Things I discovered over thirty-two years of teaching high school band:
1. Lungs, ears, embouchures, fingers, and tongues are all naturally lazy. They'll only do the bare minimum to get by, unless they are trained to go beyond mere survival (and just playing the band music isn't going to get it done).
2. Most kids don't want to or have time to practice at home (and many homes are simply not conducive to it). The skills I want them to build have to be reinforced daily in rehearsal.
3. The hot shots will probably succeed no matter what I do. I have to teach to the middle on down.
4. Method books are not just for middle school. And an organized, systematic method will produce better long-term results than just some chorales and scale sheets.
5. Tuning and intonation are not exactly the same, but they are both aural skills (not visual skills). There are visual ways to aid initial understanding, but it ultimately comes down to ear-training.
6. Learning scales is largely a kinesthetic (muscle memory) skill. Learning key centers is a cognitive skill. Both are essential.
7. Reading rhythm is a problem of both pulse and proportion. Most errors occur not just at the initiation of sound, but more so during durations and silences (rests).
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I have more maxims, but that will do for now. My response to these ideas was to create a method book that is both systematic and flexible; one that can be applied directly to the repertoire I'm working on, as well as build long-term skills for continued student success. I have stolen from the best, as well as come up with innovative new ideas that have made my bands among the nation's elite. Many of Illinois' top band programs have adopted this method book as an essential component of their daily drills, the elements of which are:
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1. Breathing Exercises
I've selected my three favorites, daily use of which made a world of difference in the sound and phrasing of my bands.
2. Remington
The Director's Supplement includes a step-by-step method for employing this tried and true exercise to improve tone, balance, and intonation.
3. Full-Band Slur Exercises
Four basic "lip-slur" patterns essential for brass endurance, and wonderfully helpful for woodwind and keyboard percussion technique.
4. Bottom-up Tuning Sequences
The old "F around the room", but with more specific information for students to grab onto in their quest for effective tuning.
5. Just Intonation in Relation to Tonic
Pitch corrections for major and minor scales. When they know how to tune key centers, tuning chords becomes far more self-sufficient and immediately effective.
6. Twelve Chorales
No, not the Bach chorales. These 8-measure chorales are specifically designed to help students settle into and tune common chords, starting with I, IV, and V.
7. Major and Natural Minor scales to the 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th degrees. An innovative way to teach not just scale muscle memory, but also key centers.
8. Major Penta-scales to Nona-scales
Another unique way of learning key centers, as well as relating scale patterns to chords.
9. Penta and Nona-scale Technical Exercises
Building on the previous scale exercises, Clarke-style patterns made suitable for full-band.
10. Rhythm Patterns for 8-pitch Diatonic Scales
Two pages of progressive rhythm patterns, designed to be played on ascending and descending scales.
11. Deliberate Silence Duets
Perhaps the most innovative section of the book (so much so that I wrote a second book "Pointillistic Duets" devoted entirely to this concept). An amazing and fun way to build independent sight-reading skills.
12. Rhythmic Sub-division in Sequence
Expansion on another tried and true exercise for key-center development.
13. Basic and Canon-style Key Center Sequences
A fresh way to build cognitive (not just kinesthetic) knowledge of key centers.
This method book is available in both PDF and traditional book form at jwpepper.com (as well as samples). Or if you prefer, you can purchase the complete set of PDFs direct from me for $200 as a kind of "site license" to print, copy, and distribute to only the students in your building (for as long as you work there). Contact me via e-mail for more info at danielmooremusic251@gmail.com.
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