Proper Warm Up
1. Breathing Exercises—Fill completely with air & control exhale
The director should vary the number of beats of inhale and exhale and should gradually increase the tempo over the semester. Air in and out should leave the student’s body tension-free. Breathing exercises will also help the students relax and improve focus.
2. Long Tones—Warm up embouchure
Everyone
Sustained notes must be an unwavering, straight-line sound starting in the middle range of the instruments. “Note maintenance” is a very important concept for students
to develop. Sustaining a note full value with good energy and support to the release is very important. Students should think and visualize “straight-line” sound.
Brass Players
While the woodwinds play, direct the brass players to respond by buzzing on their mouthpieces. Playing on the mouthpieces alone allows for a less stressful brass warm-up and helps the performers to match and center pitches more accurately on their instruments.
3. Lip Slurs (Brass Players)
Lip slurs are beneficial to both brass and woodwind students. Flexibility can be realized. Another goal should be to develop the consistent, unwavering, straight-line sound through this interval exercise. The tempo should be varied from slow to a faster tempo only if quality and accuracy can be maintained.
4. Interval Study—Further warm up embouchure
Starting in the middle range of the instruments, performing intervals can help improve flexibility and accuracy. Each note should have the same intensity, color, and quality. (Concert F, E, F, Eb, F, D, etc.) Then ascending from concert F, alternate woodwinds and then brass.
5. Scale & Arpeggio Studies—Build finger dexterity & flexibility
Scales are a basic element that can serve to develop the students’ musicianship and technique. These scales should be played with quality of performance as the goal.
6. Thirds—Develop higher level of technique
7. Articulation Exercises—Refine tonguing and style
Proficiency of tonguing different articulations (staccato, tenuto, legato, marcato) on unison pitches can be achieved and then transferred to the music being performed. The style of the literature being performed can be greatly enhanced. The students should keep their faces “still” during these articulation exercises. The tongue returns to the same place.
8. Tuning—Improve ear training and instrument adjustment
9. Chorale—Demonstrate all of the above
For students to hear their sound within the ensemble and within a chord is another very important concept. Clarity and transparency of the ensemble should be the goal. Balance and intonation as well as tone quality are elements that can be refined by playing a simple chorale. A better understanding of phrasing and shaping can also be realized through the performance of the chorale.
EMPHASIZING CORRECT POSTURE
Correct posture should result in the body being in the position that can allow for air to most easily be brought in (inhale) and air sent out (exhale).
Correct posture should result in the body being in the position that can allow for air to most easily be brought in (inhale) and air sent out (exhale).
- Sit in a position with the feet generally aligned with the shoulders in order that standing can be achieved with no extra motion or effort.
- The body should be soft. Arms are free – elbows should not touch the body.
- Push the backbone against the navel. No restrictions.
- Place the head in its natural position so that the ceiling and the floor can be seen
without having to move the head. Only the eyes move. - The eyes should be kept on the “target.”
- Make sure the music stand is at the proper height to promote good posture and an
optimum line of sight to the conductor
LONG TONES
The first part of the daily routine for the entire band is made up of long tones on unison pitches and chords. It’s a pretty good idea to do some long tones yourself as soon as your breathing and mouthpiece workouts are done. The percussion equivalent of long tones is stroke exercises on one hand and long roll exercises. During long tones, students should concentrate on individual fundamentals like posture and horn carriage, breathing, tone quality, embouchure, (and posture, grip, stroke, and placement for percussion). When the whole group plays, you must listen actively and respond sensitively to the sound of the entire group for balance, blend, intonation, and tone quality.
We will play long tones on concert F and Bb and on chords in those keys. We will expand our horizons to other keys and chord types. We will pick chords out of chorales we know and hold them while listening and adjusting. We will also do the chromatic and diatonic buzzing and Remington exercises on the following pages. Always listen for great balance, blend, and intonation while playing these very simple exercises. A beautiful, full sound is what we are striving for.
Here is an example:
The first part of the daily routine for the entire band is made up of long tones on unison pitches and chords. It’s a pretty good idea to do some long tones yourself as soon as your breathing and mouthpiece workouts are done. The percussion equivalent of long tones is stroke exercises on one hand and long roll exercises. During long tones, students should concentrate on individual fundamentals like posture and horn carriage, breathing, tone quality, embouchure, (and posture, grip, stroke, and placement for percussion). When the whole group plays, you must listen actively and respond sensitively to the sound of the entire group for balance, blend, intonation, and tone quality.
We will play long tones on concert F and Bb and on chords in those keys. We will expand our horizons to other keys and chord types. We will pick chords out of chorales we know and hold them while listening and adjusting. We will also do the chromatic and diatonic buzzing and Remington exercises on the following pages. Always listen for great balance, blend, and intonation while playing these very simple exercises. A beautiful, full sound is what we are striving for.
Here is an example:
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Examples on how to:
Buzz Down
Remingtons Down Buzz Up Remingtons Up |
BREATHING
- Breathe through the mouth only.
- Keep the body “soft” with good posture so that the body is balanced as if walking.
The rib cage is lifted. - The students should think of “breathing in all the way down to their toes” or “to the
bottom of the chair.” - There should be no shoulder movement. Shoulder movement indicates that students
are not breathing down to the diaphragm. - At first, students should breathe in (inhale) for two counts.
- Breathe silently. If there is audible noise during this exercise there could be an
obstruction. If present during breathing it could also be present during the playing of
the instrument. - Do not hold air in! Air comes in and goes out smoothly. The students should think
“cold air in” and “warm air out.” - Aim the air at a chosen target. Using the hand to visually follow the air in and
provide a target for the air being exhaled is a useful practice. This exercise can also be practiced with the students directing the airstreams toward the palm of their hand so they can feel exactly when to start and stop the air. - For another exercise, ask the students to place the mouthpiece in such a manner that air can be blown through the instrument with no tone being played. The intensity of the airstreams can be thus be heard and measured.
ARTICULATION STUDIES
Four fundamental styles of articulation are:
Air:
Four fundamental styles of articulation are:
- Legato – notes touch with a soft start, the air never stops.
- Tenuto- notes touch with a definite start, the air never stops.
- Lifted – notes have a definite start, the air and energy should be short and compact to
allow for greater space between the notes. - Staccato - Notes have a definite start, the air and energy should be short and compact
to allow for greater space between the notes. Notes should be thought of as being light, not heavy and ponderous.
Air:
- Air and energy must remain constant, steady and smooth.
- The air is interrupted by the tongue but not stopped by the tongue.
- The shorter the note length, the quicker/sooner the air must get to the end or back of
the note. - Students should practice blowing air against the palm of the hand for different note
lengths and styles. The students should feel a difference in the duration of the air as
it hits their hand and for each articulation style. - Brass players must always think about getting their air past the mouthpieces.
- Vibration of the embouchure or reeds should never be stopped, only interrupted.
- The face, jaw, throat and other features must remain still when articulating.
- The corners of the mouth should not move as the tongue is moving.
- A good habit to observe is for the students to keep their embouchure set one beat
after a release.
- A “dah” or “doo” syllable is preferable.
- The tongue moves in an up-and-down motion to and from the teeth or reed,
never back and forth. - The young players must avoid the tendency to move their tongue back and forth as
they inhale and exhale. - The tongue must move to the exact same place on the teeth or reed with the exact
same energy, speed, and strength throughout a given style. - The longer the note length, the quicker the tongue must move up and down.
- When playing from one style to another, it is very important that the first note in a
new style be correct and exact. Too often young players will not change styles on the first note of a new articulation.
- All notes end with an open-throat release.
- Simply stop blowing the air to stop the note. Keep embouchure set.
- Always exhale on a release. Never inhale on a release.
- Air should never be stopped by “choking” off the air with the throat.
- The air should never be stopped with the tongue. No articulated release.
- The body should always remain soft and in its natural state.
Warm up ACTIVITIES
by INSTRUMENT
Flute |
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Oboe |
Clarinet |
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Alto Saxophone /
Bari Saxophone |
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Tenor Saxophone |
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French
Horn |
Trumpet |
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Trombone
and Baritone |
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Tuba
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Percussion |
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