Texas Bandmasters Association
Bandmasters Review • December 2014
15
Guiding Students to Intonation
Independence
My band and I are on a quest. It
is a year-long endeavor, including
highs and lows that will culminate
one day in late spring when I
stand on the podium, and the
band finally, majestically, plays in
tune! The quest starts over each
and every year, and it’s never
the same quest twice. Following
are the philosophies, strategies
and techniques I use to guide
my musicians on this journey to
intonation independence!
Students play in tune with each
other when they:
1. Play with quality sound
2. Understand how to mani-
pulate notes purposefully sharp or
flat without sacrificing tone quality
3. Know what chord they are
playing and can properly adjust
their tuning responsibilities (in real
time as the chord shifts around
their individual parts)
Teaching with this three-part
philosophy creates an ensemble of
players who listens for their own
sound, and the way their sound
fits with the sound around them.
They listen because they know
what to listen for. Each type of
chord, major, minor or otherwise,
inherently possesses a certain feel.
Great players are great listeners who
maneuver and mold their sounds
within the chords being played until
everything resonates correctly.
The specific processes involved in
teaching these three responsibilities
utilize technology available to
students that meets them where
they are. My students in 2014 rely
on visual learning far more than
students did even ten years ago.
We are now starting to see students
in our bands that have grown up
with access to multiple hand-held
computers at home on a daily basis.
Here’s an example of the society
in which these children have
grown up. Recently, my youngest
daughter asked to take my wife’s
iPhone to school. When asked
why, she explained that her teacher
requested that each student bring
a baby picture to school for a class
project. My daughter assumed the
only way to transport a photo to
school was to take it there on an
iPhone. It did not even occur to
her that we could print a photo on
paper!
With this reality in mind,
and the amazing capabilities of
these electronic devices, I work
to capitalize on my students’
fascination with, and ubiquitous
access, to smart phones and tablet
computers. My goal is to utilize
visual reinforcement of the desired
aural result: playing in tune with
others.
F irst Things F irst
It is extremely important
that the band director clearly
define intonation routines and
expectations for the students from
day one. We must determine ahead
of time how the students will tune
their instruments and how they
will manipulate individual pitches.
The specific methodologies will
often differ from instrument to
instrument. The first days of the
school year are vital to establishing
a pattern that will lead to success;
whether you are in a newly created
band position, a recently vacated
band position or a brand new band
program. I find intonation training
is most successful in a small group
setting—usually beginning with
sectionals in summer band and
continuing in band sectionals
throughout the year. The most
important thing to remember at
the beginning of the year is that
students must make characteristic
sounds on their instruments first in
order to tune those sounds.
Tuners
Each student in the ensemble
has a personal tuner with contact
microphone, although these tuners
are used within specific parameters.
Band instruments are built to play
in tune at operating temperature.
Before each rehearsal, the students
Jason Schayot