All students involved in instrumental music are required to practice every evening. Please use these practice-time guidelines to help your student in achieveing great musical goals.
&diams Recorder students should be practicing 10 minutes each evening.
&diams Prep Band students should be practicing at least 20 minutes each evening. Heavy instruments and young hands often cannot play constantly for more than 20 minutes the first month or two of playing a heavy new band instrument.
Encourage new band students to practice at least 20 minutes in 10 - 15 minute increments each day to strengthen their hands and arms.
Woodwinds - The left hand should be the top hand on the instrument. Flutes - the left hand should be the hand closest to the face and the instrument should point to the right.
Brass - Trumpets should be held with both hands with the right hand fingers on the valves, the left hand supports the instrument by holding around the middle of the valves. The bell of the instrument should point straight out and the instrument should be parallel with the floor.
Trombones should be held in the left and and the slide should be manipulated with the right hand. The bell of the instrument should point straight out and the instrument should be parallel with the floor.
Baritones should rest in the lap with the bell toward the ceiling. The right hand fingers should be on the valves.
&diams Concert Band students should be practicing 30 - 60 minutes each evening.
&diams While choir students do not have a physical instrument to practice, choral students should practice using their voice musically. Loud talking or yelling could damage the vocal chords and should be minimized, if possible. Many of the songs we perform this year will be musically challenging for many of our students. I encourage choir students to practice reading the choir music, practicing Solfedge syllables, and memorizing melodies and words.
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