument checks (reeds, cleanliness, functionability, name tag, pencil, other supplies)
    
  • Notebook check
  • Parent sign-off (Students & parents BOTH must be made aware of the objectives & deadlines)
  • scales/rudiments
  • solo
  • concert pieces
  • these objective are laid out in 6-week syllabus, basically
    
• Rhythmic Values page has easy to difficult rhythms (pg37)
  
• "How to Practice" informative sheet for parents (pg39)
• The Duncanville Band has a very cool little logo - could NCUHS get one??
• The "Weekly Rehearsal Planner" (from "Setting Rehearsal Priorities" booklet, pg26) could be very useful, with minor adjustments, and could be used as lesson plans for Band.
• FOUNDATIONS FOR SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE
  
  • The fingering chart is extended, which is great for HS
  • "Concert F around the Band" (pass around F, or 5ths, etc)
    
  • Articulation exercises - tenuto, "lifted", staccatto
  • Long tones - LOTS of long tones
    
    • brasses should do some with only mouthpieces
    • mix up the exercises
  • Warm-ups are great instrument-specific exercises
  • Scales & tuning exercises, too
    

Robert Duke - Beautiful

Rik Pfenninger - New Concepts in Linear Improvisation

• www.rpimprov.com
• You only need FOUR SCALES to improvise
• The Jazz Theory Book
• Band in a Box
• REAL BOOK, Vol.6

Kevin Sedatole, MI State
Conducting Using the Laban Technique & Choosing Quality Literature

• Based on work of Rudolph Laban