The jazz ensemble warmup is a great opportunity to teach some scales that are useful in jazz improvisation. Common modes like mixolydian or dorian will help get the players moving around their horns and will also give them some basic improvisational tools.
When planning to teach a new selection that includes a tricky rhythm, I suggest teaching the rhythm separately before sight reading the piece.
Beginning band instructors spend a lot of their time at the end of the school year recruiting future ensemble members.
It’s no secret that detailed lesson planning is a great way to produce immediate results. However, this planning can take student learning to the next level when combined with long-term goals.
Retention is a topic that is important to all of us, as it can impact the quality of our band programs and our job security.
What we learned while earning a degree in music education only cracked the surface of what’s needed to be an effective teacher.
Having enjoyed more than thirty years in choral classrooms, I’ve had lots of experience with what works, and what doesn’t.
As the school year begins we all have plans of grandeur. Who among us hasn’t thought, “This is the year my ensemble will get superior ratings,” or perhaps, “This year, everything will come together just in time for the musical!” Imagine taking all these goals – and your students – on a metaphorical school bus ride.
Beginning improvisers need our support. We can give them a blues, mixolydian, or dorian scale, but a scale is not a strategy.
Rhythm is fundamental to creating the feeling for any genre of music. It is therefore vital that the rhythm section create the appropriate rhythmic feel and style of swing.