Click the link above to download free play along mp3 tracks from Hal Leonard Online. It can help with practice!
Dear Band Parents (and Students,)
We are off to a great start in band and the students are very enthusiastic.
Being prepared for class is crucially important for success since we only have music once a week. Please help your child remember to bring the book, binder, and instrument every week. (Tuesday for Lu Sutton students, Thursday for Rancho students.)
Regular practice is key to ‘getting over the hump’ and having this be a fun experience. While we ask students to practice for 20 minutes a day, in the beginning it can be difficult to spend that much time on it since we don’t know many notes or how to play many things. Spending 10 minutes on practice, putting it down while you do other homework, and then picking it up for another 10 minutes later on can help break things up and alleviate some of the monotony of those early practice sessions. As you progress, it will be easier to practice for 20 minutes straight without stopping.
You also may have difficulty remembering hand positions and the basics of assembling your instruments correctly. To help you with this at home, I have included some web recommendations for beginning flute and clarinet from the Children’s Music Workshop. The name of the youtube channel is called ‘jointheorchestra.’
Here is the youtube link for How to Play Flute (jointheorchestra from Children’s Music Workshop)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5004DBB944498D21
And the one for How to Play Clarinet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL561317843105C8E9
Each is a series of short (1-4 minute long) clips that start with how to assemble your instrument correctly, and then move on to correct embouchure and how to play some beginning notes.
The students can put these on to guide their practice in the first week or so as they get comfortable with their instrument.
If you have any difficulties locating these videos, email me at [email protected] and I will send you a link in an email.
Regards,
Lisa Nyquist
NUSD music teacher
We are off to a great start in band and the students are very enthusiastic.
Being prepared for class is crucially important for success since we only have music once a week. Please help your child remember to bring the book, binder, and instrument every week. (Tuesday for Lu Sutton students, Thursday for Rancho students.)
Regular practice is key to ‘getting over the hump’ and having this be a fun experience. While we ask students to practice for 20 minutes a day, in the beginning it can be difficult to spend that much time on it since we don’t know many notes or how to play many things. Spending 10 minutes on practice, putting it down while you do other homework, and then picking it up for another 10 minutes later on can help break things up and alleviate some of the monotony of those early practice sessions. As you progress, it will be easier to practice for 20 minutes straight without stopping.
You also may have difficulty remembering hand positions and the basics of assembling your instruments correctly. To help you with this at home, I have included some web recommendations for beginning flute and clarinet from the Children’s Music Workshop. The name of the youtube channel is called ‘jointheorchestra.’
Here is the youtube link for How to Play Flute (jointheorchestra from Children’s Music Workshop)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5004DBB944498D21
And the one for How to Play Clarinet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL561317843105C8E9
Each is a series of short (1-4 minute long) clips that start with how to assemble your instrument correctly, and then move on to correct embouchure and how to play some beginning notes.
The students can put these on to guide their practice in the first week or so as they get comfortable with their instrument.
If you have any difficulties locating these videos, email me at [email protected] and I will send you a link in an email.
Regards,
Lisa Nyquist
NUSD music teacher
Correct flute embouchure as demonstrated by James Galway. Click here and then here for his tips on how to position and blow on the head joint correctly. Notice how small the opening is on his mouth. Feel free to play along.
Clarinets- If you are having trouble with squeaking, check the angle of your instrument. Make sure that the bottom of the bell is away from your body like the picture on the right.
Also, make sure you don't have too much of it in your mouth and that your teeth are firmly planted on the top of the mouthpiece. See the image below for correct position.