Re: Re: Importance of learning scales


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Posted by Katy on February 22, 2004 at 19:52:43:

In Reply to: Re: Importance of learning scales posted by Another opinion on February 21, 2004 at 23:17:41:

I believe as you do that expressing oneself musically is of the utmost importance. We are teaching our students to appreciate the beauty and emotion that exists in our world here on earth.

HOWEVER, you truly do need the facility to play the amazing literature out there. As has been stated, too many band directors simply teach by rote (and yes! many teach phrasing by rote, too....so are they TRULY teaching their students how to lift the music out of the page, or are they simply teaching them how to interpret the music THEIR way?) and MUCH rehearsal time is taken drilling the difficult "woodwind"...or often times brass (my high school ensemble is doing "Heroes Lost and Fallen" for festival in March...check out the brass licks in there...WHOA!) spots that are KILLERS to technique. Instead of wasting so much rehearsal time drilling those parts, wouldn't it be nice if students came to rehearsal prepared, knowing how to play these scale-type passages? [sidenote: directors should spend just as much time playing intervals--especially the wider ones--as scales, as these trip up even your best players who will likely miss the partials repeatedly].

By the time my students reach the high school level, they are yes learning new scales on a weekly basis, but they also are more apt to be unconcerned with those technical passages and we are then free to concentrate on breathing life into the music. It is such an amazing feeling!

This is not to say that middle schoolers and even the elementary bands can't play with passion. It's all possible. Directors simply must have efficient use of their warm-up/rehearsal time!

Sorry!

Katy "stepping off of her soapbox now" Jablonski


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