The Art of Teaching Music Developing the Individual Woodwind Musician for Every 'Season'

Developing the individual musician is not something that should be put of until after marching season; rather, it is a continuous process throughout the year starting on day one.

Start WhereThey Are

Listening to your students one-on-one allows for more individual accountability. Keep individual records for each student to monitor improvement and to create a growth plan for each individual. Assess skills, not necessarily excerpts from their music. Provide rubrics for your students and a list of skills that you are wanting them to perfect so they are on the same page as you in terms of what you will be listening or watching for. The better the students become at their skills, the more passion they will show for practice and preparation and the more collaborative they will become in rehearsals.

Who is Responsible for Musical Growth?

As the band director, the responsibility is ultimately yours. To have more time to work on instrument specific skills, create a culture of sectionals. This is the time to work in smaller groups to develop those instrument specific skills needed for continued musical growth. Design your sectionals as you would a rehearsal. Allow time for developing tone, range, flexibility, technique, vibrato, etc. and allow time at the end of the sectionals to give students the opportunity to apply the newly learned knowledge and skills immediately.

Help students connect the dots of how the skills you are working on fit into or apply to a musical composition. Oftentimes directors just move from one thing to the next without bringing the students along with them. In the mind of the director, you have the expectation that your students are on the same page and are going to use the skills most recently learned. But, in the mind of the student, they are going to something new, and they often leave behind all of the work that you just did on developing their skills.

Private Lesson Program

Establishing a culture of private lessons is a gradual process and one, in many cases, that can be financially prohibitive, but which can be overcome with a little creative thinking. Use the resources around you whether it be hiring students or professors from a local college or university, allowing college students to come into your band hall to get experience, or a lesson exchange program with other band directors in your area. Take care when hiring private instructors to make sure that your philosophies align and if you are having to rely on free help from a local college, provide clear instructions on what you want taught and how you would like it taught. Don't set yourself up to have to contradict an instructor or even to have to un-teach something that may have been taught incorrectly.

Masterclasses

Invite professionals to come in and provide masterclasses for your students. Many instrument manufacturers have a list of artists they sponsor to go out into the schools to teach and promote their instruments. Be clear with the guest artist on the skills that you want taught and keep it specific. You can't expect someone to come in and undo bad habits, reteach, and teach new skills in one session. Use your resources and your students time wisely by having a plan for each year of instruction.

Students & Directors: Partners in Music Making

Do you inspire your students? Are you modeling for them by playing your own instrument in their presence? Do your students see and hear you doing a good warmup on occasion? Can your students see that you enjoy playing your instrument? Take time to play duets or ensembles with your students to encourage them and to create more 'teaching moments'. Consider providing opportunities for field trips to hear collegiate or professional performances in your area.

Work to create a student led environment where your questions are making them think like a musician and are taking them to the right answers and musical choices. Don't assume your students know how to practice even though you may plan your rehearsals to be a good model. Students don't always associate how you spend time in rehearsal to how to structure their practice time. Consider providing a short outline for them on what a good practice session should include. List specific suggested exercises for the skills you want your students to develop. If you are hearing them individually on a regular basis, you can be even more specific and tailor the exercise to the individual student. Unfortunately, not all students will practice all of the time, so don't assume they all will. Keep this in mind and structure your rehearsals somewhere between some student did practice and some didn't practice at all .

Daily Drill

Do you use your daily drill as a time for teaching rather than just 'warming up'? Design daily exercises that take your students to the next level. Include exercises that complement the music that you are currently teaching. Give students an opportunity to suggest exercises that might help them in perfecting a specific skill and then give it a try in rehearsal. If nothing else, you can get an idea of where your students are in their thought process.

Many directors put off developing their young musicians until after marching season. This just allow students to develop bad habits that have to be untaught in the spring and becomes a vicious cycle of taking two steps forward and one step backward throughout the year. Development is slow and oftentimes very frustrating for the students. A great series of exercises that I have found to be helpful in developing students are the MVP Studies for Marching Band. Theses 14 studies are to be used will full band and can be used year round to develop tone, range, flexibility, articulation, technique, and listening skills.

Tone

Not everything must be taught in private lessons or sectionals. You see your students more often in your rehearsals and can design warm ups that include the skills you want your students to achieve. Can your students play in tone with themselves in al registers? Are they aware of the proper pedagogy for each register? This is pretty basic, but you can't move on to other skills without it. There are no shortcuts: they must start with a solid foundation. If you allow your students to build on a weak foundation, they will fail, but more importantly, you will fail your students.

Use long tone studies beginning in a comfortable register for each instrument. Students are encouraged to continue working on growth if they experience success but will give up easily if it is too difficult or if all they do is fail. Start with small victories to win the battle! Extend range or develop range over time. This is not something you can rush; it is not a one and done scenario. Even with all of the technological tools that we have at our fingertips, it still takes the same amount of time to learn skills on a wind instrument today as it did 100 years ago!

Tuning - Aural Skills

Do you encourage peer assessment? Encouraging students to form musical opinions on what they hear helps to develop their aural skills and their musical standards. If they can't hear it, they can't fix it; they must be 'bothered' by out of tune sounds. Teaching students to play in tune is a challenging task, so they first need to know what 'in tune' sounds like. One of the things that bothers me the most is to observe a rehearsal where the band director is asking the band to begin with an F concert (or any pitch for that matter) without first providing a reference pitch. Which F concert are they shooting for? The sharp one from the saxophones or one of the many others around the band? Make sure everyone has set up their instrument properly and provide a reference pitch for your students so they have a good starting point to match pitch.

Playing 'in tone' can usually clear up many pitch concerns. Students must know how to consistently produce a characteristic sound before they can be successful playing in tune. Playing in tone and tuning by ear are skills that need to start during the beginner year. Tuning becomes more about teaching students to listen to themselves in order to fit into the sounds of those around them. I like teaching 'Levels of Listening'.

The use of individual tuners on the music stands is a controversial subject. The tuner is a great tool, so why not use it? I like for my students to have their tuners plugged in and on the stand ready for use. Students can tune themselves during and after the daily drill, which saves time in the long run. Students can reference the tuner throughout the rehearsal as needed, just not constantly. Many students are visual learners and being able to see what a lowered 3rd of a major chord looks like before they hear it can be beneficial to many students. Using tuners is a great way to work on 'adjusted' intonation as I call it. Another great aural tool is using a drone for students to fit into. I all comes down to training students to hear or listen for 'in tune'. Before you know it, they will be making tuning adjustments on their own on the fly.

Vibrato

Vibrato is an effect used to enhance tone, and should not be a distraction. Vibrato can create musical nuance, character, atmosphere, or can be used as a special effect in music. Most of the time vibrato is taught by the private instructor, but if you don't have access to a specialist, you need to be able to teach it yourself. This is a skill that needs to be honed in sectionals and in one-on-one instruction in order to make sure that it is being done properly. No one wants to hear a buzz saw or a nanny goat in their ensemble. Vibrato speed and depth can vary depending on the style and character of the music. Vibrato doesn't always need to be present. For example, in music that is very thinly scored, vibrato might get in the way of the texture. I ask my vibrato instruments not to use vibrato when tuning or when playing long tones, as I want them to hear the pure sound and I don't want vibrato to cover poor tones or tuning.

Articulation

There is not just one articulation that will work for every scenario. Various types and styles of music may require a larger palette of articulation syllables and styles. Articulation syllables that do not match within a section of your band can be the cause of poor ensemble clarity. Assign articulation syllables to each section in your band for each piece of music that you play. Periodically check to make sure that everyone within a section is using the same syllable. This is as easy as just going down the line and asking them. If the answer is a shoulder shrug or I don't know, then, no, they aren't all using the same syllables. I like to think of each articulation syllable as being made up of a consonant, a vowel, and an 'H'. Regarding the individual musician, as they begin playing more advanced literature, the articulation syllable, style, or technique needs to be addressed. Where does the tongue touch during the consonant, where is the general placement of the tongue during the body of the note (vowel), where is the tongue on the note finish ('H')? The consonant can change depending on the style of music and vowel can change depending on the register. At first you need to decide what you want and then as the student gets more proficient, he/she can become a collaborator in this area.

Articulation is greatly affected by air speed. Once flute and brass students are proficient with single tonguing on their instrument and can use a consistent air speed, you should be including double tonguing in your daily drill and especially in your sectionals for flute and brass players. Multiple tonguing on reed instruments really needs to be taught by a specialist and can be maintained by the director, unless the director is proficient on this skill. I like to use call and response exercises to work on this technique.

TTT KKK KTKTK TKTKT

Use this pattern to begin working on double tonguing. For flute, the vowel is a French "TEUX/KEUX" (like the French number 2 - deux). The tongue is flat and forward with the consonant touching the enamel of the back of the top teeth and the 'K' touching the hard palate. The motion is a 'rocking' motion that is perpetuated by the fast airstream. For brass instruments, use the appropriate vowel for the register in which the students are playing. Increase the number of beats (this one is in 2/4) to extend the exercise and you can even add pickup notes.

Articulation is sometimes difficult to teach because you can't see what the tongue is doing inside the mouth. You have to rely on external visual signs, for example, watch for jaw movement or what is going on under the jawline. In the case of multiple tonguing, you want to see some slight external movement between the chin and throat to determine the proper tongue movement. Design articulation exercises for your daily drill that continue to develop your musicians. Use the music you are working on to inspire your creations and then transfer that knowledge to the music.

Technique

When working on technique, the most concentrated efforts will most likely be during sectionals, private lessons, and individual practice; however, you can integrate this into your daily drill. Your students need to be able to 'analyze' the music they are playing and pick out things they already know, for example, recognizable patterns lin tetrachords, chromatic patterns, thirds, fourths, fifth's, arpeggio's, etc. Students will be less likely to stress about getting the right notes and fingerings if they have a solid foundation on these simple patterns. By teaching these skills, you will be able to spend more time on the more musical aspects of connecting these patterns and playing with music nuance.

There are so many ways to develop 'fast fingers', but a student will just get frustrated if they haven't been taught good hand position and posture before attempting speed. These elements must be monitored daily, especially during those 'growing spurt' times that our students experience. The most simple things will affect hand position, like setting up the instrument properly, poor posture, getting tired while playing. At the beginning of each rehearsal, remind your students to check their instrument set up, to sit properly, and to 'soften' their bodies while playing.

Another tool director's should be aware of is the use of alternate fingerings. Many times, there are trill fingerings or harmonic fingerings that can be used to facilitate technique in very fast passages. If you don't know, ask a professional or look it up, but sometimes, however, only the 'real' fingering will sound right and you will need to develop the proper skill for your students to accomplish the task.

Tongue and finger coordination is a common concern for the developing musician. I've found that 'phasing' problems are usually a fingering issue rather than an articulation issue. Have the students play everything slurred and this will allow you to hear how much or little air they are using under their fingers; work on giving every note the same body of sound. It will also show whether or not the student is playing rhythms evenly. In most cases this unevenness is caused by poor hand position. Once the student has mastered the passage slurred, then add the articulation back in. Creating exercises for your daily drill that starts out slurred to work on fast air, even fingers, and articulating with the fingers then adding varying articulation patterns will help develop continuity between slurred and articulated passages.

Application of Knowledge

Application of knowledge is the area of education that need the most improvement. Don't assume that a student will just know that the exercises you are having them work on have a specific purpose, you must tell them the why and how. If students are taught from the beginner year to look for recognizable patterns or skills in their music, they will be more empowered to analyze music on their own and self-teach to some extent. This allows for a more meaningful and collaborative music experience for both you and your students. Be Socratic in assessing understanding. Ask questions that make your students think and come to the right musical conclusion. Ask questions that take them to the realization that what they are seeing in their music is what they have already mastered in their skill exercises.

Individual ability based competitions are a great way to develop your individual musicians as long as it is done in a healthy environment. Rote teaching the etudes will not develop lasting skills and oftentimes just creates bad habits. This is a culture that needs to be developed and nurtured over time to encourage your students to participate with confidence. Are the skills you are teaching in rehearsals, sectionals, and masterclasses setting your students up to be able to play this music? Even if a student doesn't follow through with the audition, it is a good idea to have them all work on the etudes at some level. Some students may need a shortened version to be successful; just keep moving forward.

Provide performance opportunities individuals or small groups, for example, Chamber music. Start a chamber music series, have a chamber music concert before solo/ensemble to give the students more performance opportunities. Encourage your private teachers to have recitals for their studios and initiate a concerto competition within your school or district.

It is my opinion that we spend so much time "teaching to the music" that our students can't transfer knowledge from one composition to another; it's like groundhog day every time you start a new piece of music. Our students aren't able or even inspired to seek out music on their own to learn outside of the classroom because they have to be shown 'how it goes'. I challenge you to do a better job of developing your individual young musicians to be independent thinkers and players, but also collaborators in the music making process.

Method Book Recommendations

Kathy Johnson

Kathy Johnson, Adjunct Professor of Woodwind and Brass Techniques at the University of North Texas, has led a distinguished career of 40 years in teaching music education in Texas. Highly respected clinician, adjudicator, and conductor, Mrs. Johnson serves as Artistic Director of The Dallas Winds Honor Band, is a founding member of The Dallas Winds where she is a member of the flute section and is the UIL Region 2 Executive Secretary. Dedicated to music education and developing the individual young musician, Mrs. Johnson co-authors Musical Mastery for Band and the forthcoming Student Teacher Workbook.

Bands under the direction of Kathy Johnson have been selected as TMEA Honor Band, performing at the Texas Music Educators conference, have performed at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, have been the UIL State Marching Band Champions on multiple occasions, were awarded the Outstanding Band Program Award by the Texas Chapter of the American School Band Directors Association and were selected as an Exemplary High School Band Program by the Texas Bandmasters Association.

A member of the prestigious American Bandmasters Association, Mrs. Johnson serves on both the Ostwald and Educational committees. Her other professional affiliations include Phi Beta Mu International Band Fraternity, Alpha Chapter, the Texas Music Educators Association, the Texas Bandmasters Association, Women Band Directors International, and the Texas Music Adjudicators Association. Mrs. Johnson recently received the Meritorious Achievement Award presented by the Texas Bandmasters Association. Mrs. Johnson resides in Flower Mound, TX with her husband Eric.