Band Student Practice Logs and Procedures

Hello Parents,
Just a reminder that each student has a practice requirement of 3 hrs each week. That is a half hour each day or any combination thereof. These hours should be logged into www.charmsmusic.com .

Here is the link to directions for access charms for those that have misplaced them.www.cocoabeachband.com then follow on to the find out more words next to the blue Charms logo

Thanks for helping the students remember that they are graded on their practice time. Helpful practice tips are below.

Practice: Why do we practice?
- To be responsible to the music.
- To be responsible to your classmates because the ensemble is only as strong as its weakest members. Musicians who do not come to rehearsal prepared and knowing their music lower the level of the whole group.
- To increase your technical playing ability; the speed and accuracy with which you play pitches and rhythms.
- To solve playing problems presented by the music.
- To improve your concentration, focus, stamina and endurance.
- To learn something new and for the sheer enjoyment of exploration.
- Practicing your instrument is like making a bank investment, the smarter and the more you invest, the greater the guaranteed return.

When do we practice?
- It is better to practice more often and for shorter periods of time - just as it is not effective to cram for an exam. Irregular practice does not usually lead to any significant progress.
- Preferably at the same time every day to maintain consistency and be sure to develop a consistent routine.
Where do we practice?
- A quiet room free of noise and distractions. Do not play with the television or radio on because you need to be able to concentrate and listen closely to your sound.
- Try not to practice with other people in the room because there might be a tendency to want to "perform" for that person thus inhibiting any real practice and progress.
- Ideally, you'll want to be able to practice in a room that you have setup specifically for practicing with access to a piano. What do we need in order to practice?
- A good, firm chair.
- Sufficient lighting.
- A piano, if possible, to check notes.
- A metronome, to check our sense of rhythm and time.
- A tuner, to check our pitch.
- A music stand.
- A pencil.
- Your instrument.
- Your music.
- Perseverance and dedication.
- A positive attitude.
How do we practice? -
If you are sitting, make sure you are sitting "tall", and sitting on the front half of the chair with the small of your back away from the back of the chair. Make sure that your back is straight and that shoulders and arms are relaxed. Imagine that a string is attached to the top of your head and that it is continually making sure that your spine is straight.
- Setup specific goals to be accomplished for the practice session and remember to pace yourself. - Have a set warm-up routine to begin your session. Balance your warm-up routine by covering breath support exercises, scales and arpeggios [for everyone], long tones and lip slurs [for wind instrumentalists], mouthpiece buzzing [for brass players], and vocalizing [for singers]. - Following your warm-up, isolate the difficult music first. Remember to check your key and time signatures, tempo and markings. Read through the music or passage on a "dry run". - Practice everything slowly at first. This will give your brain the opportunity to get acquainted with the physical actions required to produce the sounds the music requires. Gradually increase the metronome pulse as you become familiar with the music.
- Use a pencil [NEVER PEN!] to lightly write in fingerings, articulations, breath marks, rhythms, and accidentals that you think may be troublesome.
- Drill on counting where it might be troublesome by:
• Writing out the counting.•
Counting out loud.
• Counting and clapping the rhythm.
• Playing on a single pitch.
• Playing as written.
- If a particular passage gets frustrating after repeated attempts, don't worry about it! Move on to something else, and try to tackle it again at a later time.
- If you feel tense, begin by taking long, deep breaths and stretch and limber your muscles.
- Use your tuner to develop a centered sense of pitch.
- Use your metronome to develop a centered sense of time at all tempi.
- At the end of your session, feel free to work ahead, or to play anything you like! Try to spend some time composing your own tune or playing a tune that you've heard 'by ear'.
- One last thing, remember that practice does not make perfect, but perfect practice does! Practice Time
- How much? 45 minutes per day of uninterrupted time. 5 days a week.
- Where? Room with the door shut, no interruptions, no radio on, chair, music stand , metronome.
- What? Music from class, music from technique book, music and scales assigned by Director, own music for fun.
- Why? Learning an instrument is a complex skill with many tasks taking place simultaneously There will be many time that frustration will set in. This is where you as a parent can help a great deal. Encouragement and praise when praise is due are crucial for your child to feel successful.
Private Lessons
A. Why? Again we are dealing with a complex skill.
B. When? As soon as you are financially able to support them.
C. How much? Aprox Fifteen – twenty dollars per 30 minutes.
D. With whom do you study ?
See Director for reccomendations
A word or two about attitude: The key to successful progress is a positive attitude towards what you are attempting to accomplish. There is no substitute for perseverance and self-discipline. There is no "magic formula" for success. Real performance ability on a musical instrument is about 90% hard work and 10% talent, with a large dash of interest thrown in.

In the words of famous NFL coach Vince Lombardi: "The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will."

Chuck BrookerDirector of Instrumental Music
National Board Certified Teacher Cocoa Beach Jr./Sr. High School
www.cocoabeachband.com