Part 2 of 3: Recipe for a Successful Instrumental Rehearsal
(Just Add Passion)

Note: Students should know your goals before you begin.

• Warm-up (begins from silence within two minutes after bell rings and with you clearly in charge.)
  Goals: Gain mental focus, prepare physically, improve basic tone, improve pitch, expand range, practice rehearsal etiquette & prepare to rehearse.
  Specific ideas: Breathing exercises, play long or slow memorized scales passages, play interval exercises, play chorales, have percussionists play mallet instruments as much as or more than snare or bass drum, and create ways to force students to watch conductor - do not be predictable.

• Technical studies
  Goals: Improve finger facility, explore new keys, improve flexibility, expand range
  Specific ideas: Play etudes from method book, play memorized scales with varying rhythm patterns and tempos, and play technical passages selected from literature
• Rhythm studies
  Goals: Understand and use rhythm interpretation system, increase rhythmic accuracy, internalize pulse, introduce new and/or complex rhythms.
  Specific ideas: Read rhythms from method books verbally, play rhythms on single tone, play rhythms on scale degrees, play rhythms from notation (method books), and practice complex rhythms from literature.
  Note - be certain the students are interpreting the rhythms, not the teacher. (Don't tell them how it goes; make them tell you how it goes.)

• Sight reading (may not take place every rehearsal, but should be frequent)
  Goal: Help students become musically literate, able to read and make music on their own.
  Specific ideas: Start an extremely simple progress slowly, use music which is easy enough to avoid frustration, but difficult enough to challenge, and develop a system for checking keys, meters, repeats, etc.
• Work on literature (remainder of period)
  Goals: Set expectations for literature rehearsal (what do you want to accomplish today?) Apply warm-up and sight reading skills to literature. Teach concepts as well as notes/parts. Challenge students to listen critically at all times. Insist on continual improvement from first reading to polished performance. Work on the sound of the band - intonation, balance, blend, tone quality, artistry should be addressed in every rehearsal - not just notes and rhythms.
  Specific ideas: Divide literature rehearsal into two parts: 1) work on new, or difficult literature and then 2) review familiar or "fun" literature. Play a piece from beginning to end without stopping. Play something you haven't played for a while. Ask students or point out what was learned/achieved today.

Combine ingredients. Add kids, patience, hard work, caring, preparation, and passion.
Let simmer for one school year. Enjoy!
(As with all recipes, ingredients can be changed, added or omitted to taste.)

Part 1 - Top Ten Classroom Management Sins
Coming in 2 weeks: Rehearsal "Tricks"

Dennis Granlie is currently a music consultant with 11 years of classroom observations as a music supervisor. During that time, he conducted nearly 500 formal observations and saw over 60 teachers in their classrooms. Granlie is currently a mentor for the Montana Music Educators Association and has observed and mentored another 80 teachers in the past 31/2 years. He is editor of the Montana MEA state magazine, Cadenza.

- Becky Spray, January 22, 2009 ©MENC: The National Association for Music Education