Teaching Tips

Marches are an important part of the American concert band literature, but might be one of the most misplayed genres in the band repertoire. Many directors and students feel that marches are both predictable and not exciting to play. This is only true if they are played incorrectly, which comes from a complete lack of…

In my experience as an instrumental music teacher, I found that having students play in small chamber music groups was a very beneficial exercise to improve the student’s overall musicianship. The simplest form of chamber music is the duet. It is an opportunity for the student to play with a teacher or to play with…

One of the most elusive aspects of performance in the middle school band is the students’ ability to understand how to make musical connections—that is, the relationships and performance implications of notes, chords, etc. within a phrase. In the initial and middle stages of learning how to play a wind instrument, students seem to perceive…