Do you have stress?

Do you have stress? I ask because this is the week I present a session on stressful situations at the state music convention in Minneapolis. I am doing the session with Karla Beck, former MHS choir director. We are having a lot of fun getting together to work on the presentation, but I have to admit, the fact that we are not quite done is starting to cause me stress!

On another topic, we have been making great progress in both bands on the music for the upcoming concert and contests. I hope that continues this week as I will only have three rehearsals this week due to the convention. The word is "stress."

Silence can be golden!

I wish this sign wasn't necessary. Actually, I wish it was flashing somewhere in the room during rehearsals! There are conversations going on during the rehearsals that take away or slow down the group's progress. Once people understand that our time together is at a premium perhaps the level of concentration will improve. I'm convinced that half of the time students don't even realize they are communicating with each other, but that doesn't excuse it. If everyone would just set a goal to not respond to the invitation to talk, we would accomplish so much more during our short rehearsal times!

If a first you don't succeed...

Just like the saying above the practice lab states..if you can't be successful with music you have to try again (and again) until you are successful. It is often hard for young musicians to realize that a large part of musical success is based on the repetition of performing (practicing) the music. That is why we have class (rehearsal) so that we can get used to hearing how the parts from the various instruments fit together to complete this musical puzzle! It is also why attendance and concentration is so important - we can't have that crucial repetition without having everyone there! In other words, you are ALL IMPORTANT! It's been a long time - I almost forgot to say that the phrase that pays is "I'm important!"

Back in the Saddle Again

After two days back we can officially say that we are "back in the saddle again." To be honest, it was great to see everyone again, but Thursday was a long, long day! When I left after playing for the boys basketball game I felt as tired as I usually am after a concert. Friday was better. I was impressed with the amount of quality music we created during rehearsals. Even though the students were a little fidgety and talky, we did good stuff! We are focusing on "quality of sound" and scales for the foreseeable future as we continue to read our way through new music.

Seeking Excellence

Tuesday was the start of the second quarter. It seems hard to believe. I began each rehearsal by telling the band members it was one of my favorite days as everyone was an "A" student today! I also implored them to "seek opportunities for excellence" in everything that they do - musical and non-musical.

Each moment of rehearsal is important. Focus is essential to productivity. I told the students that I was re-evaluating my organization because I was feeling a little "scattered" in my prep work. When I am inefficient I am not the best instructor I can be. I am not serving my students like I should. I am trying to get them to understand the importance of everything we do - every note, every nuance. We have improved our tuning process and are instituting a new "individual warm-up" activity at the beginning of each rehearsal. My goal: to get the members focused, warmed up, and reacquainted with the music for that rehearsal. So far, so good. My rehearsal technique will also start to vary as I hone in on spots that have not received enough individual attention.

In the end, opportunities for excellence exist daily in our lives. We can either choose to seek them and grow, or ignore them and plateau. The word is "excellence".

"My Bands"

Today was a great day for us. Both the Junior High Concert Band and the Madelia Concert Band have had two great rehearsals in a row. The JHCB has made great strides the past two days on "Regal Fanfare" and today we also watched a portion of an instructional DVD on proper breath technique which we tried and will continue to experiment with tomorrow. The work ethic has steadily increased this week for them!

MCB had that magical moment today while practicing music for coronation next Monday. They finished the processional and I stopped and said,"Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time this school year I finally felt like you were MY Madelia Concert Band - congratulations!" I felt like they were finally "with me," responding to tiny inflections I was using with my conducting pattern, and performing "above the notes" with extreme emotion. They continued this tonight with an outstanding pepband performance!