Musical Mastery
The bulk of what needs to be covered in a beginner band class in order for students to function independently on instrument specific repertoire and in a performing band situation can't always be found in the band book. The band method book is then used as a supplement to Musical Mastery.
Musical Mastery is more detailed and offers a systematic approach to teaching embouchure, instrument range, alternate fingerings and the correct use of those fingerings, rhythmic reading, and scales. This method of teaching is more chromatic than diatonic based and allows for more in depth study of the tendencies of the individual instruments, embouchure for various ranges, and specific fingering uses.
Anyone who teaches beginning band will most likely have a system in place and this book is intended to fit into that system, not to take the place of it. This book explains in detail how to use this information; however, the timeframe will vary from program to program depending on how often the beginner classes are seen and on the pace of each class. A good rule of thumb is to move on when the majority of the class is understanding and is able to perform a concept.
Everything in this method is sequential, but is also cumulative so the students will be using all of the information constantly throughout the process. It is recommended that you plan a variety of ways to test knowledge including playing demonstrations, written tests, and aural or verbal explanations from the students.
As with any method, this is not a magic fix, but is practical information that does make the difference at the end of the beginning year. This information will also be valuable to you as a director when diagnosing problems with your older students.
Musical Mastery is set up by instrument, so you will have everything at your fingertips if you are teaching in a homogeneous setting. If you are teaching in a heterogeneous setting, you will still have everything displayed in the same order for each instrument making it easy to locate the information that you seek. Each section will contain information on breathing, embouchure, tone production, articulation, method of use, and exercises used.
Musical Mastery is more detailed and offers a systematic approach to teaching embouchure, instrument range, alternate fingerings and the correct use of those fingerings, rhythmic reading, and scales. This method of teaching is more chromatic than diatonic based and allows for more in depth study of the tendencies of the individual instruments, embouchure for various ranges, and specific fingering uses.
Anyone who teaches beginning band will most likely have a system in place and this book is intended to fit into that system, not to take the place of it. This book explains in detail how to use this information; however, the timeframe will vary from program to program depending on how often the beginner classes are seen and on the pace of each class. A good rule of thumb is to move on when the majority of the class is understanding and is able to perform a concept.
Everything in this method is sequential, but is also cumulative so the students will be using all of the information constantly throughout the process. It is recommended that you plan a variety of ways to test knowledge including playing demonstrations, written tests, and aural or verbal explanations from the students.
As with any method, this is not a magic fix, but is practical information that does make the difference at the end of the beginning year. This information will also be valuable to you as a director when diagnosing problems with your older students.
Musical Mastery is set up by instrument, so you will have everything at your fingertips if you are teaching in a homogeneous setting. If you are teaching in a heterogeneous setting, you will still have everything displayed in the same order for each instrument making it easy to locate the information that you seek. Each section will contain information on breathing, embouchure, tone production, articulation, method of use, and exercises used.
