MUED 409 Rehearsal Techniques Project

Please add ONE rehearsal technique to EACH musical component below. Example: How would
you work on/teach the following musical elements? Be sure to add your initials in parentheses
after your addition.

Notes
1. Starting with concert Bb, I would have everyone play the first note and go up the scale
note by note so everyone gets a feel for the positioning. (HH)
2. Have the student play note by note, starting with the first note of the scale and have
them finger each individual note as they are playing it (BT)
3. Have the students play “bugles,” which is when a student starts on one note then slurs
up to another note. This helps get the pitch of both of the notes in the students ears and
will help them reach the troubling notes. (NH)
4. Scales in intervals, Have students say what their next note is aloud (Bb-C, Bb-D,Bb-Eb
etc.). This helps build muscle memory between more than just Whole/Half Steps (DF)
5. Have the section play through the problem passage note by note slowly. If the issues
persist, review fingerings. (JA)
6. Play the scale of whatever the piece you are playing is in. Go note by note until
everyone is playing the right note. (CB)
7. Sing notes and rhythms as they finger the notes on their instruments. Using the auditory
processing to know what the notes are supposed to sound like in relation to the
ensemble. (JK)
8. In a phrase a section is having trouble with, cue them to play the notes slowly, in order
and out of time to learn fingerings. Repeat while slowly speeding up, and finally do the
phrase in rhythm. (BO)
9. If students have repertoire that they are playing, warm up the students by playing the
scale of what the piece is in. Start with a whole note pattern as you ascend and descend
through the scale. Watch for any incorrect fingerings and correct them. If the students
are doing well with this assignment, you can go to quarter and eighth note patterns. (NG)
10. If students are struggling with a run, have them play the run in different rhythms (for
example, 4 notes at a time, then 8, or 1 quarter note 2 8th notes and 1 more quarter
note). (FD)
11. Have students play the scale associated with the song. But beyond that we can play
them slowly. “You can’t play something fast if you can’t play it slow first. This can also
apply to parts of the song they are struggling with. (JT)
12. Starting by making sure they understand the basic rules of reading the staff, then
incorporating scale patterns while reading. (CS)
13. Warm up in the key of the song you are about to rehearse. For problem areas slowly cue
the band note by note and leave out rhythms. If notes continue to be a problem use the
piano or another section to model the correct notes. (MD)
14. Go note by note in a section if they are struggling with correct notes. Start by warming up
in key one note at a time to address improper fingerings and tuning. If they are still
 unable to, have them go note by note with a partner so you can see who needs support
if you are not 100% sure. (JH)
15. Go over fingerings for the specific sections that are struggling with the notes. Play the
notes without it being in time. The note can be played or sung for them so they can hear
the note before trying to play it.(JB)
16. Warm up with long tones on the scale of the piece that you are learning. Help sections
with wrong notes by having them play isolated as a section and telling them fingerings.
(DS)
17. Take a passage slowly, note by note. Play each note one at a time to make sure that
everyone is both playing and hearing the right note, then begin to speed the passage up
if it’s a fast one. (PL)
18. I would first give them a warmup that incorporates the notes that are needed. That way
when we get into the rehearsal we can look back to the warm up and say “Oh yeah, I do
know how to play these!” I would probably use different scales to work on the notes (ZS)
19. Warmup with the scale that is relevant to the piece or pieces you are rehearsing that day.
TELL THEM why you are doing that scale when you are doing it, and focus on passages
in the piece that will clearly benefit from having worked on that scale. (™)
20. For note ID for a middle school band class, we can go to a website like Music theory.net
and use the function that randomly generates notes for the students to identify the notes
and then talk through the fingerings. (JR)
21. For a high school orchestra, having the students play through the D-Major Scale in
Thirds and first reminding and asking them about the accidentals in the key. (JW)

Intonation
1. As a section, have everyone play a Bb, ask everyone if they hear anything off and ask
them to describe it and locate where in the section, then ask if they think the person is
sharp or flat, have the person out of tune use their tuner, then everyone plays together to
hear how it sounds different. (HH)
2. Have everyone play the first note and then have certain sections play the note if a
specific section is not in tune. (BT)
3. Play a note on a tuning device such as Dr. Beat, then have individual sections match
that pitch. (NH)
4. Building the pyramid, start with bass instruments playing tonic, have class sing, until you
cue their section to join in on their instrument. (DF)
5. Have the students play either long tones or chorales. This music moves slow enough
you and the students can listen for intonation (JA)
6. Have the students play a chorale that builds up from the bottom of the sound pyramid.
(CB)
7. Play a Bb, tune it- then have the students lip up and then have the students intentionally
all play really flat, then center on the in tune note, then have students play really sharp,
then center the note. (JK)
8. Play desired note through speakers/tuner. Everyone hums/sings note, then stops and
takes a moment to audiate (silently) the note. Cue everyone to hum/sing again to make
sure note wasn’t lost, and finally tune on instruments. (BO)
 9. Have students listen to each other before they play their notes! A good way to do this is
by picking a chord in a piece of music and having one section (usually lowest to highest)
play and hold. As you become satisfied with the note, start adding sections in until
everyone is sustaining their note. If the intonation is off within a section, have individual
students come in together. Have students adjust as needed. (NG)
10. Give students a drone to listen to tune to (or tune using your piano), giving their ears
exercise on matching pitch. (FD)
11. Give students a pitch, (Bb) for example have them sing, matching the pitch and then
have them play it. You can continue to do this through any given major or minor scale.
(JT)
12. Playing a note on the piano and having them match it with their instruments. Note
doesn’t exactly matter, but picking one for a key center of a piece would be smart. (CS)
13. Play the note on a drone, then have the students audiate the note to themselves, then
have the students all sing the note. Cue the whole band to play the tuning note, cut off
the whole band, then cue just the low brass/tubas to play the tuning note. Instruct the
band to listen, audiate, and then join with their instruments. (MD)
14. I would have the entire group warm up with a drone underneath, and then practice
listening to that to find proper tuning. (JH)
15. Have the only one player from a lower pitch section and have the rest of the section add
in one by one. Eventually, have the rest of the ensemble stack on that note. Have
students play with a drone(JB)
16. Play a desired note over speakers, and begin with one student matching the pitch. Once
the student is properly matching the pitch, add in more students. Also try this by taking
out the pitch played over speakers so that students must listen to each other. (DS)
17. Have the students sing, then play and hold a pitch, say concert F. For the next time, pick
out one to three students to play the fifth above the tuning note for the students to listen
for as the main note locks in. (PL)
18. I would have the group listen down to the lowest instrument first. If tuba, then getting
their Bb perfectly in tune. Afterwards, go around to different sections one by one to
match the pitch. (ZS)
19. Pull up a tuner on the projector, have the ensemble begin playing a concert Bb section
by section, beginning with the lowest instruments. Challenge them to keep the needle
centered, and if one sections greatly offsets the needle, stop them and ask them to start
over. Make a game/activity out of it, but be sure to support it with helpful information and
skills to keep that needle in place (™)
20. We can do a variation of Bb around the room with a concert Bb starting in the clarinets,
then the low brass, then the other sections just to get the students to listen to each other
and work on being in tune with each other. (JR)
21. Having a High school orchestra play through a scale in thirds in a round since this will
highlight intonation problems ESPECIALLY in strings. (JW)
22. Notes: Have students play together up a chromatic scale, reading off the notes before in order to
better read and see specific notes. (JS)

Tone
1. Play a note with a bad tone (too far on the mouthpiece), ask the class what they thought
of it compared to how it should sound, then have them pair up and play a note to
decipher if it has a good tone, if not, experiment with how to fix it. (HH)
2. Have the whole class play the note or pitch that seems to be out of tune, then isolate the
section on which instrument or note is out of tune, then have them play the tone or pitch
in their head Plus have a tuner with me to check if the instrument is in tune. (BT)
3. Play a video of a young musician, then one of a professional musician and have the
students give examples of the differences they hear in the sound of the two performers.
(NH)
4. Listen to a high quality recording, have students list what they notice about that player's
tone/sound and playing in general. Have them brainstorm what they can add to their own
playing. (DF)
5. Playing long tones and chorales will help tone. As the music is not technically
challenging they will be able to focus on tone. (JA)
6. Draw a visual on the board of what you want their tone to sound like. For example, a
good tone could be a filled-in square. (CB)
7. Before a warm up, have the students play an excerpt cold, then warm them up and have
them play the same excerpt. Ask which playing sounded the best and ask why it could
have been that way, do breathing exercises to also open their airways more to create a
more open sound with wind instruments. (JK)
8. Play professional recording of good tone. Ask what words would describe it. Students
then warm up with long tones while sound is recorded, then play it back through high
quality speakers and ask how to describe their own tone as an ensemble. (BO)
9. Have students discuss what tone is. By making sure they know the definition of tone,
they’ll at least be able to identify and reiterate to you what it is. After they know what tone
is, have them discuss what makes a tone good. Show them examples of good/bad tone
and have them describe characteristics of each. (NG)
10. Have a student purposefully plays with an airy or harsh tone, then have them contrast it
with a good tone. Have the student explain what they did to their mouth or breathing to
change that tone. Then have the whole class do that exercise, having different
instruments explain their experience. (FD)
11. One great way to work on tone for your band is to focus on breath exercises. I would
take the length in beats and focus my exercise around it. Let’s say the trumpets have a 2
bar phrase that doesn’t have a great tone. Have the inhale for 8 beats and exhale for 8
beats. Then repeat that shortening the inhalation. (JT)
12. Have them over exaggerated a poor tone, and then correct it. Repeat that a few times to
solidify the sound quality. (CS)
13. Play listening examples for the class for each instrument to get the sound of proper tone,
into the students ears. While listening, hold class discussion and define vocabulary
words associated with these tonal qualities. To finalize the lesson students could play
whole tones on their instrument while focusing on their good core sound. (MD)
14. Demonstration of tone can help the students here, especially by teaching a partner. If the
students turn to a partner and help them find the exact desired tone, more can be
accomplished (JH)
 15. Give students a visual representation of bad tone and good tone by drawing waves and
a straight line. Have students who demonstrate good tone play and then have the other
students match. Explain how they should be using their air(slow and warm or fast and
cold) (JB)
16. Have students experiment with different embouchure tension, mouthpiece placement,
and air speed. Have them listen for what sounds supported, or what sounds
unsupported. (DS)
17. Couple together breathing exercises with long tones. Focus on a steady, open airflow
throughout both exercises. (PL)
18. First, I would put a breathing exercise in the warm-up. For winds, this will help them with
controlling their air-flow and being able to get a stable stream of air. When we pick up the
instruments. We would first start with a concert Bb and really focus on the sounds that
they are producing. (ZS)
19. Practice syllables, first with singing, then buzzing, then playing. Always start with the
ugly, such as “eeee”, and then move to “ehh” “ahh” and finally “ooooo”. This will step
them through relaxing their emBoucher and dropping their jaw. You can add articulations
to oo, such as tooo and dooo.
20. To focus on nice dark tones we can start by having the students play a concert Bb with
their best tone and then have them slowly introduce more tension into their playing and
then for the same amount of time release all of the tension they’ve built up to feel the
difference in their sounds with and without tension. (JR)
21. For orchestra going over posture and proper playing position as this is what can make or
break tone if its suspect already, also emphasizing proper finger placement and contact
with strings. (JW)
22. Have students play scales but once they get to the third, have one section, or multiple sections
hold that note for a time, allowing the rest of the band or orchestra to start playing up the scale
themselves, creating a chord tone throughout. Some chords might have a crunch to them, but
have students play through them in order to resolve them. (JS)

Rhythm
1. Write one measure on the board, ask a volunteer to count the rhythm, then we all count
and clap together, then play on instruments if it is a measure taken out of context of a
piece of music. (HH)
2. Have students clap out the rhythm starting one measure at a time then put it all together
as a section or class. (BT)
3. Either clap, count, or sing the part for the students and have them repeat it back to you.
(NH)
4. Have students clap out compound rhythms based on rhythms found within the piece.
This also helps vertical alignment. (DF)
5. Have the students play the rhythm pattern on a single note that way fingerings are note
an issue and the rhythm can be isolated(JA)
6. Have the students clap and count the rhythm. (CB)
7. Write a measure of rhythm on the board and have students clap it. Once they clap
through it successfully - we will remove a note / change the notes. Works on syncopation
and sight reading rhythms. (JK)
8. Find a rhythmic phrase that students have difficulty with, turn on metronome at slow
tempo, count and clap phrase, repeat while speeding up to performance tempo. (BO)
9. If students are particularly struggling with a rhythm in a passage, take a metronome and
turn it on. Demonstrate the countings and then clap it for them. Have students count
through it with you and then clap it. When they are ready, have them put their
instruments back up and play through the passage. If they still need the metronome, run
it for their first run throughs and then turn it off (NG)
10. Have students mark the 1 e and a s in their music. For rests, have them write the
number/letter small, and for notes they are playing , have them write it in large. (FD)
11. Writing different rhythms on the board and having them clap them. Once they can clap it,
play it. (CS)
12. One exercise to help with rhythm is to first slow it down. Next is to subdivide. Maybe your
students are having a hard time playing a dotted quarter note. They could play 3 ⅛ notes
instead until they can get the correct rhythm down. (JT)
13. Have the band clap the rhythm. If there are still problems, define the counts of the
rhythm, and model the rhythm. Have the band count out loud as they clap. Marking the
downbeats could help. (MD)
14. Feeling the pulse of the piece by having multiple subdivisions on a metronome, and
once they have that feel switch it up and put the metronome on every 2 or 4 bars and
see if it lands properly. (JH)
15. Practice the rhythms by clapping and if it is needed do it at a slower tempo. Have them
count out loud.(JB)
16. Pick a specific measure from a piece you are working on that causes difficulty, and have
students clap through their part. It would probably be beneficial to begin at a slower
tempo. (DS)
17. Write the rhythm on the board and analyze it together with the students, writing out the
counts under the rhythm. Then clap the rhythm together, play on instruments on one
note, and finish with the notes in the passage. If the rhythm is a fast one, then the
rhythm should also be slowed down and worked up to tempo. (PL)
18. All rhythms can be broken down to a check or skeleton. I would first break down the
rhythms and teach my students how to count those rhythms first. Then have them
practice together by incorporating clapping, or articulate singing for rhythm. (ZS)
19. This exercise would be good for an older group who knows the rhythm, but is having
trouble executing it. Use wind patterns alongside fingerings, getting used to the feeling of
air passing while articulating the rhythm will best set them up to play it successfully,
working the fingers at the same time can also help the teacher identify if slow fingers is
part of the issue. (™)
20. To work through rhythm, write a rhythm with new elements on the board and have the
students clap and count through the rhythm before introducing the new concept, then
taking some time to model the rhythm by clapping and counting for the students before
they repeat it back to me. (JR)
21. Having the orchestra articulate the desired rhythms on the open C/G/D/A/E-string
(depending on the section the rhythm is in) as a group so everyone can lock in the
rhythms together. (JW)
 22. Write or have on the smart board sight reading exercises that are based on a single note or a
scale pattern but have a varied degree of Rhythmic patterns, having students sight read them a
few times before rehearsing them (JS)

Articulation
1. Write two measures of quarter notes on the board, one measure with staccato notes, the
next with tenuto notes. Conduct and have them play on a concert Bb and watch for
timing and how articulation changes affect it. (HH)
2. I would have the class make sure that they can play the notes as a section for the first 2
measures, then as a class,I would have the students play it as written. (BT)
3. Have the students play a series of notes staccato, then legato, then a combination of the
two. This will allow the students to perceive the difference between the two styles of
articulation. (NH)
4. Scales with different articulation ex. Upwards staccato, downward legato, upwards
staccato in eighth notes, downward legato in eighth notes and flipped. (DF)
5. Playing scales. Scales can be changed to fit any pattern or articulation. This way not
only will the students be able to practice the articulation of the day but also their scales
(JA)
6. Students can play a scale, 4 quarters for each note, using the articulation the teacher
wants to practice. (CB)
7. Playing scales with 2 notes slurs and then two notes staccato, going up and down the
scales. (JK)
8. Play professional recording of a very legato piece and a very staccato piece (or
demonstrate passages on primary instrument), ask how they’d describe the difference in
what they hear, and how they think it’s achieved. (BO)
9. With a section that students may be struggling with for articulation, have them slowly
articulate through it and really listen to what they are doing. If they are having trouble,
have them speak through it and have them be dramatic about it (in a covid world, keep
them masked up and social distanced). Walk through the different articulations spoken
and then have them play it on their instruments. (NG)
10. Find a specific student who is performing the articulation well, and have them perform
the section to the class. Then have the class repeat, trying to match their articulation.
(FD)
11. Use visuals to identify the difference in the articulation styles. Have them try to perform
the visual diagram, then add the terms. (CS)
12. A great exercise for articulation is to start with a long tone then subdivide. For example
start with articulating whole notes, Then subdivide to ⅛ notes, then 1/16 notes and then
32nd notes. You can repeat this exercise with different articulations. For example for
trumpet, the K, or T sounds can differ from the sound in an articulation. (JT)
13. Write out measures of four quarter notes on a concert b flat, use different articulations for
the different measures. Have the band articulate the rhythm using their voice and their
preferred syllables (usually ta or da). Once the articulations are coming through without
the instruments, have the band perform these articulations on their instruments. (MD)
14. Warming up with the desired articulations will certainly help. Demonstrating will as well.
Try drawing it or acting out the intended articulation if problems arise. (JH)
 15. Explain and demonstrate the types of syllables needed for proper articulations, and have
a visual presentation of tongue placement. Have the students practice the articulations
without the instrument. (JB)
16. Have students start by speaking “dah” or “tah” syllables, then apply these syllables to
tongueing a scale. (DS)
17. Incorporate different articulations into the scale warm-up at the beginning, Have the
students play up the scale with one articulation, then down the scale with another. (PL)
18. I believe that if a student can sing something, they can play it as well. I would have the
students sing their parts with the articulation that is required of them. I would then listen
around to see who's doing it correctly and use them as an example. Have the whole
class try again and then move onto the instruments. (ZS)
19. The main challenge with articulation is often consistency, and maintaining steady air
through a passage. When working on the technique itself, identify a consonant to begin
the note, such as T, H or D. Sing the phrase with that consonant, then add it a wind
pattern. When struggling with alinging articulation, have a student demonstrate who is
doing the articulation well, and ask students to model that. (™)
20. Working on articulation can be done through practicing different syllables for articulation
and then writing the specific articulation that those syllables correspond to, then having
the students practice those articulations on their instruments. (JR)
21. For an orchestra, having the ability to demonstrate is key, so by having an instrument to
model the desired articulations or finding another student that is playing a desired
articulation and having them/you as the teacher do a call and response on and open
string with the desired articulation to help isolate the articulation and separate the notes.
(JW)
22. Have students watch your beginning and ending articulation. Students should hold a tone,
possible a chord if they are more advanced students, and make them watch for your queue into
the piece, having students articulate what they see. Once students get the articulation for the
beginning, have the students watch for how you end the piece, changing the articulation as bet
suited for either the piece or what articulation students are lacking in. (JS)

Balance
1. Have the entire ensemble play concert Bb, get the flutes to over play/play too loud so
they drown out the sound of the low brass. Ask students what they noticed about that,
then have low brass play too loud, ask again what they notice. Then have everyone
bring their dynamic down and listen around within their sections if they can hear
themselves and the person sitting on either side of them. (HH)
2. Have the band play the first note of the scale and have the students listen to the person
next to them. (BT)
3. Establish the pyramid of sound. Have the bass instruments play a concert Bb, then add
in other sections from low to high until all sections are playing. (NH)
4. Have students play a section of the piece, select a section to be the “star” everyone must
play below this section(s) volume and describe how it sounded. (DF)
5. Have specific sections of the band play while the rest of the band listens so they know
what they should be hearing. Have the entire band play with the adjusted dynamics so
that they can hear the sections they are supposed to hear (JA)
6. Play Bb adding one section at a time starting from the bottom of the sound pyrimad. (CB)
7. Build the sound pyramid- lows loudest and playing first, then proceeding to the higher
instruments and making sure they are able to hear the lower voices as more voices get
added. Instead of making the lower voices play louder, the higher voices play louder.
(JK)
8. Have a phrase you want to teach every student to play (can be as simple as happy
birthday). Have entire band do long tones/drone at piano, and when you point to a
student’s section, that whole section plays the melody at forte. (BO)
9. Pick out a section of repertoire that a section or two clearly has a melody and the other
sections are supporting/background. Ask who has the melody/who should you be
hearing the most. Have the melody play their section without the other sections, so
everyone knows who to listen for. You can pick other selections of music with other
sections being the melody. When you put it all together again, make sure that that
everyone is playing at the right level so you can hear the foreground/background
correctly. (NG)
10. Use the “cake” metaphor if your upper winds are too loud. If a cake has too much icing, it
ruins the whole vibe of the cake, making it hard to enjoy. There needs to be a solid
foundation for the cake before the icing can be added. The upper winds are the icing on
the cake. They are needed to make the cake delicious, but too much will ruin it. (FD)
11. Show/explain how the sound pyramid works. Then get them experimenting with different
variations. Having them see how the correct way sounds. (CS)
12. We can always refer to the sound pyramid but a practical exercise is to record your
band and rehearsals and have your band listen to them. They can get a full perspective,
listening to their instrument and gauge how loud or soft it should be. This will help
produce a good balance in your band. (JT)
13. Have the section with the melody model for the band. Instruct the other instruments to
listen for this part as they play. If they cant hear it they are playing too loud.
14. Have the band play a section or anything, and have different sections try to listen to each
other across the band. No one should be playing louder than the person next to them.
(JH)
15. Explain what the pyramid of sound is and how it works. Frequently ask the ensemble
who they think has the melody and if they can hear them. If they cannot hear the melody
then they are playing too loud. Explain how they shouldn’t be playing louder than the
person next to them.(JB)
16. Draw the sound pyramid on the board, and label the sections of the band on their part of
the pyramid. Then, have everyone play a Bb one section at a time, starting with the
bottom of the pyramid to the top. (DS)
17. Draw the sound pyramid on the board and explain it to the class. Then play either a note
or a chord from a piece being worked on and work on adjusting the balance of the
ensemble, telling sections that are too loud to back off and sections that are too soft to
play out more. (PL)
18. For balance, I would first break down what the audience needs to hear, which is the
melody and explain that no matter what, If you cannot hear the melody, then you're
playing too loud. Then I would apply that to the music.
 19. Always establish the pyramid sound, which applies to the ensemble as a whole.
However, during a piece, find out what the melody is, what the accompaniment is, and
explain to the ensemble what is important. Such As in a Maslanka piece, whole notes
are often more important to be heard than fast moving lines. (™)
20. Balance can be worked on through Bb around the room to have students work on
listening down the sound pyramid to make sure they can hear each other across the
ensemble and making sure that each section is well heard.
21. For an orchestra selecting a passage that is supporting and may be fading in the
background and having the students/section play by themselves and telling the students
to not just listen to themselves, but practice listening for the viola or the bass, most
importantly at least looking for one person in each section and trying to hear them during
a warm-up. (JW)
22. Have a section of students randomly selected that should be brought out during a sight-reading
piece. Have the band focus on making sure that the section that was selected is brought out
during the piece, possibly recording it so students are able to listen back and confirm or deny
that they were able to best bring out the instrument that was to be brought out. If they have a
piece that they are working on with interchanging melodies, have students emphasize their
melody as it comes out to a very high degree so students are able to hear exactly who has the
melody. Once students are able to hear and place who has the melody during certain sections,
have them bring it back to a normal performance of the piece, students now able to hear the
melody through the band and better adjust themselves. (JS)

Blend
1. Have the entire ensemble listen to the clarinets and oboe, ask if all the clarinets are
overpowering the very few oboe players, if yes then have the clarinets back down a bit
and have the oboe play out a bit more. (HH)
2. I would tell the students to listen to the ensemble and the people next to them and to
hear the other person's part while playing their own individual part. ex: a certain section
needs to be heard more, have that section play that part so that everyone can hear the
melody or main line. (BT)
3. Have the tuba section play their whole notes, then ask them if they have the melody.
When they say no, have them back off. (NH)
4. Have a mirror rehearsal, essentially split the room in half and have students face each
other this way they can hear who is across and next to them at the same time. (DF)
5. Have the students play in small groups. This will make them have to listen to the other
parts to make sure they are in the right place and are not sticking out or disappearing in
the texture. When they return to full ensemble playing they can carry this with them(JA)
6. I would start in the section of the piece where students are struggling to blend with each
other. I would tell the students to listen, then ask them what they heard and what they
are supposed to hear. (CB).
7. Have sections of the band be able to discern who has the melody by having them play
their parts in sections around the band, then when they do not have the melody, make
sure that they know to keep the dynamics lower to ensure the melody is heard. (JK)
8. Two sections at a time will play a scale together with the goal of blending as well as
possible (matching tone and dynamic, not competing or overpowering). For example,
 everyone will listen while tubas and clarinets play Bb concert scale, and at the end ask
students what they heard. Repeat with different section combinations until everyone has
played. At beginning of year, start with close and like instruments (ie tuba and
euphonium) and eventually try unlike and far (ie flute and trombone). (BO)
9. Pick out a methods warm up or use a scale (something that everyone is playing the
same sounding pitches with) to demonstrate blend. When everyone is playing the same
thing, you can tell who is and isn’t sticking out. If people are sticking out, have students
say what section is sticking out and ask for suggestions on how the students can blend
together better. If students are having a hard time with that, work with the individual
section/person on embouchure/tone to blend with the rest of the section/ensemble. (NG)
10. Have students purposely listen outside of their section while they play. For instance (if
you can’t hear the horn melody, you are too loud). After a runthrough, ask what section
has the melody. That section should always be heard above all the other sections. (FD)
11. Have students on opposite sides of the ensemble listen to each other in the full group to
try and get the overall sound together. (CS)
12. A huge key to blend is listening to your neighbor while listening to yourself. It is good
exercise to build a chord in one section that applies to the song you’re playing. If the
song is in G. You would have the trumpets for example split up playing. G, B, D.
Instructing the trumpet player to make sure their sound is “inside” of their section. (JT)
13. Model blend to the class by choosing a section who typically blends well, select a
student to overplay (could also be you joining them on their instrument) and stick out of
the section, then the class can hear an example of what bad blending/vs good blending
sounds like. (MD)
14. Have students try to “fit their sounds” into the people around them. This takes a well
balanced section, but also fine adjustments of intonation and tone. This is best
demonstrated. (JH)
15. Tell the students to listen and play with the person next to them. Have the students play
a scale within their sections without it seeming like they are overpowering each other,
and eventually add the other sections.(JB)
16. Have students play one section at a time to identify which section of the band has the
melody at a certain point of a piece. Emphasize that this section must be heard over
other sections. (DS)
17. Have students pick someone else in the room to listen to while playing through a
passage. (PL)
18. Blending is all about matching articulation, dynamics, playing correct rhythms, and
matching the overall tone of those around you. I would first go section by section, then
add in a section and continue from there. (ZS)
19. Build the sound off of one player, and encourage the ensemble the place their sound
inside of each other’s bells. This will get them listening, and actively adjusting to match
each other’s sound. (™)
20. Have each section play a concert Bb to have them listen to each other and make sure
that there are no individuals sticking out, then working that exercise into the entire
ensemble to make sure things are well blended and every section is heard with no
individuals sticking out. (JR)
 21. For orchestra blending can make or break an ensemble, so having the principal players
model like a quintet/quartet of a proper balance and then having each individual section
play as a whole and instruct them to try playing the passage not as a single player but as
the entire violin/viola/(etc) section. (JW)
Dynamics
1. On a concert Bb scale, have the entire ensemble watch for dynamic changes with
conducting - make it unpredictable so they have to watch do p, then f, then pp, etc. (HH)
2. Have the student first play the opposite dynamic that’s written, then have students play
the dynamic that’s written. Ex: If the dynamic written is piano, have them play the piece
Forte, then have them play it as written. Also I’ll have them sing out the dynamic line
first, then have them play the dynamic as written. (BT)
3. Have the students play a tuning progression (this also helps tuning) and either
crescendo or decrescendo throughout the phrase. (NH)
4. Without instruments, students use ribbons/flags/their arms to show the dynamic contrast
in a piece. Something with a lot of contrast like movie/video game soundtracks work well
for this. (DF)
5. Long tones are great here because you can attach any dynamic system you want to. It
also will teach students the limits of their tone at each dynamic because its slow and
they can listen closely to themselves (JA)
6. Have the students play a Bb scale and tell them “Play what I conduct” and give them
patterns that show different dynamics. (CB)
7. Have audio examples playing and have students analyze the song through getting big
or getting small physically (standing on tip-toes while arms are up to the sky for
forte/Squatting or getting closer to the ground for piano) (JK)
8. Everyone plays a scale in the key of their piece. Start at forte, decrescendo over two
measures, then crescendo the next two for a wave effect. Once there is general balance
and matched speed of phrasing, split class in half so half starts at forte still and the other
starts at piano (reverse waves). (BO)
9. Make this fun with your students. Explain to them the different dynamic terminology and
ask them to demonstrate it. To make this fun have them really over dramatize it and then
have them reel it in gradually. (NG)
10. Teach students about contrast. Their loud and soft sections should sound different.
Have them play half a scale with a pp dynamic, then the second half ff. (FD)
11. If they are having trouble with certain areas in pieces, use the dynamic changes as a
warmup. Playing the scale with different dynamics and changes to reinforce the
idea.(CS)
12. I always like to do this fun exercise with my students. I have them play a note together
as loud as they can without distorting their sound. Then I have them play that same note
as quiet as they can. Then I put the two together. Loud to soft, soft to loud.(JT)
13. Have students over exaggerate dynamics in problem sections. Once the students are
comfortable have them scale back to appropriate dynamic levels. (MD)
14. Conduct some different pattern sizes and have them react when they are playing. Get
them to pay attention to the conducting, and conduct well. This can be integrated into the
warmup with all of the other goals in mind as well such as rhythm and articulation. (JH)
15. Highlight or circle all the different dynamic changes in the music. Show what
decrescendo and crescendo looks like on the board with a graph. Have the ensemble
play a concert a flat and use only on hand to conduct the dynamics not in time(JB)
16. Have students over exaggerate dynamics for a certain chunk of a piece. For example if
there is a crescendo, have students start the crescendo at their lowest dynamic, and end
at their loudest dynamic possible. This will encourage better dynamic contrast. (DS)
17. Use a visual (e.g. with your hands) to indicate a level of volume for the students to play
over a sustained note, quarter notes etc. Go back and forth between the loudest and
quietest (with good tone) dynamics, then start stopping them in between to establish
inner dynamic levels. (PL)
18. I would use the warm ups to work on dynamic contrast. First, we would work on terraced
dynamics. That way the students can get a sense of what piano is and what forte is
compared to that and so on. Then we would introduce crescendos and decrescendos. I
would do this using their scales, and then implement it into the piece that we are working
on. (ZS)
19. Create exercises for warmup that involve dynamic contrast, and work them every
rehearsal. Dynamics come with discipline, and raising the students' awareness to play
musically.
20. Using exercises like playing through scales but adding the added wrinkle of dynamics,
but focusing on playing in each dynamic with a good sound that keeps balance and
blend in mind. (JR)
21. Having an orchestra play through a scale at a set dynamic each time and then having
them practice crescendo and decrescendo as an ensemble. Also encouraging them to
practice on their own and find what their solo dynamics are and how they may change to
fit into an ensemble dynamic (most of the time they lessen for an ensemble) . (JW)
22. Have 2 different little signs, maybe a lion and a mouse, and have students watch you hold up one
or the other, with lion representing fortissimo and mouse meaning piano. Have students play a
section of a sight-reading piece and at different times, raise up one of the signs and have
students switch to that dynamic when they see it. If you slowly raise the sign, use that as a way
to represent Crescendo or Decrescendo. If you are in a more mature band, use larger conducting
to represent Fortissimo and Smaller to represent piano, but make it much more dramatic than
you would in a real piece, this way students are focused on the sound and not the conducting.
(JS)