Make Them Think by Rob Shaver
Try a few fresh ideas to get the most out of your students' warm-up time
"Okay, band, let's start eight measures before measure nine." I watched several students count backwards from measure nine to measure one and then look at me with sheepish grins as they realized what I had said. "Now that you're thinking, let's begin." I wish it were always this easy to get students to "engage their brains." But as every teacher knows, many students have a hard time concentrating, and our first job is to help them focus. Following are some suggestions for getting students to think during band or orchestra rehearsals. Specifically, we'll explore ideas that can be used during warm-up time, as the first few minutes of any rehearsal are critical for setting the right tone. While these ideas stem from experience with middle school students, they should point to ways to keep students of any age level mentally involved.
VarietyYou've heard it before, but it's important enough to bear repeating: use warm-up time wisely. Teach new material, isolate troublesome technical issues like rhythms and articulations, adjust intonation, and review. But above all, remember that warm-up time is as much mental as physical. Get students focused by giving them goals and challenges.
To accomplish this, it is useful to have a variety of warm-up materials in the students' folders. While scales are essential (several ideas for working with scales are listed below), don't start every rehearsal with the B-flat scale. This will only encourage students to zone out and go through the routine mindlessly, which, of course, is counterproductive. Therefore, in addition to scales, include various chorales and rounds; have the percussion section work through a list of rudiments and mallet exercises; design lip-slur exercises for the brass on which the whole band can play along.
Each time students play, they should also be given a goal to achieve. For example, if you are rehearsing a chorale in order to improve balance in the band, tell the students to listen for the basses, or the melody, or whatever. Then, once they have played the piece, ask them to tell you which section was the easiest to hear, or the hardest. Or assign different dynamic levels to the sections of the band. Ask them to describe what effect this has on the overall sound. The point is simply to get them thinking about what they are doing.
Musical games
Do you want to get your students' attention? Tell them you have a game for them to play. Musical games are a great way to address specific technical issues. For instance, to improve your band's ability to watch the conductor, play a game like "Musical Instruments." Give the students an exercise to play, perhaps from a method book, and tell them that the last person playing when you stop conducting–whenever that may be–is out of the game. Then, stop frequently. The last person still in the game wins.
Or try the game "Play What I Do." Using an exercise the students know well (such as a scale), tell them to play in the manner being conducted. This game challenges them to see how well they can respond to your spontaneous changes of dynamics, tempo, articulation and so forth.
Occasionally allow students to direct the band on a warm-up exercise. This activity not only gets everyone's attention, but also gives them a greater appreciation for the work you do.
Scales
When working on scales, have the students name and finger the notes before playing them. Then encourage them to think the name of each note as they play the scale. Remind them that the notes are in alphabetical order.
Here are some other ideas to help make playing scales more productive:
- Use different time signatures like 5/4 and 7/4. This will help students focus on counting. Alternate between different note values, such as half notes and dotted half notes, from one scale degree to the next.
- Divide the band into three groups and play scales in a round. This can be especially interesting on the chromatic scale. Experiment with the intervals to make some spooky sounds.
- Use different tempi. Don't neglect playing scales in a fast tempo sometimes. The students love trying.
- Make a scale sound happy, sad, lonely, tired, jolly, angry or content. Ask the students to suggest ways to accomplish this
Written work
Give written warm-up work from time to time. It doesn't need to be complicated or time-consuming, just something they can do as part of their setup routine. For instance, have them copy a rhythm off the board and then write how it is counted. Or draw some notes on the board and instruct them to write the names.
You could even assemble a warm-up packet to hand out that would cover several rehearsals. It might include exercises on rhythm, note-naming, vocabulary and history.
Good planning
Finally, it does no good to plan a productive warm-up time if it doesn't translate into better performances. When planning a rehearsal, therefore, it helps to think backward from the music to the warm-up. Choose exercises that relate directly to the music so you can make a smooth transition from one to the other.
For instance, if the piece you'll be practicing is in the key of E-flat concert, warm up on the E-flat concert scale. If you are going to be working on a march, warm up by practicing marcato articulations. Most important, tell the students what you are doing and why. They tend to focus their attentions more when they are working toward a goal.
Several years ago, a student gave me a big blue poster with just one word in huge white letters: THINK! Perhaps she thought she would save me the trouble of saying it so often. Whether it's had that effect or not, I wasted no time hanging that poster at the front of the room. Now it serves to remind all my students that no matter how talented–or challenged–they may be, they will always do better if they follow its simple directive.
Rob Shaver is a middle school band director in Tipton, Indiana, a regional honor band conductor and a festival clinician. He can be reached at rshaver@tcsc.k12.in.us.
