Practice Tips for Parents & Students

 1.      Create a consistent practicing location that is quiet, has good lighting and a music stand.

2.      Set a regular schedule for practicing.  It is better to practice 10-15 minutes each day rather than “cramming” your practice time in the night before the lesson.  Perhaps 10 minutes each night before dinner?

3.      Encourage your child to play “concerts” for parents and relatives, or have your child play one song for you at the end of the practice session.

4.      Get involved!  Even if you do not know much about music, you can ask your child to explain to you what the names of the notes are, how to finger/position the notes, or how long the notes are each.  You can point to the notes and ask your child to name them as fast as you point to them, or tell you how many counts are in each note as you point to them. 

5.      Give positive feedback (even when you need to find a creative way to do so)~ “Those notes are sounding so much more clear,” “I noticed that you are playing the notes with much faster speed,” “ I like how you are keeping your instrument up for the entire song,” “Your control over how loud you play has really improved,” “ I can tell that you are really counting the beats in each note,” “you have really improved how long you can play in one breath,” etc. 

6.       Take your child to see other people playing their instruments or buy them a recording of professionals playing their same instrument.  When children are given the opportunity to hear what they should sound like, they are more likely to model that sound. 

7.      Have kids practice with their friends.  The band method book is set up to work with all instruments.  If they are all playing song #23, even if their notes look different, they will sound the same. Practicing together can be a fun way to spend time, and when it is fun it doesn’t feel like work.

Reed Tips~  All woodwind players (except flutes), need to have a few reeds in their case at all times (4 is good).  Reeds can easily break and do wear out after a few weeks of use (especially at the beginning, even if well cared for).  Reeds should always be kept in a sturdy holder with the thinnest part slipped into the cover first.   Be careful to not touch the thinnest part of the reed- the tip is very delicate and can easily break.  All reeds should be soaked (either in water or in the student’s mouth) for at least 30 seconds before putting on the instrument.  Soaking the reeds while they are assembling the instrument usually does the trick.  Mrs. Schweihs/Mrs. Storer does carry a few reeds with her that can be purchased in an emergency, but it is best to purchase the reeds ahead of time using the Breber order form.  For oboe reeds, you should be ordering “Lescher” reeds that are “Medium Soft.”  Clarinets and Saxes should be ordering “Rico” reeds size  2 ½ for that instrument.  Order forms are always available through Mrs. Schweihs (are are usually located on the band room door as well), and are on the Breber website (www.brebermusic.net).

Brass Tips~  Brass players are working on building their muscles to control their high and low notes.  As they begin their high notes, it is easy for them to “blast” unintentionally.  You can encourage your child to practice their high sounds using the mouthpiece only.  “Sirens” are when the child uses only the mouthpiece and buzzes a low sound, gradually moving to a high sound (no break in the sound)- back and forth.  The students use soft/slow air w/relaxed lips to get low sounds, and tight lips w/fast air to get high sounds.  The stronger their muscles get, the softer they will be able to play (using the muscles rather than fast air to get their notes J).  Brass players need to empty the water out of their instruments at the end of each practice session using their “water key”.  This “water” is condensation created from blowing hot air into a cold instrument.  They should all have a rag in their case at all times on which to empty their water.  It does not have to be fancy- a piece of an old t-shirt, a sock, a face cloth, etc.  It can also be used to clean up any extra oil that may drip on their instrument, as well as to wipe off fingerprints, etc. 

Percussion Tips-  Percussionists need to focus on a good “pinch” grip (between thumb and knuckle of first finger) with the remainder of the fingers loosely surrounding the stick (not grabbing tightly), as well as a nice rebound stroke (the stick should move like a teeter-totter on either side of the pinch point and bounce off  as if on a trampoline).  The arm movement should be limited to their wrist, not their entire arm.  We focus on bells playing/ note reading at the beginning of the year, and will transition to a snare focus after vacation, although both instruments are taught throughout.  When playing bells, the students should look at their music not the bells, as much as possible.  Looking closely at which arm they should be using in the music is very important at the beginning, and can be tricky.  Starting slowly then speeding up songs will help.

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