Prior to the first rehearsal in the fall/ Spring prior

1. For Parents
1. Online enrollment forms for the upcoming year
2. Rehearsal dates and times
3. Performance dates
4. Summer band/orchestra?
2. For Students
1. Students should have learned first ensemble warm up
learned
2. Summer supplemental exercises (could be used as a back
in for the upcoming year
3. First Tune covered/ or supplementary material that has
been created covered
4. Pop Tune/ Movie themes to keep them playing
5. Create simplified or tiered parts: basic/advanced/virtuoso.
Building Your Ensemble Set-up
1. Arrange students by music part or instrument key
1. Place instruments that may have difficulty hearing correct
pitch in closes to director
2. Rotate section order
3. Move percussion to the front (facing the band)
4. Ask older students to coming in to assist with modeling and
correct pitch production
5. Appropriate chairs
Entry and exit from music room:
1. Expectations and student responsibilities
1. Have older students assist with entry into the building/
escorting students to seats. Taking miscellaneous
questions
2. Have extra reeds/oil/rosen/bridges/ instruments music
quick assessable for a “goffer” to assist you with requests
3. Have P-Board list basic instructions (you should have
already told students in their last lesson or letter to read
the board)
4. List rehearsal order
5. Which instruments get to keep cases under chairs and
which must be placed back in shelf while rehearsing?
6. Fire drill exit expectations
7. arrive/sit/set-up start warming-up. Socializing takes place
after the rehearsal
8. Vented stands/ stand sharing rules
9. At the end of the rehearsal consider dismissing students in
sections: Use different markers for early release.
1. Most in-tune section
2. Quietest section
 3. Best foot taping section
4. Early arrival section/students
Rehearsal Considerations: Warm Ups
1. Effective Warm-ups Should be/focus on...
1. Low, Slow, & Soft
2. Aural Awareness (level 1,2,3)
3. Tone Quality
2. Development of fine characteristic tone
1. Own Sound
2. Neighbor’s Sound
3. Ensemble Sound
3. Warm up’s should be used for: (students should
know the warm up before the rehearsal).
1. Establish Rehearsal Guidelines
2. Seriousness of purpose
3. Finest intonation
4. Correct hand & body positions
5. Good breath support
6. Focus of mind, body, & instrument
4. Warm up’s should be used for: (students should
know the warm up before the rehearsal).
1. Focus on breath support
2. Aural development
3. Buzz development
4. Tuning: Levels
5. Breath support
6. Tempo refinement
7. Range building
8. Dynamic refinement
9. Theory review
10. Score training
11. Articulation development
5. Organization
1. Start, end rehearsals in the same manner, change
only middle portion
2. Have a method to begin each rehearsal
3. Be consistent- inconsistency breeds
ineffectiveness
4. Move around the room
5. Allow for independent thinking
6. Set daily/weekly/monthly goals. Ask students
regarding their progress
7. Teach concert pitches
8. Develop aural skills at every rehearsal
9. Teach conducting……...they must learn as soon as
possible
10. Decide how best to use prep beats
11. Teach the balance groups
12. Rehearsal quick mottos:
1. Many minds vs. one mind concept
2. Ensembles that breath in tempo, play in
tempo
3. Respect the low voices
4. Know your role within the score
5. Ensembles with expressive lows are
expressive ensembles
6. Breath is tone, and tone is beauty
7. You can’t tune a bad tone
8. We sing to hear the pitch
9. Singing helps brass find the pitch and
woodwinds to play in tune
10. If it doesn’t sound like “one instrument”
it’s out of tune!
11. Make a decision and own it
12. Dynamics are the personality of the
group
13. Teach the listener to hear what YOU
want them to hear