MENC Forums

I haven't used Yamaha in a couple of years, so they might have changed. I left Yamaha because they would introduce a concept, then not spend any time developing and reviewing it. You might see a concept on page 12 and not see it again until page 25. The kids need constant review.

I started using Essential Elements 2000+ and like the way things go once they get going. I *don't* like the beginning notes though. EE line 1 starts on a concert F and half my brass players can't hit it right off. If you skip to the line with a concert Bb, the other half of the brass players can't get it. Concert D is a much better note to start on. Practically everybody can be successful on that pitch for their first note. I spend a couple of weeks getting the kids to play their notes before even starting the book.

Another thing I don't like about Essential Elements may seem minor but it's a biggie to me. If a song is 2 lines long in my conductor's book, I want it to be 2 lines long in the student's book as well. I also want the breaks in the lines to be at the same measure between the conductor & student books. If I can find a book that offers the same things EE does, but handles the structure of the lines better, I'll be all over it. I start about 100 beginners a year. It sounds like a minor problem, but starting in the middle of a line to fix a conceptual problem takes up a LOT of instructional time the way the EE book is set up. I hate to fix a problem in the middle of a line and have to start back at the beginning of the thing to reinforce it.

There are two reasons why i use EE2000 instead of Standards of Excellence.  I like the EE2k warm-up blocks that are used every so often. I find it easier to say "Line 52, Tone builder, one-and-two-and-here-we-go" than "Get out your warmup sheets.  Wait, Johnny, you lost it AGAIN? Look off Suzy's stand.  Suzy, move your stand so Johnny can share.  Wait, your IEP says you need the stand that close... Johnny, move next to Jill.  I don't care that you broke up; just move over there to share!  I'll have you another one tomorrow.  Ok class, we're out of warm-up time, move on to line number...."  Built-in warmup sets are good!

My other issue is how the upper register is presented.  I like to take things slow and present one note at a time.  EE2k handles it that was.  SoE introduces the concept with three new notes in one line.  Maybe it's because I was a much younger director when I used this method, but my kids would short-circuit and freak out.  I've since moved to using Ray Chapa's Clarinet Gymnastics for some after-school enrichment, so the tone issue development isn't the issue.

As for the CD/DVD issue, I find SmartMusic easier to use than iPas.  The DVD may as well be a coaster for most of my kids.

I like SoE better as a whole method, but the warm-up and upper register issues keep me from going back.  Maybe they could fix this in an SoE v2?

http://cml.music.utexas.edu/Habits/HabitsOpener.htm

This is a link to a website for "The Habits of Musicianship".  It is a new beginning band method book co-written by Bob Duke and Jim Byo.  They have just released it this year to the public.  It is a very radical approach to teaching beginners that some people won't like, but I encourage you to look around the website.   Definitely read the introduction page.  They have recently presented at TMEA and MENC and gotten lots of positive feedback.  Let me know what you think.

I like it, I like the reasoning behind it.  It addresses all of the things we've struggled to get kids to understand as they progressed through the method books.  I've read the teacher text, but not looked through the score yet.  A few things I'm wondering...our second year students have to be able to play pep band music at the beginning of the year for junior high football games.  Will this transfer easily into the second year demands?  Is there anything incorporated into the method at the end of the year to prepare percussionists?  We already don't start percussion until the second year, but we are doing a unit at the end of the year to see who is rhythmically consistent enough to change to percussion.  Has anyone used this with kids from rougher areas, who may not handle giving or taking peer criticism well?  Are there results from students who began with this method as they head into high school that show a difference?  Just some things I've thought about...

Amy B wrote:

I am curious to know why the authors of this method would begin clarinetists on Low G. I did go to the website and read through some of the material and looked at music. Since you were able to see their presentation, would you be able to tell me what is was about their methods that influenced you so positively?

Their reasoning (as I understood it) was that we start student clarinetists on open G which is the easiest note to get on the clarinet.  The problem is that, well...  it is the easiest note to get to play on the clarinet!  Their thinking seemed to be that by starting with low G we can reinforce from day one the importance of good hand position, thumb position, curved fingers, fully covering the holes, etc.  that hold students back from crossing the break later on.  By focusing on such an easy note as open G we tend to forget to insist that the right hand fingers be always properly placed.  Later on this turns into a big problem.

Now I don't think they intend for teachers to totally start with low G.  Rather the teacher would start with higher notes (without the book) and have the student work their way down to that low G with a good sound and finger position.  In other words, the stuff that we normally put off until later should actually be stressed at the outset rather than having to fix problems later that are already stuck in their head and muscles.

I could be totally wrong on this interpretation, but that is the overall idea I took from the session.

I just wish they would release tuba and french horn books...  :(

BandGuy wrote:

I forwarded the link to our 5-6 director and she seems intrigued -- even willing to try it. Has anyone (who posts here) seen good results?

This is my second year using the "Habits" book as my beginning band method.  I started students last year in 6th grade that are now in 7th and I'm very pleased with the results.  They have excellent reading skills after having been exposed to so many different keys, time signatures, and styles.  The students are getting good sounds and playing with strong supported air - I attribute much of this to the emphasis on slurring from the beginning.  The book provides several tunes to start on that don't require tonguing at all - no notes are repeated.  Because of this, I feel like my students think in terms of phrases rather than notes or measures. 

To answer some other questions that have come up in this thread,
MusicEdMagic hit the nail on the head with his answer about the clarinet question.  One of the focuses of the book is to get kids doing things the right way from the beginning.  Why start them on a note that lets them be successful with a poor embouchure?  Starting on low G gives the students and the teacher a magnified view of how things are progressing with embouchure, tone and hand position.  If you can't get that note out, then you're doing something wrong and now is the time to fix it before it becomes a habit. 

About the horn and tuba books, I have been told that they will be available sometime this summer. 

SHP asked a question about 7th graders being able to play pep band music. 
I feel like the kids are exposed to so many different types of music in this method that they will be able to pick up virtually anything and have a good idea about how to play it in 7th grade.  I gave my 7th graders a fingering chart and lots of sheet music at the beginning of the year and let them loose and they've picked up the different range and any rhythm issues without much trouble. 

Regarding percussion,
The "Habits" method does not come with a percussion book.  I personally believe that percussion is a highly specialized group of instruments that deserves a lot of careful attention.  I start percussionists on bell kits playing out of the flute book in class.  Once a week after school I have a percussion specialist come out to work with the kids on practice pads and accessories.  This works for me and I've had great results.  You have to find what works with your program and your students regarding percussion.  There will never be a method book that does the percussion instruments justice while tackling all of the other beginning band issues.  The best materials for beginning percussionists are probably going to be supplemental.

As for results on high school students who started using this method,
I will have 8th graders next year who started using the method in 6th, so we'll have to wait a few more years.  The high school band director that I feed into is very excited about bringing these students into his program. 

Hope this information is helpful. 

Jennifer

I am intrigued by the Habits book... but we start kids in 4th grade... WRT to starting clarinets on a low G - I don't think that many 4th graders have the reach to get there.

Amy B wrote:

Hi Jennifer,

Thank you for the detailed input about the "Habits" method. Yours and many others who have contributed to this post have been very insightful. I greatly appreciate it!

My questions to you are: How much did your students accomplish in the "Habits" book during their first year? How far are they now in their second year? Do you use another method and "Habits" as a supplemental method, or is it your primary method?

Thanks again,
Amy B

Hi Amy,

I have used "Habits" as my primary method for the past two years.  I was fed up with the other method books available, so I became completely commited to the idea of trying something new.  I haven't used any supplemental material, except for with my percussionists.  There is enough material available in the book to expose the students to anything that you can think of. 

During their first year, I take the students about halfway through the book playing almost every tune.  Towards the end of the school year, I pick out songs from the second half of the book for different sections and students to study.  For instance, I will assign the clarinets a piece to work on that requires them to play in the throat tones, while I may want the low brass to work on different articulations.  If I have a few students that need something really challenging I will give them one of the more technically demanding songs.  I love that there's so much available in the book that there's no way that we can cover it in a year, although it may look intimidating to some band directors who think they should try.  I really don't think that the book is intended to be for exactly one year of study Ausgust - May.  I think that it is intended to get students playing great music on their instruments from day one and to expose them, as beginners, to pieces with a wide variety of key centers, time signatures, styles, and tempos. 

With the release of the french horn and tuba books, I would like to incorporate "Habits" into the start of the 7th grade year to take advantage of some of the multi-voice pieces.  I currently have beginners split up between three classes, so I don't use the multi-voice tunes our first year.  It would be nice for my 7th grade students to have the book to pull out in class for unison or sightreading work as well. 

big D,
I always start my clarinets on middle C also, but that is before I pass out method books.  Adding a few more fingers to get them down to G in the first few weeks should be worth the trouble in the long run.  They will be sounding great, hand position will be reinforced, and you could still use a unison method. 


Jennifer

Last edited by msmusic (2008-04-19 18:53:56)

SHP wrote:

We usually spend the first few weeks teaching theory so that the notation is familiar by the time we start reading music while playing.  Would this method allow us to continue to do this prior to starting on the instruments?

My understanding is that that is the way the method is intended to be used.  You will need to teach the basics of theory, embouchure, and hand position first in order for the students to understand the rhythms, etc. that are used from the very first song.  A student would need to already have a very basic grasp of rhythm, horn position, note names, etc. before they could really understand how to play the first song on their own.

I have started using this method this year.  I am really pleased with the way things are progressing.  I agree with the statement about sheet music not being written for the notes that the students learn first.  However,  if you can get past the issue with concerts the students will be far better second year players.  Being able to understand 6/8 time from the beginning is genius.  I have some high school kids who still do not get it. The best thing about learning the notes in the order that they do is that when you get to the point where you want to play sheet music those notes are soooooo easy for them.  They pick up the traditional starting notes in  no time.  The hardest part for me is being patient and this week they really are starting to get it fast.  I would say they are a good three months ahead of where last years beginners were using EE2000.

Arg!  I was just thinking about names for a method I've been working on and without ever having seen this before, "Music Magic" was what I came up with.  Back to the drawing board for me...what a coincidence.

Over the years I've looked at several method books.  I'm not a huge fan of any of them.  I use a series of technical and lyrical exercises that I've developed for my students.  These exercises supplement the Standard of Excellence method that I use.