Jazz

Ready, Set, Fall

Fall marks the end of summer marching season, the beginning of fall marching season, jazz ensemble, beginning band for some, plus a myriad of small ensembles to coach and the beginning of developing that special concert band "sound," not to mention all of the administrative adventures that go with it. Suffering with tyranny of the urgent yet? All of this preparation work is quadrupled if the students do not have the word "practice" etched in their minds as a daily function. What would it be like to spend most of the rehearsal period working on musical ideas versus rote teaching of notes and rhythms? When the paradigm of your students' role in band includes daily practice at home, the band director's ability to produce a creative musical environment becomes a reality. "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and feed him for a lifetime." If we can help our students find their love of music by giving them the tools to create it, the search for successful musicianship will be a self-fulfilling journey.

The warm-up is often regarded as a critical part of the concert band rehearsal. It is a time for students to focus on the basics of breathing, sound production, intonation, and instrumental technique. If individual students have good control over these elements, the large ensemble will of course have more success. Warming up in the jazz ensemble, however, is not regarded quite as reverently in spite of the obvious benefits. This column will offer some suggestions for making this part of the jazz ensemble rehearsal efficient and productive.

When selecting repertoire, the best results will usually occur when a methodical approach is taken. One such method is to consider each piece of music by three distinct measures: 1) Technical 2) Aesthetic 3) Curricular. Applying these criteria can be a balancing act but will more often than not result in the selection of materials that motivate and inspire students while developing their performance skills, and overall musical understanding and appreciation