Page 11 - 2019 BMR April

Foundations for Good Practice Habits

Dr. Christina Guenther

Texas has contest seasons studio, my students play a large variety Tone
throughout the academic year— of scales and chords in all twelve Another foundational factor is tone.
marching contest, region/all-state keys: pentatonic, whole tone, major, Sound is what makes each instrument
etudes, and solo and ensemble. With minor, octatonic, chromatic, and upper special and unique. Without the sound
balancing school life and other extra- note scales as well as of an instrument,
curricular activities, high-school augmented triads, a With strong technique is
musicians can find it challenging to triad routine, fully fundamentals in irrelevant. Ideally,
navigate balancing practice time into diminished seventh technique, tone, and every student would
their busy lives. Here are some ideas chords, and a seventh have a private teacher
to help make learning music easier. chord routine. I teach articulation, and a right from the
every one of these good mindset of slow, beginning. But for a
Slow practice by relating them deliberate practice, number of factors—

The number one thing I find initially to the major young musicians will resources, finances,
myself telling students is to practice scale because that is have the foundation g eo g ra p h y— t hi s
slowly. “The less time I have to learn the scale with which is not reality. Band
something, the slower I practice,” I almost all these they need to learn directors alone,
tell them. The reason for this is multi- young musicians are the challenging music however, can do
fold: 1) if you practice something comfortable once they play efficiently, a lot for all their
too fast and in a hurry and learn it they have completed effectively, and with students regardless
wrong, then you have to unlearn it high school. Knowing a good attitude. of what the director’s
and learn it right—this takes more all these patterns primary instrument
time than if you had just learned it makes it much easier is. Long tones are
slowly and correctly in the first place; for them to learn pieces. For high one of the best sound exercises all
2) deliberate, conscientious practice schoolers, learning and memorizing band instrumentalists can do. There
will allow you to notice technical their major scales (in all twelve keys) is are unlimited long tone studies:
patterns and other musical details critical. Some students balk at learning whole notes by scale or arpeggios
that you might miss in going too scales, but their mindset can be or chromatically; octaves or other
fast from the onset; 3) detailed, slow adjusted to have a different perspective: interval leaps; harmonics. The
work really helps the finger-brain scales are constant. With all the music ideas for exercises—and students
connection and allows your fingers to students have to learn (much of which can make up their own, too—are
memorize exactly what they need to. they don’t get to choose, some of which limitless. With tone, of course, also
they may not like), scales are always comes awareness for proper breathing
Technique the same. To make it less monotonous, and breath control, and learning
A strong foundation in funda- the rhythmic patterns and range can to effectively support the air from
mentals is key. The stronger one’s be changed, but the seven pitches in the core. Breathing is a very natural
technique and pattern-recognition, the each major scale will always remain the phenomenon that seems to become
better one can sight-read, the faster same. Students can find comfort and harder as we get older and hold
one can learn music. I can’t ever stress stability in this constancy. It will also more tension. Students should aim to
enough how important it is for young help to be able to play any technical take a full, deep breath, releasing any
musicians to learn their scales and exercises steadily with and without a tension, and be aware of where their
scale-related patterns. In my college metronome. bodies expand. When breathing for

Bandmasters Review • April 2019 9 Texas Bandmasters Association