Monday, April 29, 2024
As I began my journey as an Educational Representative nearly 16 years ago, I noticed very early on when I visited some schools during Beginning Band, that some directors paid more attention to details than others. Details like proper posture, the proper way to hold an instrument, or the proper way to hold sticks or mallets. Some directors allowed whatever posture (or lack of) their students preferred, including crossed legs, feet on cases, arms resting on thighs or knees, clarinets held tightly between their knees, trumpets pointing at the floor--you know what I mean. Some of these directors eventually turned out reasonably successful High School bands in spite of the poor training their beginners experienced. I wonder sometimes how much better their upper-level band would be (and how much easier their journey to success would be) if they had paid more attention to their beginners. Obviously, I'm referring to directors who have control of their program from beginning to High School graduation. I know from my own experience (34 years) that insisting on proper posture while playing, proper hand position, proper playing position--in other words, formulating proper playing habits from the very first day of beginning band--made my job so much easier when my students reached Middle School and eventually High School.
We all know (or should know) that all the proper habits I've mentioned make for better and easier tone production, playing in tune, better technique and better appearance. When directors insist on proper playing habits, I think students tend to pay more attention in class which then makes our efforts to teach them easier in the long run. I'm all for making the job of teaching band easier! I think teaching proper habits in beginning band indicates to students that you are passionate about band and music and that what you are teaching them is an important life skill to be experienced and enjoyed for the rest of their lives. I also believe it instills a sense of pride, self-satisfaction and self-worth in each of your students.
Hopefully we all have the goal of producing lovers of music in general and people who love playing their instrument. I believe it's our job to help students achieve those goals, and I think it should be instilled from the very beginning by insisting that our beginning band members look and play correctly from the start.
| (417) 882-7000 | (573) 256-5555 | (816) 792-8301 |
| (417) 781-3100 | (405) 896-8111 | (479) 464-8877 |
| (918) 286-1555 | (636) 229-1904 | (913) 234-4454 |
| (316) 262-1487 | (417) 882-7000 |