Danny Boy Tune from County Derry) Some Things I Believe · One can never learn a score well enough. · You can be too prepared. · You should say what you mean, mean what you say, and then stop talking. · We band directors need to have a frank discussion regarding the musical and educational value of marching band. · You must have more than your work in your life. · Never ask anyone to do anything that you yourself are not willing to do. · It’s what you DO that matters; not what you think about doing, or intend to do, or want to do. · I have learned far more from my students than they could possibly have ever learned from me. · I have rarely ever learned anything by talking. I have learned a great deal in my life through listening, watching and doing. · All students want to feel appreciated, needed, protected, and that any decisions one makes should be made in the best interest of the students. It’s All You As band directors, we have an amazing amount of influence on our students. It only sometimes takes a small spark of improvement within an ensemble to fuel what will eventually become a raging fire. You are their leader. If you believe in them and lead them to what is possible, they will begin to believe in themselves. But… “Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself. Before you can move their tears, you own must flow. To convince them, you must yourself believe.” Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965) Many of the young students in your ensembles don’t listen to or respect their own parents, so why in the world would they listen to or respect you? They will listen to and respect you because: · You have their best interest in mind and are willing to go “above and beyond the call of duty’” to accomplish what you believe is best for them. · You are fully and completely committed to what you do and in the repertoire you choose. · You are fair and consistent in your treatment of all.
b. Try to make it through the entire piece while “hearing” and “seeing” it in a clear and specific manner. Remember to spend extra time with any modulations, transitions, or bridge materials. Having all of the printed transitions internalized is vital. c. Repeat the until comfortable. Additional Comments Regarding This Study Process 1. This process, while certainly very effective, is time consuming. Don’t wait to start studying. You can never be too prepared for a rehearsal. 2. Create a Log. In it, keep track of where you are in the process of studying each piece you are preparing on a daily basis. 3. As tempting as it may be, do not listen to a recording of the piece until you have completed ALL of the steps above. Studying a piece in silence is the only way to improve your inner “ear”, and young conductors can not help but be directly or indirectly influenced by listening to a recording before completing the entire process above. 4. However, once you have completed the steps above, find as many different recordings of the piece as you can, and listen to them intently while looking at the score. If a particular conductor does something that you find interesting and effective on a recording, use it. 5. In the beginning, it is very difficult to “hear” everything in the score. Don’t give up! No one “hears” everything at first. 6. Your first rehearsal of the piece with your group is your first performance of the piece. Be prepared. 7. If you have properly prepared in the manner above, creating daily lesson plans, musical goals, and technical goals for your group will be much easier. This happens because you now have an “ideal” performance of the piece burned into your mind and body, and all that is needed is to compare the actual, real life sound of your group to the “ideal”. 8. Will the players in your group ever be able to recreate the “ideal” sound you have imagined and internalized? No, not likely. But your group will never even be able to