Teaching About Key Signatures

Hello, bloggers! I’m writing to ask for help and share my own little thoughts on how to teach students about key signatures.

My school district has a long history of prioritizing elementary full orchestra. Playing in this setting requires students to quickly learn to play in new and unfamiliar key signatures, often using notes and fingerings not typically taught in beginning band or beginning strings.

Directing elementary full orchestras has forced me to improve my skills on teaching students how to read key signatures. I’m getting better at it, but so far, I’d still only give myself a B- in terms of being creative or explaining the concept in clear, consise terms that connect with 5th and 6th graders.

The best idea I’ve come up with so far is “Simon Says.” The key signature is Simon. Did Simon say to play F#s? Or Bbs? What did Simon say to the alto saxophones? What did Simon say to the clarinets and trumpets? The strings, flutes and low brass?

The key of C is a challenge for flutists and trombonists who are used to playing Bbs and Ebs. Since key signatures only use sharps and flats and not naturals, it’s a bit of an abstract concept for those players.

A colleague one taught me to teach the order of sharps as “Ford Cars Go Dead At Every Bump” (F C G D E A B). If a student sees 3 sharps in their key signature, they say “Ford Cars Go; F Sharp, C Charp, G Sharp.”

No brilliant thoughts yet on the order of flats. Any great ideas?

My Concert Band Repertoire, Spring 2009

This Spring, I have purposefully programmed music that is easier than what I’ve chosen in the past. I’ve decided to err on the side of giving the students music which is more easily within their grasp instead of overwhelming them with difficult music. I still want to challenge them with new musical concepts, but not necessarily in the context of concert selections.

With that said, here’s what’s in my Concert Band’s folders:

Distant Journey by Paul Lavender. This is written at the Essential Elements Explorer Level, and correlates with page 11 of the method book. I’m drawn to easy music in minor keys, and this one fits both of those descriptions.

Intensity by Sean O’Loughlin. It’s labeled as “Very Easy Band,” although the ranges get pretty high. In my humble opinion, a written D for trumpet is not “very easy.” Nevertheless, the piece is well-written and rehearses easily.

Latin Fire by John Higgins. Essential Elements Performer Level, and correlates with page 24 of the method book. This is a good choice for young groups who are ready for a little challenge. It uses lots of the musical concepts from the later pages of the method book, including dotted-quarter/eighth rhythms, slurs, accidentals, accents, and dynamic changes.

Let’s Go Band  arranged by Andrew Balent. A perennial favorite. To give you and idea of how well-liked this piece is, I programmed it last year after hearing another school perform it. A colleague of mine heard my groups perform it and wanted to include it in her repertoire also. My students keep asking to play this one in rehearsals.

Pirates’ Cave by Mark Williams. Labeled as Grade ½, Very Easy, and correlates with page 13 of the Accent on Achievement method book. Similar in style to Distant Journey (and a million other pieces), this is in G minor and uses the only first seven notes typically taught in beginning band. My students ask for this one often.

Simple Gifts arranged by Jack Bullock. Belwin classifies this piece as “Very Beginning Band,” but the clarinet ranges make me disagree with that “very beginning” label. Coincidentally, Yo-Yo Ma and Itztak Perlman and company performed a John Williams arrangement of Simple Gifts at the President Obama’s inauguration ceremony. I plan to include this piece in my Spring Concerts, highlighting the fact that it was featured at the inauguration.

To read about music I’ve programmed in the past, click here or here.

Do you have any experience with the above music? Have you found a new gem for young bands? Share your thoughts!

Cat in the Window

A clinician once made an analogy about music using the example of a cat sitting in a window. The cat doesn’t see the details of the cars driving by; he only sees broad impressions.

The same is often true of our students. I often wonder what students’ responses would be if you were to ask them what they learned in class today. Did they actually remember anything? Or were they distracted by the actions of other students?

How can we make our lessons more interesting and memorable than whatever distractions pull at our students? What can we do differently to hold the attention of our cats?

I also wonder what audiences remember about performances. What do the students in the audience remember? The teachers and staff? The parents? What broad impressions do those people have of our music programs?

High Points and Disappointments of my 2008 Winter Concerts

My Winter Concerts reached new highs and sunk to new lows this year. First, the high points:

For the first time, my advanced groups played at our local zoo’s Holiday Lights event. (Click here or here for info.) It is rare in my district for elementary school music groups to venture off campus, so this was a bit unusual. It was a treat for me to bring together my best students from my three schools and form an ad-hoc honor band of sorts. The students really enjoyed the event, and you could tell how proud the parents were of their students. Everyone is enthusiastic about doing it again next year.

Unfortunately, just a couple nights later one of my schools had what was probably the weakest concerts I’ve conducted in recent history. The beginners weren’t necessarily much worse than normal, but my advanced groups definitely performed below my hopes. We have been learning the same music as my other schools, so it’s not as through I made unreasonable music selections. And many of the students in the advanced ensembles are in the gifted program, so it’s not as though they’re incapable of playing those selections.

This situation is forcing me to reevaluate much of the way I approach teaching at this school. I’m going to have to take a deeper look at just about every aspect of teaching here, from classroom management to rhythm and technical studies, rehearsal techniques, and motivation. I’m likely blog more about this as the weeks go on.

SmartMusic in Public Schools

This afternoon I had the good fortune to enjoy a workshop about SmartMusic presented by Tom Carruth. In a nutshell, SmartMusic is a tool to help students as they practice music, and a tool to help teachers objectively assess students’ playing. (I’ll refrain from turning this post into a commercial about all the features and benefits. If you’re interested in knowing more about the program, click here.)

I am curious to hear from those of you who may use SmartMusic with your students. Have you been pleased with it? Disappointed? Somewhere in between?

If you use it, how heavily do you rely on it for grading? Do you require all students to use it, or is it optional?

Here are a few of my initial thoughts and observations. Those of who who know the program, please tell me if you agree or not.

- The program is incredibly well designed. It’s obvious this is not a first draft of the program. I think Tom said they’re on version 11 now, so most of the major bugs are gone, and the bells & whistles are getting really cool.

- There’s a ton of music already loaded into the system. It has virutally every popular method book and a ton of ensemble music ready to be used. For example, my students who use Essential Elements 2000 would have a very easy time practicing the music we learn at school with SmartMusic.

- Students can see the results of their assessment and get instant feedback on what they need to improve, at least in terms of playing right notes and rhythms.

- Since the nature of the program is very computer-centered, it requires students to have access to a computer. I teach in a primarily low-income district where most homes do not have a computer. It would be totally unreasonable to mandate that my students use the program. And since I teach primarily elementary, some students may lack the basic computer skills to do the work. In short, the whole element of using a computer could be an obstacle.

- The program is computer-centered, which might attract some students while discouraging others. Some students might be inclined to think, “Hey! I get to play my instrument AND use my computer at the same time! Cool!” while others might think, “If there’s anything worse than having to sit inside with a computer, it’s having to use a computer and practice my dumb instrument.” 

- Students are required to enter an email address in order to enroll and log in. Some of the teachers at the workshop mentioned that some of their students do not have email addresses because they are not allowed to use the internet. (I realize that anyone can get free email accounts, but that’s not the issue.) Has the internet/computer usage issue been an obstacle for anyone?

The Make-Ahead Private Lesson

One dilemma private music teachers face is how to handle make-up lessons. Should you charge for missed lessons? How much advance notice should be required for a lesson cancellation? I don’t have any brilliant new ideas with those issues, but here’s one idea which has worked well for me: The Make-Ahead Lesson.

The make-ahead lesson is basically using any available time slots in your teaching schedule to give students an opportunity to take one or two additional lessons prior to their need for a make-up lesson. Think of it as a make-up lesson in advance.

Currently I have an open hour right in the middle of one of my lesson days. Sometimes the break is nice; I’ve already taught a full day at school, and still have a few more private students yet to go. But honestly, if I’m going to be away from home and sitting in a studio, I’d rather be teaching.

So from time to time, for my faithful students, I invite them to come for an additional lesson during that time gap. Some students are more prone to needing make-up lessons, and I like getting those lessons done in advance. Sometimes it can be difficult to schedule a make-up lesson, so if you know of an opportunity ahead of time, why not take advantage of it?

My Concert Band Repertoire, Fall 2008

I always enjoy seeing what music other band directors put into their ensemble’s folders. Here’s what I’ve got in the hopper this fall (in no particular order):

- Bells, Bells, Bells/arr. John Edmonson. A nice Grade 1 Christmas medley which features The Ukrainian Bell Carol (Carol Of The Bells) and Jingle Bells. This one has required a little more effort in my bands as the piece has less repetition than the others.

- The Might of Hercules/Mark Williams. Similar in character to his Centurion and March of the Cyborgs. Requires students to count through rests, and is a good next step in the process of teaching students rhythmic independence.

- The Little Drummer Boy/arr. John O’Reilly. Nicely scored. Rehearses pretty easily. The low brass part is easy, but is also for the most part boring for talented players. I like arrangements like this which give all the winds (including low brass) a chance to play a melody line.

- Refried Beans/Bruce Pearson & Barrie Gott. This title is from the collection “Standard of Excellence First Performance Plus.” Similar in character to Bruce Pearson’s other titles, Jamaican Holiday, Starfire March, and Rio Bravo. The students like that it’s a fun piece to play and easy to learn. It’s been a good piece for the beginning of the year to get the band’s momentum rolling again.

- Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)/arr. Michael Sweeney. From the Essential Elements Performer Level series. Although the Essential Elements method book includes Banana Boat Song, this arrangement is a more thorough version of Harry Belafonte’s recording.

- The Night Before Christmas/arr. James Swearingen. This medley uses a narrator reading the poem ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. Includes familiar Christmas carols Ding Dong! Merrily On High; Jingle Bells; Up On the Housetop; Jolly Old St. Nicholas and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. I’ve asked one of the local NBC News anchors (whose son is one of my trumpet players) to read the narration in our Winter Concert.

How about you? What music do you have in your folders? What titles are the kids excited about this year?

Character Education in the Music Class

My purpose in this post is to hopefully open up a discussion about what part character education plays into your music program.

A year or two ago, I served as a member of my district’s music curriculum guide planning committee. We debated whether anything should be included in the curriculum regarding character education.

One teacher said that character education was not part of his teaching goals, but that he felt students would learn to be responsible citizens indirectly by being part of a successful music program. I agreed, but argued that some element of character education should be addressed somewhere in the curriculum guide. We debated the subject a little, but everyone agreed one bi-product of the music program is students becoming more responsible citizens.

Here are a few character traits I would like to see my music students develop:

Responsibility: It almost goes without saying that members of a school music group have a variety of responsibilities, including remembering to bring their instrument to school, turning in permission slips, showing up to rehearsals, not to mention practicing their instruments.

Teamwork: Students must learn to work together as an ensemble for good rhythm, balance, and intonation.

Punctuality: I can’t think of a really excellent director who doesn’t believe in starting rehearsals on time. In my district’s music program, students are responsible for leaving their classrooms to come to music class on time. The classroom teachers do not remind them, and there are no external prompts.

Kindness: Students should encourage each other as they learn new skills and concepts. We avoid laughing at anyone who has a hard time with a new skill.

What about you? Do you purposefully teach character education in your music classes? What other traits can you add to this list?

Get Others Involved, Part 1: Students

In my first year of teaching, as overwhelmed as I was, I was too much of a control freak to allow others to help with certain tasks in running the music program. I’ve since learned that there is great mutual benefit in getting others involved.

This post is part 1 of 3. In other posts, I write about getting parents and other staff involved. Here, I’ll share some thoughts about students’ help.

Students are capable of helping a lot more than we (or I!) might give them credit. Even elementary students can help with the more mundane tasks of sharpening pencils, putting away chairs, folding concert programs, and sorting papers like sheet music or practice records. I often think of one music teacher colleague who is brilliant at getting students to help him with just about any task. Even if the task is a complete no-brainer, it gives students a chance to get involved and feel they have contributed something. (“Here, hold this pencil for me.” “Can you hold the door open while I move this box?”) Plus, working together gives you a chance to connect with students on a non-musical level and let them know you are interested in their lives.

A youth leader from my junior high days often comes to mind. He was a very charismatic person, and kids often talked about how much he influenced their lives. Later, as an adult, I had the chance to talk with him about what he attributed his success to.  He told me, in effect, that he never passed up an opportunity to make an impression on kids. He said whenever possible, he tried to take kids with him wherever he went and create teachable moments. “Even on a trip to the grocery store, you can have a meaningful conversation with someone if you try.”

Of course times have changed, and I wouldn’t advise teachers to hang out with students off campus like this. His role as a youth pastor was different than a school music teacher, but I think the principle still has application. I often have students who come to the music room before or after school looking for a place to hang out. I can pretty safely bet they haven’t come for a lesson in building harmonic minor scales or refining their embouchures. They have probably come because you provide a safe environment where students are free to learn and grow and be themselves.

Do you have specific ways you involve students in running your music program? Share your ideas with the world here!

Always Use a Metronome… Really?

Music teachers often admonish their students to “always practice with a metronome.” I can recall one master class in which the professor tried to drive the point home by stressing “Always! Always! Always!” Me, being the good little boy scout that I am, have tried to live up to that standard.

A stable sense of rhythm and tempo is undoubtedly one mark of an excellent musician. One of my favorite jazz albums is Michael Brecker’s “Time is of the Essence,” which of course has a dual meaning for musicians. However, it has occurred to me that while practicing, it may often be necessary to temporarily eliminate the element of tempo in order to focus on other elements.

Yesterday while teaching a private lesson, I stumbled on the phrase, “Try that again at your own pace.” I turned off the metronome and allowed the student to work out the technical difficulties of the notes without worrying about tempo. Don’t get me wrong; it’s not that I think I invented a revolutionary new system for practicing or anything. But it was one of those moments when you come across a teaching technique or phrase that has application elsewhere.

Playing long tones is another example of a time when turning off the metronome can be beneficial. Sure, you could keep it clicking to keep track of the beat, but wouldn’t turning it off help you focus on your sound? Isn’t the point of long tones to improve tone? Does it really matter if you cut off the long note precisely on the beat?

Many modern method books come with play along CDs. Isn’t practicing along with these CDs comparable to playing with a metronome?

So I challenge the idea that you should “always” practice with a metronome. What do you think? If you teach private music lessons, how much do you have your students play with a metronome? Do you even use one at all? In your own practice time, how much do you use it?