Laura Meehan
MUED 5326-002
July 19, 2012
Band Director’s Workshop- Final Project
For my final project I selected Band 5 from the 2012 Texas Tech University
Band and Orchestra Camp ensembles. Throughout the week I got to attend a few of
their rehearsals.
General observations
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Flutes- Trouble matching pitch and articulation, many times the flute section
seemed lost in rehearsal. Although, this section did seem to have the best
posture while playing
Clarinets- I heard quite a few squeaks from this section, especially at the
beginning of the week. Overall, this section had a very thin sound. They also
consistently seemed to drag the tempo.
Oboe- this sectioned seemed to know the basics, but weren’t very musical. I
never heard any dynamics from them, and at times I didn’t hear them at all.
Saxophone- This section was extremely loud and bright, it seemed like they
were all fighting to play the loudest and the section as a whole didn’t seem to
be aware of the rest of the band
Trumpet- In my opinion, this was the weakest section in the band. They had
issues with fingerings, they had issues with counting, and in general had
really bad sounds overall.
Horn- This section had decent sounds as individuals, but had a lot of
problems tuning and listening to one another. They also lacked confidence in
playing.
Trombones- Bad slide hand position (very grip-like), slow moving slides,
good articulation but had trouble with tempo
Low brass- Overall this section had a good sound. Issues with accidentals and
playing the right key. This section also had lazy articulations.
Percussion- This section was lost a lot and had trouble counting the rest. All
the members seemed to lack confidence playing.
As an ensemble: The major problem was matching within sections and listening
across the band. However, this did seem to improve greatly throughout the week.
They also had a lot of basic issues with missing key changes and accidentals.
Long-range instructional plan- Sectionals
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Fluteso Tone- listening to one another, play in small groups to match pitch.
o Technique- articulation exercises
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o Musicianship- playing in small groups and in ensembles. Listening to
recordings. Singing lines, then playing them.
Clarinetso Tone- Play with mirror on stand. Work on individual embouchures.
Play long tones as section
o Technique- work on scales and known songs, focus on making a full
sound
o Musicianship-Play duets and trios, focus on listening to one another
and matching.
Oboeo Tone- scale and arpeggio exercises with a focus on keeping a full
round sound playing with confidence
o Technique- Dynamic exercises, practice with decimal reader so
students can see a difference
o Musicianship- Practice playing in a small ensemble as a section,
bringing out important parts- playing with more confidence
Saxophoneo Tone- play recording of a good saxophone tone, then record students
and have them listen to themselves. Focus on full sound without being
so loud and bright
o Technique- Dynamic exercises, focusing on soft sounds. Scale and
arpeggio exercises for consistency and fitting within the section
o Musicianship- Playing in small ensemble as a section, be able to hear
and recognize different musical lines and who should be
loudest/softest
Trumpeto Tone- long tones, on mouthpiece and on horn. Model for the students,
or find someone who can. Focus on individual sounds, have students
listen to one another
o Technique- review fingerings though some sort of game. Dynamic
exercises. Lip slurs- focusing on air flow and direction
o Musicianship- playing in unison as a section- focusing on making one
sound. Listening exercises with harmony director, focus on tuning
and good sounds
Horno Tone- long tones- focus on making full, confident sound.
o Technique- Work on scale and arpeggio exercises both tonguing and
slurring, focus on articulation and evenness of sound. Lip slurs- focus
on controlling air
o Musicianship- Sing all lines before playing them as a section.
Understand what horn lines need to be brought out in the music and
how they are supposed to sound.
Tromboneo Tone- long tones and lip slurs
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o Technique- review slide hand position- practice scales focusing on
quick slide movements, even at slower tempos.
o Musicianship- play in two parts as a section, focus on listening and
being aware of other parts
Low Brasso Tone- long tones and play with harmony director to focus on making
one sound
o Technique- work on scale and arpeggio exercises to focus on key
signatures
o Musicianship- play in duets and trios within the section and play for
each other. Work on listening within section and making one full
sound.
Percussiono Tone- work on playing together- work with metronome or some type
of beat recording to focus on making proper sounds on various
percussion instruments.
o Technique- counting and rhythm exercises, going back to basics and
work on fundamentals
o Musicianship-play and work together as a section. Work on following
conductor, and listening to whole ensemble for cues.
Ensemble as a whole:
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Tone- work with harmony director, have students listen across the band and
comment on peers sounds. Focus on making one full ensemble sound.
Technique- articulation exercises as a full ensemble, review key signatures
and scales- I would do a new one each week.
Musicianship- Have students listen for all sections in the band and their
separate parts in the music, being able to recognize who has what parts and
when. Ask students questions about other sections in the band. I would also
have them play in smaller ensembles, maybe 1-2 students from each section
in one ensemble and play separate pieces from their band music, focusing on
good sounds within the smaller ensemble and listening, this would also give
them an opportunity for different types of music and ways to grow as a
musician.