Period 3 (8:55-9:35AM) – HS Band

Context/Prior Knowledge
Live band, 23 students
• Alto Sax (4 [2,2])
• Clarinet (2 [1,1])
• Flutes (5 [3,2] potentially missing one Flute 2 for Orchestra)
• Trumpets (6 [2,1,3])
• Trombone (1 [1])
• Percussion (4-5)
Warm Up, Café 512, Arabian Dances

Essential Question
How can we use our band pieces (Arabian Dances [Brian Balmages], Café 512 [Ryan George])
to help display a variety of approaches to melodies (and/or countermelodies)?

Materials
Arabian Dances Score
Café 512 Score
Percussion Parts & Layout
“Technical Exercises in the Key of Concert D: Harmonic Minor Scale” from Foundations for
Superior Performance: Warm-Ups & Technique for Band – Richard Williams & Jeff King (pg.
172, pg. 18 for winds, pg. 62 for perc.)

Glossary of Terms1
• Harmonic Minor Scale - is the same as the natural minor scale, except that the
seventh tone is raised by a semitone (half step) both ascending and descending.

National Standards
MU:Cr2.1.E.IIa
MU:Pr4.3.E.8a
MU:Re9.1.E.8a
MU:Cn10.0.H.8a

Learning Outcomes
• Students will perform the D harmonic minor scale
o Students will transpose their starting pitch from the given concert pitch.
• Students will demonstrate proper balancing of the melody and counter-melody in
Arabian Dances.
• Students will hand off the melody of Café 512 to each other and will mimic each other’s
tone and style.

Procedure
1. Before Class
a. Prepare newly arrived warmup books to hand out to students.
b. Prepare extra pencils for students who forget theirs

1
Definitions gathered from OnMusic.com unless otherwise noted.
2. Warm-Up: 4-5 minutes
a. Explain that we will be starting with Arabian Dances after the warmup.
i. We spent time in lessons earlier this semester getting used to the sound
of harmonic minor
b. Students turn to exercise on page 18. Percussion turns to pg. 62
i. All percussionists should play during the warmup (except timpani who can
tune)
ii. Ask students to point out the difference between the natural minor and
harmonic minor exercise. What’s the unique note for harmonic minor?
1. Leading tone/7th/C# (or D#, A# depending on transposition)
2. Have everyone play that unique note.
c. Ok, flutes/trombone, you have one flat in the key signature, correct?
Trumpets/Clarinets, what do you have in your key signature (1 sharp)?
Alto Saxes, what is in your key signature (2 sharps)?
d. Play through the scale, q=60-75
i. Woodwinds come in right away, brass waits one bar before entrance.
ii. Replay for any mistakes/segment off certain instrument groups to identify
error.
e. GET OFF THE PODIUM WHEN NEEDED

3. Arabian Dances: 20 minutes

a. Section 1: m. 40-92
i. Comfortable section to get the students excited for music-making.
ii. Focus on the stacking entrances. I sing piccolo part in meantime
iii. We talked about the dueling melodies here, one short and separated, one
broad and long (64). For right now, the upper woodwind melody is still at
the forefront. Altos and trumpets play confidently and with intensity but
don’t overpower that sound, try to serve as a cushion for it.
iv. Things to listen for:
1. Watch balance between trumpets and woodwinds at measure 58
2. Bell tones on those half notes in brass at 83
3. Percussion make sure your eyes are on me as we speed up.
4. Crescendo into those downbeats at 88
5. Make sure those dominating quarter notes in measure 88-91 are
held to their full value. Don’t short the second one.
v. MAYBE take percussion soli from 92-148 (depends on time)
b. Section 2: 188-End (mostly up to the start of the Vivo)
i. More intense focus on balancing the parts
ii. At the 4/2, our two melodies will suddenly switch in relevance. Now the
brass and saxes are the focal point with that broad melody. Upper
woodwinds are now serving as the countermelody. That switch needs to
be immediate, so we need to be flexible in our roles as both leaders and
supporters depending on where we are.
iii. Things to watch out for:
1. Woodwind balancing at m. 188
2. Trombone balance & tuning 198-207
3. Tuning Brass, m. 216-223
- Trumpet 3, play strong, pyramid of sound concept
- Trumpet 2 and trombone, third of the chord, means you’ll
have to pull the note down pretty flat to get rid of beats (1st
valve slide if needed)
 - Trumpet 1, don’t overplay, pyramid of sound, your note will
come through, so focus on playing with a full, not a loud
sound and blending with your sectionmates
4. Alto Sax presence m. 232-233
5. Woodwind crazy 16th note run in Vivo

4. Café 512 – 15 minutes

a. Section 1: m. 30-51
i. We talked a lot about melodies and counter melodies with Arabian.
ii. In the solo parts here for Trpt 1 and Flute 1, the trumpet is introducing this
melody, and then the flute is calling it back, like an echo. So here’s
another way to think of melodies: as a call-and-response. Our goal is to
try and have these two voices truly sound like one another, like they’re
both engaging in conversation. So be sure to listen to each other’s
phrasing, intonation, articulation, etc. and try to emulate that.
iii. Things to watch for:
1. Trumpet entrance m. 36
2. Alto sax entrance m. 31
3. Euphonium line underneath soloists
4. Tuning the clarinet pads underneath solos
b. Section 2: p52 – 93
i. So now instead of an immediate echo, this melody seems to had itself off
between the parts, like when the Flute solo leads into the Euph solo. But
this happens even within our non-solo parts.
1. SING Euphonium solo
ii. If we go back to 68-72, right on 68, flutes and Cl. 1 have this descending
eighth note line that immediately gets handed off the next bar to Cl. 3 and
the Alto Saxes. Then there’s a delayed handoff in bar 70 where the eighth
note flow fades but then it returns in 71 in both the flutes and altos. These
kind of little handoffs are scattered everywhere, so keep your ears peeled
for your bandmates, as you never know if they might be trying to say
something musical to you.
iii. Things to watch for:
1. Switching between 3/4 and 4/4 time signatures throughout
2. Melody cohesion, esp. in trumpets m. 52-61
3. Transition to 93 (2/4 bar)

Assessment
1. Teacher will aurally assess students’ performance of the concert D harmonic minor scale
a. Teacher will ask for students to answer transposition questions, and will assist if
there are gaps in students’ memory
2. Teacher will aurally assess students’ balance in Arabian Dances and will make
adjustments as necessary
3. Teacher will aurally assess students’ melody transfer in Café 512 and will come off
podium where necessary to help students find who to listen to for their melody.
4. Teacher will record conducting and evaluate after rehearsal whether student errors were
due to indecisive conducting or lack of accuracy in performance
Extensions
1. Mini composition assignment where students can experiment with different melodic
frameworks?
2. Listening assignment: pick a song you enjoy and describe how its melody is handled
(countermelodies, handed off between different musical voices/instruments, straight
ahead melody in one voice, etc.)