My High School Band Rehearsal

Since most of my posts have been analyzing different teaching styles from the perspective of me as an observer and teacher, I decided to write about my own experience in high school band.

I went to New Braunfels High School from 2005-2009. Since it was a 4A school (now 5A) it definitely had a marching band. We had summer band 3 weeks before school started. We started off outside in the early morning while it was still cool by learning the marching fundamentals, and the first part of the show. Each director took time down on the ground with us to teach us the different marching techniques such as backwards marching. My sophomore year we installed a huge tower. So then the directors all "barked out orders" from way up high as well as using the mic.

We also have a concert band. This was my favorite part of high school because I didn't have to play the tenor sax (that's what I marched). I got to play my bassoon :) My band director always picked the best pieces for the UIL competitions. We had a traditional march, usually a orchestral transcription and then a more modern piece. Each piece was taught similarly: sight-read it when we first get it, and then work on sections by breaking it apart and hearing different instruments. For example, if the woodwinds had a very hard 16th note link, then my director would take the lick and slow it down so that the players would get all of the notes, and then speed it up with different ways of playing the line so that it would lay under their fingers. This is definitely teacher-centered learning because everyone has to stay quiet as the teacher teaches the concept.

It was a process getting these 3 pieces ABSOLUTELY PERFECT (which of course is never the case) for the competition. There was a lot of stopping and starting, which got boring when my section had mastered its part because we just sat there. But, once everyone got their part it was really enjoyable to play because we were making awesome music together!