A Big Thank You

Sat, 7 May 2011 17:25:51 -0500

As I type this on my APPLE computer and am preparing to publish it using my APPLE iWeb software, while sipping some APPLE juice and enjoying the very delicious APPLE pie, I am thinking about what a wonderful evening we had at the Awards Banquet. I appreciate the thoughtfulness of the seniors, and even more the humor. The senior video is going to be hard to top.

The best part for me was seeing how much everyone was enjoying the event, and how proud you are of what you have accomplished. What we have is truly special, and Friday night captured that quite well.

Thank you for your thoughtfulness, but I am even more thankful that you are so proud of your band.

Leadership Auditions

Tue, 3 May 2011 05:32:44 -0500

It was really awesome to see 52 students audition for the leadership team. The willingness of so many band members to step up and go through this process is amazing. It was really cool to see the large number of freshmen and sophomores who participated. The band is truly in good hands.

Being a student leader in an official position is a very hard job and I think that every student who auditioned understands that very well. Even though every student who went through this process won’t make an “official” position, I want to congratulate all who did audition for having the desire to help the band and serve their fellow students. I saw impressive potential in every single student.

Audition Advice #5 - Woodwind Etude 2

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 04:35:02 -0500

Until you have the rhythm and notes worked out, ignore the tempo marking. At first glance this may seem hard. With the usual careful preparation - slowly counting the rhythm and note-naming until perfect - this is actually no harder than the first etude.

The rhythm in this etude is not difficult but does require some detailed work. The syncopated pattern that begins in measure 3 and then becomes a rhythmic sequence in measure 5 needs to be worked out carefully with a metronome. The rhythm and note patterns that begin in measure 17 (be aware of the quarter note pickup to this in measure 16) are simple, just be sure that the pulse stays consistent - a met always helps with this. Students tend to want to play this half tempo for some reason. Keep the pulse.

The key is Concert C minor, and you can find the expected A naturals and B naturals. Note the melodic pattern in the first 8 measures: it is basically the C minor scale going down and then back up. It’s a very good idea to start on the first note and play the scale used in this pattern down and back up. This will help you establish evenness of sound and the musical direction for the opening phrase.

The second half of the etude is made up mostly of sequences built on scale patterns. These are easy, just practice counting the rhythm while fingering these patterns to develop finger technique and control that is even. Your fingers will always do what your brain tells them to, so counting while fingering is an important step in building good finger technique. Clarinets - note that this section keeps you moving back and forth over the break. Make sure that you keep your right hand down in these patterns to improve response going over the break and to improve the quality of sound on the throat tones.

This etude is not that hard. It just requires a very disciplined approach to work out the details. Avoid trying to push the tempo on this until everything else is worked out. It is much better to play this a bit slow, but cleanly, on your audition than to try to play the tempo when the technique is not worked out. Be patient.

Audition Advice #4 - Brass Etude 2

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 15:08:38 -0500

Etude #2 is about accuracy and style contrast. It requires finger agility and solid pitch placement. It also requires the performer to be able to execute controlled dynamic and articulation changes.

As always, make sure that rhythm and pitch have been thoroughly worked out before worrying about style and dynamics. Rhythm is not difficult, however pay attention to the 8th-two 16th patterns. These are the same regardless whether the articulation is tongued or slurred. Students who have not diligently detailed rhythms tend to play this rhythm differently when it is slurred. As always, pay careful attention to the dotted 8th-16th to make sure that it is not played as a triplet rhythm.

Pitch wise there are two spots to check: In measure 11 it is Concert D natural (it is Db in the previous measures), and in measure 16 it goes back to Concert A natural.

Pitch placement is an issue in this etude, particularly in the 16th passages. Play through slowly concentrating on accuracy. Playing through slowly on your mouthpiece while trying for accuracy will also help. Break down each phrase and go back and forth between mouthpiece and horn.

Two points on articulation: Make sure that you give the last note of each slur full value to avoid a “clipped” style. Also make sure that the staccato are not too short and have body to the sound. The etude is marked Leggiero e spumante, so it must have a light approach. The opening lick can easily be overplayed. Avoid the “fanfare” approach with this and make it light.

Audition Advice #3 - Woodwind Etude 1

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 05:48:38 -0500

This is the same etude as the Brass #1, so you can read the tips from that posting. Just so woodwind students don’t feel left out, here is the short version:

Pay careful attention to the key. The Concert Db is easy to miss, so find every one of them. It would be a good idea to circle each Concert Db. Remember, don’t play wrong notes.

Rhythm in this etude is pretty simple, although you need to pay careful attention to measures 33 - 35. As always, it is the long notes that will cause a problem. Have your metronome on and count carefully through the long notes.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to be able to note-name and count the rhythm perfectly before you begin playing through these etudes.

A note on style: Be careful how you interpret the accents in measure 38. They need to be in the context of a very lyrical etude.