Monday, November 21, 2005
The PMC Quick Note is a
weekly service provided to all area directors. It is part of our mission
to support the lives of band directors across the
Have You Thought About
Home Recitals? by
Jerry Hoover
There is nothing more touching or
heart-warming than watching a child get his hands on his first band
instrument! It is as though he had
been handed Harry Potter’s flying boom!
He can’t wait to begin making
music! He can hardly wait to begin
playing notes, getting a sound, being in a concert, marching in a parade! At that moment his enthusiasm and his
desire to excel are at a fever pitch!
The trick now is to maintain and
channel that energy and attention, while drawing in the
parents.
This is also when you must begin
bringing the parents into this world of bands and molding them into dupportive
and involved patrons of your band program.
You must win over their conscious commitment to building and protecting
your band program. And keep in mind
that these families are also being bombarded by gymnastics clubs, soccer,
basketball and baseball leagues, ballet classes, volleyball programs and an
endless array of other activities.
Learn this lesson quickly….Parents
want to see their children perform!
Do not think that you have to wait for the band’s first concert three or
four months down the road for them to have this
opportunity.
There are many methods and
techniques you can and should use to begin developing this parental
involvement. But here is one…..HOME
RECITALS!
Solo performances and memorization
are two areas that frequently distress students. But if they do these right from the
beginning, it will soon be second nature to them.
Once the young bandsmen have begun
playing some of the early four measure exercises (half notes and whole notes),
they are ready for their first memorized recital
performance.
Train them as a unison
group in your band classes to….
- Announce
at dinner for everyone to remain seated for a surprise after-dinner
presentation,
- Have
their instrument assembled on their bed ready to be picked
up,
- A
quick buzzing on the mouthpiece or resoaking of the reed and they’re ready to
return to the kitchen or dining room,
- A
rather formal announcement of the artist, by the artist who is about to
perform and the name of the selection to be
performed,
- At
the completion of the performance, a rehearsed bow is in order to acknowledge
the applause.
These
recitals may be repeated in a series of “After Dinner Concerts” as the students
move on to various levels of accomplishment in their playing. Other aspects can be added in the form
of printed
programs, dressing up, inviting a friend for dinner and then playing a duet,
etc., etc.
Believe me, the parents will love
it!
Jerry Hoover is
Director of Bands at Missouri State
University, where he supervises a total of eighteen bands, including the
340-member Pride Marching Band. After twenty years in the public schools where
he developed award-winning concert, marching, and jazz bands, he accepted the
band position at
Spotlight on
We are inviting all educators in the
Web Spotlight: Create a Grading
Rubric
Thank you to Keelie Stucker from
Excelsior Springs for bringing this website to our attention. This site allows you to create grading
rubrics for many situations. Check
it out!
Contact Your
Can we assist you with anything? Please contact your local Palen Music Center school road representative for all of your music education needs.
Moberly (660) 263-0109 Clint Thompson
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