Band Rehearsal Video

    Video of a clarinet lesson
    Lesson plan
    Self Critique
    Peer Critique

This fourth grade band rehearsal was videotaped on Thursday, April 6, 2006 at Andrew T. Morrow Elementary School.

This lesson plan can be opened or downloaded as a Microsoft Word file by clicking or right-clicking in this link.

Patrick Hait Band Rehearsal - Warm up, Rhythmic Exercises, Buglers Dream, China Suite

Grade Level:	4^th grade beginning band. This lesson takes place approximately 1 month before concert.
Approximate Time:	One class period (40 minutes)
Objectives:	By the end of the period of instruction, the students will play with greater accuracy and attention to the style and dynamics of Buglers Dream and China Suite. By the end of the period of instruction, the students will perform with better posture. They will also freeze at the end of the songs.
Standards:	MENC 2 (Performing on instruments, alone and with others) MENC 5 (Reading and notating music) NY 1 (Creating, Performing and Participating in the arts) NY 2 (Knowing and using arts materials and resources)
Procedure:	Bb around the band. I instruct some students to start playing a concert Bb. Once the students hear a Bb, they play it also and watch the director for the cutoff. Scale – whole notes. Watch for cut-off’s. Freeze at the end of the scale. Discuss ‘silence’ before and after a song BB Booster II #6 – Nicholas Forte. Ensure that students are playing correct rhythm. Have the students count the rhythm if necessary. Be sure that students freeze at the end as we have a performance coming up. BB Booster II #7 - Ensure that students are playing correct rhythm. Have the students count the rhythm if necessary. If necessary, split Melody / Harmony to be sure students can play correct rhythm. Buglers Dream - Run through Buglers Dream Make sure students are sitting with correct posture. Make sure students are playing correct dynamics. If necessary, be sure that clarinets are playing soft enough throughout entire song. China Suite - Play Working in the Fields with repeats. We have done this in some lesson groups, but not yet in the full ensemble. Ensure students enter at the correct time. Be sure that students play with the correct dynamics. In Jasmine Flower, watch for accuracy of notes in the woodwinds. Also focus on the dynamics and ritard at measure 13. If we have time, play Schools Out with the repeat. Also focus on accuracy of notes and posture.
Assessment:	Students are constantly being assessed for their posture, behavior and playing ability.

My self critique can be opened or downloaded as a Microsoft Word file by clicking or right-clicking in this link.

             I begin this band rehearsal, as I begin most of my band rehearsals, by having the students play a concert B^b on their instruments. I generally ask a small group of students to play a B^b and the sound grabs the attention of all of the other band members. I like the idea of using sound to attract the attention of the students. I feel that this technique works better than repeatedly asking them to quiet down. Once I cut the sound off, they know that the rehearsal has begun.
            One of the objectives of this rehearsal is to have the students freeze at the end of the song or exercise. Near the beginning of the rehearsal, I explain that the silence at the beginning and the end of the song is part of the music. Unfortunately, during that part of the instruction, I was interrupted by a few misbehaving students. I used that time to reinforce the reason for the need to sit in rest position while I am teaching. I feel that if I take extra time to ensure that the students understand why they should sit quietly, that it is time well spent. Since the beginning of the year, I have seen a drastic improvement in the student’s behavior in band.
            The next section of the rehearsal worked on rhythmic development. The songs that we will be performing for the concert do not have any eighth notes, but I feel that it is important to give students a strong rhythmic background before they reach fifth grade. To that end, I spend a fair amount of time doing different band warm-ups that include eighth notes. I also feel that it is very important that the students know how to count correctly. In this band rehearsal, it was clear that some of the students had difficulty performing the correct rhythm. In an effort to remedy the situation, I had each different section play the beginning of the warm-up tune while the rest of the band counted the rhythm. I found this to be a very effective way to teach rhythm to a large group because it involved everybody in the group at all times. As I continued to watch the video, I found more times that I could have employed this technique. In the future, I plan on having the students count their parts out loud while other sections of the band are playing.
            Following the warm-up material, I began the band music section of the band rehearsal. By this time, the students had heard me talk at length about the silence that comes before and after the songs, rest position and freezing after the last note. When it came time to play Buglers Dream, the students knew what I expected of them. Following a run-through of Buglers Dream, I had some of my own comments about the performance. However, I wanted the students to hear comments from their peers. I had noticed one student covering her ears at the end of the song. I thought it would be more useful for her to say that it was too loud, instead of me sounding repetitious. Another student in the clarinet section told his peers that they were supposed to play softer because they did not have the melody.
            In watching this video objectively, I found that I spoke a lot throughout the rehearsal. Sometimes, I wonder if I speak too much. In the future, I will make an effort to make my comments more efficient to allow more time for the students to play. I do not feel that there was much time wasted in this rehearsal, but there may have been more musical progress if I had not spoken so much. From another perspective, I feel that the time that I spent speaking was worthwhile. I was trying to teach the students how to think and critique their own playing. If the students can understand the reasons behind my musical decisions, it will lead them to make their own intelligent decisions.

Peer Review of Mr. Patrick Hait – Band
Reviewed by: Mr. Philip K. Voigt (BM, MA, SDA)
Music Education & Director of Adult Education Central Islip Public Schools
[email protected]
Office: 631-348-5111

        Mr. Hait opened the band lesson with a tuning note of Bb. The students were responsive in their playing, however if the note was to be used as to tune, the teacher should have tried to ‘fine tune’ the ensemble. Get the students in the habit of understanding why we play that long tone Bb, and how to tune their respective instruments.
        After the long tone Bb, Mr. Hait demonstrated a fine example of multi-tasking as he gave instruction, assed understanding of that instruction while fixing a stuck valve at the same time. Mr. Hait kept the pace of the rehearsal moving while fixing a trumpet.
        “Let’s play a Bb Scale, please, whole notes, mezzo forte…” The students played the Bb scale well, however the dynamic was not present. If Mr. Hait is going to add that “mezzo forte” to his direction, and the students blast a forte, this should immediately be fix to show the students the importance of directions and dynamics. Immediately following the scale, Mr. Hait gave instruction on the important of silence following the last note of a cut-off. This was then assessed and re-explained for the students who did not understand the purpose of the silence after the last note. This was also demonstrated through the band teacher.
        Mr. Hait addressed rest position and respect for the conductor immediately following misbehavior which helps set a high standard and good rehearsal habits sooner.
        Exactly 5:00 minutes, the students began their first song. While this is not to slow, the pacing should have the students playing sooner in the lesson.
        The counting exercise was an excellent rehearsal technique to achieve the desired rhythm result. Did it work? Almost… Mr. Hait then proceeded to fix the rhythm in sections which helped the students to play this section of the song correctly. I really liked how Mr. Hait had the other sections count the rhythm while the other sections played the motif. This ensured the entire ensemble was involved with the process. The immediate praise after success showed the students they were learning they provided a positive result.
        Mr. Hait repeated the process as needed to be sure the rhythm issues were addressed in this song.
        After several minutes of rehearsing this section, the students played through their newly learned material both with ease and musicality. The ensemble finally achieved the conductors goal which was evident by both his expression and praise. The students earned his respect, and he made that obvious to them after their success. Mr. Hait did end this portion of the rehearsal with a successful run-though giving the students a feeling of success.
        Right after this, Mr. Hait gave the students a chance to rest their chops by reviewing concert information. He reviewed the information and then proceeded to assessed that the students understood the information and had them repeat the important details. He then had them practice the concert opening so they would be aware of what to expect at their first concert. Mr. Hait efficiently spent 6 minutes or so on this activity giving the students just enough time to rest and have that desire (urge) to play their instruments again when he began the next portion of his rehearsal.
        In this next selection Mr. Hait ran through the entire piece and had asked the students in the ensemble to “self-critique” and offer suggestions as to areas in need of improvement. A wonderful technique to help develop the young students ears’ in preparation for their future as musicians.
        The remainder of Mr. Hait’s rehearsal followed a similar pattern to the first two songs. Overall, Mr. Hait made effective use of the time with the students. One suggestion would be for Mr. Hait to sit with 2 stopwatches and use one to time the amount of time students were playing and the amount of time Mr. Hait was talking. The most positive aspect of Mr. Hait’s rehearsal was the fact that after chasing some notes he had the students play the sections with success giving them a feeling of achievement.