BAND PRACTICE JOURNAL #4 Also Available Online
BAND PRACTICE JOURNAL #4 Also available online
Name______
Date: the weeks of November 15th and November 21st, 2016
Please record your practice time every day and turn in the journal, signed by a parent,
Tuesday, November 29th, 2016. Please use the top half of the days of the week to write in time spent practicing for THIS week, and the bottom half to write in practice time for NEXT week.
What to do : / Tue / Wed / Thu / Fri / Sat / Sun / MonStart of practice session (the WARM up): breathing exercises (sizzle any of the lines in our book while holding your instrument in playing position), play a line from the book on mouthpiece/headjoint (brass and woodwinds), PERCUSSION practice sticking.
Lesson book: BRASS buzz on mouthpiece line #7. All instruments practice line 7. Keep practicing with a metronome-set it to 80 beats per minute. Percussion, count aloud as you are playing
NEW skill: Practice music for our upcoming concert! For the concert we will play: lines 1-5, line 7, 12, 16, and Jingle Bells. Spend most of your practice time working on these songs.
Other practicing: private lesson material, music for fun
Total number of minutes
See next page >
Our students are expected to practice whenever possible during Thanksgiving break, so this practice journal will cover both weeks.
Please remember the date for our upcoming WINTER CONCERT which will be on Thursday, December 8th at 6:00 pm! All family members and friends of band students are invited to attend. Students are required to wear CONCERT BLACK as a concert uniform. Students are asked to wear:
1.Black dress shoes. Long sleeved black dress that extends at least two inches below the knees while seated OR a black long sleeve dress shirt with black dress pants/slacks, not jeans.
Or : 2. Black belt. Black dress shoes. Black long sleeve dress shirt. Black long tie (optional).. Black slacks/dress pants, not jeans. Black belt. Black dress shoes.
Parent signature (please sign with a pen) : ______
Se espera que nuestros estudiantes a la práctica siempre que sea posible durante las vacaciones de Acción de Gracias, por lo que esta revista la práctica cubrirán ambas semanas.
Por favor, recuerde la fecha para nuestro próximo concierto de invierno que será el jueves, 8 diciembre a las 6:00 pm! Todos los miembros de la familia y amigos de los estudiantes de la banda están invitados a asistir. Los estudiantes están obligados a llevar CONCIERTO NEGRO como uniforme concierto. Se les pide a los estudiantes que usen:
zapatos de vestir 1.Black. vestido negro de manga larga que se extiende por lo menos dos pulgadas por debajo de las rodillas mientras se está sentado o con la manga larga camisa de vestir negro con pantalones negros de vestir / pantalones vaqueros, no.
O bien: 2. cinturón Negro. zapatos negros de vestir. camisa de vestir de manga larga negro. lazo negro largo (opcional) .. pantalones negros / pantalones de vestir, pantalones vaqueros no. Cinta negra. zapatos negros de vestir.
La firma del padre (Por favor inicie con una pluma): ______
Towards the end of the week, please check your student’s Q gradebook to view how your student is doing in Beginning Band. The quiz on line 12 evaluates your student’s ability to play the first 3 notes on their instrument. A grade in the 90s means that your student knows how to play 3 notes on his/her instrument and can play to line 17 in our band book. A grade in the 80s or below means more practice is needed.
With your student, please read the article and suggestions for practicing on the back of this journal.
Parent signature (PLEASE sign with a pen): ______
Hacia el final de la semana, por favor verifica Q libro de calificaciones de su hijo para ver cómo su hijo está haciendo en Beginning Band. La prueba en la línea 12 se evalúa la capacidad de su hijo para jugar las 3 primeras notas en su instrumento. Un grado en los años 90 significa que el estudiante sabe cómo jugar 3 notas en su / su instrumento y se puede jugar a la línea 17 en el libro de texto. Un grado en los años 80 o por debajo significa que se necesita más práctica. Con su hijo, por favor lea el artículo y sugerencias para la práctica en la parte posterior de esta revista.
La firma del padre (POR FAVOR firmar con una pluma): ______
How to Practice
(for people who HATE to practice!)
Be honest now, when you hear your music teacher say, “Practice, practice, practice!” isn’t there some part of you that just dies a little inside? Me too! Don’t get me wrong, I love playing music, but I’m not going to spend hours a day practicing. I mean, let’s face it, I have a life, and so do you!
That’s why I created a whole new way to practice that is quick, effective, fun, and you still get to have a social life! Here it is:
Step #1: Set a place and time to practice.*
This seems obvious, but make sure you have a PLACE to practice. This place should be free of distractions (like TV, computer, phone, dogs, little brothers, space aliens, etc.)
(DON’T PRACTICE RIGHT NEXT TO THE TV WHEN YOUR PARENTS ARE TRYING TO WATCH THEIR FAVORITE SHOW!!)
Set a regular time to practice. Make it reasonable! DO NOT schedule your time to be right during your favorite TV show or for when your friends usually hang out. Otherwise, you will be tempted to skip out of practicing.
Only set a start time, DO NOT set an ending time! I’ll explain why in a second.
*Sometimes parents cannot stand the sound of a young player practicing, so it might be a good idea to let your parents help you schedule that time. Otherwise, if you’re trying to practice while Dad is paying the bills or Mom is making an overseas phone call, they might shut your practice down!
Step #2: Set 2-3 SHORT, REASONABLE goals for yourself.
Pick 2-3 things that YOU CAN’T DO YET, but you could with maybe 5-10 minutes of dedicated work. They should also be goals that YOU CAN TELL WHETHER OR NOT YOU SUCCEEDED. WRITE THEM DOWN ON PAPER! Put a little box next to each one, and when you achieve your goal, check it off! (I love that part!!)
After you’ve met your goals for your practice session, STOP! Put the instrument down, and go do something fun. Call your friends, watch a movie, play with the dog, or take up model ship-building. Whatever you think is fun! J
If you didn’t meet your goals, the important thing is to STOP and ADJUST! Don’t keep messing up the same thing over and over and make yourself mad. In the end, that will make you hate practicing. If you’re not getting any better at your goal in 5-10 minutes of trying, you probably set the wrong goal. Stop, ask yourself what the REAL problem is, and try again. IF YOU’RE ANGRY, STOP PLAYING AND DO SOMETHING ELSE! Anger will make you make more mistakes, which will make you more angry, which will make you make more mistakes, …Come back later when you’re refreshed, and re-evaluate!
Step #3: Set goals for your next session.
Again, make sure the goals are short, reasonable, and you can tell whether or not you’ve succeeded. Once again, WRITE THEM DOWN!
Writing down your goals and how you did has another benefit. Ever get down on yourself and think, “I’m no good at this instrument!” ? In those times, go back and look at your practice journal to see how far you’ve come. You’ll be surprised at how much you’ve grown as a player in such a short time.
AND HERE’S THE BEST PART…
You will be a better player after practicing for 20 minutes than most players will be in 4 hours! Why, because you’re focused and goal-oriented.
MAKING MUSIC SHOULD ALWAYS BE FUN, EVEN WHEN YOU’RE PRACTICING!