Way To Go Scappoose!!

I had a great time playing with the Scappoose High School bands the other night. What a wonderful group of kids led by a great band teacher, Mr. Larry Jackson. Mr. Jackson reported to me that a number of middle school students changed their schedules the following morning so that they can stay in the band. Thanks to the parents, community, Mr. Jackson, and especially the kids for their hospitality and support for the band program.

Jack

Thank you Mr. Hettwer and the members of the Dallas HS Bands.

Thanks to the members of the Concert and Jazz bands at Dallas High School. You folks were great. I appreciate how accepting you were and how well you played. I certainly hope to meet up with you again.

Take care,

Jack

P.S Here is Mindy's YouTube Video post link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHrrJIKPqas

Practicing

Practicing

WE ARE WHAT WE REPEATEDLY DO.

Here are some questions to ponder:

• Why are we practicing?
• How long will it take to get control of a certain passage?
• How long should I practice?
• What do I hope to get out of my practice session?
• What are my long and short term goals?
• What should my practice routine include?
• How should I schedule my practice?
• What if I need to miss days?

Musicians who dream and strive for something beyond mediocrity should be able to confidently answer these questions. Practicing is a calculated process that, if done correctly and intelligently, brings tremendous results. We practice to modify our thoughts and actions toward successful performance, isolating our mistakes, inaccuracies, and fundamental problems, developing our technique and musicianship while gaining control of performance variables to create conditions as similar as possible to outstanding performance.

Simply putting in time will yield some results. We can modify our performance some, become aware of how we react to certain conditions, and can achieve some of our goals. Doing so without a clear understanding of our possibilities and without a defined plan, however, wastes considerable time.

Crystallizing our thinking and striving for the perfection and beauty of each note is absolutely necessary to get the best results.

Each time the horn is brought to the face during practice we should imagine a large, appreciative audience, admiring peers, many dollars riding on the successful outcome, and the best possible sound. This can become reality in performance only if it is consistently adhered to during the practice routine.

Imagine greatness, plan for it, and sing it through your horn!!!

How long should I practice? That depends on your objectives. If you play in a school or community band, an average of twenty to thirty minutes a day might be enough to make you a valued member of the group. An hour a day may be enough if you want to do well at solo and ensemble contest, are a college music minor, or plan to audition for an amateur or student group. This is not nearly enough for anyone majoring in music or wanting to make music a career. You will be unable to find a single trombonist in any major symphony orchestra that has not totally committed to being the best. The same holds true for any of the well-known jazz trombonists. Let’s get real. Change your plans if you lack the commitment to be the best.

Tried and True Techniques for Effective Practicing

Take it slow.

This may seem obvious, but many of us fall into the trap of practicing too fast. Repeatedly playing sections at a tempo beyond our abilities gets frustrating and slows our progress. What we are doing is practicing our mistakes to perfection. Slow it down, get it right, and then gradually increase to the proper tempo.

IF PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT, PRACTICING POORLY MAKES PERFECTLY POOR PLAYERS.

Use a metronome.

A metronome just might be a musician’s best investment in making practice time more efficient. Besides helping us take it slow, it helps us keep a steady tempo, forces us to practice at a given rate of speed (important unless we can find a conductor and group willing to follow us), assists in establishing and recognizing our technique goals, and can help us internalize subdivision of the beat.

Split the passage to isolate the obstacles.

Sometimes a passage may have a number of traps making it difficult to play. In the example below there may be difficulty with the interval in the first and third measures, tonguing and slide technique problems in measures two, five, and seven, and rhythm difficulties with the syncopation in measure six. Rather than trying to get it all at once, divide the passage into smaller sections of one, two, or four measures. After mastering each individual measure, combine the first and second measures, the third and fourth measures, etc. The decision to play the F’s in measure five in first or sixth position should be decided early while the tempo is slow.

(CLICK FOR LARGER DISPLAY)

Recording the practice session.

Recording practice sessions is very useful. Obvious mistakes are often not recognized when we are focused on the outcome. Recordings help give us honest evaluations of ourselves. Sometimes we neglect to play non-stop through a piece in practice. Then, in performance, when we need to play an entire piece without stopping, our chops don’t respond as expected. It isn’t good enough to be able to play a piece. We have to play it right at a given time. Recording helps mimic this condition.

Utilizing the Technique Progress Chart

I have witnessed outstanding results from students who have utilized the chart below. Many of the questions listed above can be definitively and quantitatively answered by its use. Nothing serves as a shortcut to thoughtful, efficient practice. The Technique Progress Chart works wonders for many students because it tracks progress and aids in establishing goals that are measurable and attainable. It also clarifies the point of diminished returns (the point at which practice time fails to yield the best results.) Motivation to practice increases with tangible, measurable results.

Please feel free to download and copy the chart. Click to enlarge.

The Technique Progress Chart is designed to help with technically difficult passages and with techniques (such as double tonguing, scales, and flexibility) that require increasing speed.

When a passage that needs work has been found, enter the description in the “exercise” blank on the chart (see example). Write in today’s date.

Establish the starting m.m. (metronome marking) by adjusting the metronome to the speed that will allow the passage to be played without mistakes. Be sure it is being played as it will be when up to tempo (double tonguing, articulation, alternate positions, etc.) In the sample the trombonist started with the half note at m.m. 144.

Always increase or decrease the metronome by increments of two.

Play the chosen passage with the metronome at the starting tempo. If played without mistakes, increase the tempo by two beats. Because it is difficult to perceive a change in the tempo when making changes in such small increments, we are tricking ourselves into playing at a gradually increased rate without continually practicing errors. If a mistake is made, decrease the speed by two beats. Always play the passage in its entirety. Continue practicing the passage, raising or lowering the speed by two, until finished for the day.

Now it is time to enter the progress on the chart. Write in the number of minutes practiced on the passage under “Day 1” at the bottom of the chart. Next, place a dot above “Day 1” at the tempo you ended at that day. If you miss practice on “Day 2”, enter a zero at the bottom and put a dot above at the same metronome marking as the previous day.

After you have worked on your passage a few days, connect the dots. Look for trends. Establish a goal date. What amount of practice time produced the steepest slope on the chart? In the example, the goal was attained over a ten day period. During this time the player actually worked on the passage seven times for a total of forty-five minutes. The completed graph indicates that five to ten minutes was the optimum amount of practice for the return on time (this person’s tongue got tied in knots after ten minutes.) This person learned that practicing more than ten minutes at a time on this passage resulted in diminished returns and that time beyond the ten minutes would be better spent doing something else.