9:30-12:30: break off into sections (hired professionals or volunteers):

Flute
Clarinet
Oboes
Violins and Violas
Cello
Double Bass
Trumpet
Guitar
Vocals
Trombone
Bartione
Tuba
Percussion
Piano
Alto saxophones
Tenor Saxophones
Bari Saxophones
French Horn
Bass Guitar
Compositions
Bass clarinet
Conductors

Flutes: Tuning, Blend, Breath support and Dynamics
Learning how to tune yourself with your mouthpiece
Making about 20-30 flutes sound like one giant flute
Dynamics are hard for flutes and are expected at high standard requirements therefore that is an
important field to work on
Proper breathing techniques for flute straw, 5 points of posture and where to breathe in a piece when
no breathe marks are presented

Clarinet/Bass Clarinet: Fingerings, High Notes, Blend and Dynamics
Many clarinets struggle with memorizing the correct fingerings
Learning to play high notes on a clarinet are usually reserved for high standard requirements therefore
we will work on that field
Blend is always important so we will work on blending 10-25 clarinets into one big clarinet
In an ensemble, you will either have too few or too much clarinets. When there are too few of clarinets
they are too quiet and when there are too much clarinets they play too loud therefore we need to learn
how to balance sound

Oboe: Tone, low notes and dynamics
We will learn how to get a rich sound from our instruments especially from the low notes
We will learn how to control our tone and sound of our low notes because the lower register is harder
to play
Sometimes oboes lose tone as they achieve dramatic dynamics therefore we will work on achieving
dynamics without sacrificing our tone

Violins and Violas: Holding your instrument properly/posture, blend and techniques/articulation
If a musician just started to play or has played for awhile with improper posture and incorrect ways of
holding the instrument it can become a habit that limits your playing ability and flexibility. Its better we
prevent this or if it has already become a problem, fix it and develop new better habits
It is vital that violins and violas can blend, especially in an ensemble, therefore this is a key requirement
to work on
Playing these instruments have various techniques and articulations that are essential for a drastic
change in a melody or a peak in a piece, it is important that they start or master these techniques, (ie.
Vibrato)

Cellos/Double Bass: Injury prevention/Proper positions, Techniques/Articulation
Students will often complain about for example sore arm muscles. These are due to poor posture and
positions, we will correct and teach them the proper positions and how to avoid injury
Cellos have important techniques and articulations that play a key role for drastic changes in a melody
or a peak in a piece there for it is important that they start to learn or master these techniques

Trumpets: High Notes, Dynamics, Blend and technique/articulation
In higher standard ensembles trumpets are required to play higher and higher notes so we will work
with them to improve range
Even though trumpets often play the melody, in times in the piece where they dont they can over play
their part and cover the important parts of the pieces therefore we will work on the dynamics
In higher standard ensembles new techniques and articulation that are rarely seen in elementary bands
are required to be mastered. Therefore we will give them a head start on these techniques

Guitar: Fingerstyle, Picking techniqiues, chords, powerchords, improvisation and technique /articulation
When playing a piece it is usually either fingerstyle, picking or both. We will work on these two style of
playing
When playing chords, a person who has developed the habit of playing chords that are not clean
prevents them from going further in a piece or playing the piece to its full potential. Also messy guitar
chord transitions result in obvious lack of smooth playing or choppy, sloppy chords.
We will learn how to build power chords and different positions to fit to the convenience of the piece.
We will also learn how to play nice clean power chords.
We will learn about different structures, modes, keys and scales to develop our improvisation
techniques. (ex. A blues scale for this key etc)
We will learn techniques and articulation for dramatic effects. (bends, slides, pull offs/hammer ons etc)


Vocals: Breath support, Range, tone, blend and sight singing/intervals
The last thing you want when you sing is to sound breathy. You want to learn proper breathing
techniques and how to use your breathing in different registers of your voice
How to sing in the low and high registers of your voice without losing tone or straining
How to blend with others, very important in an ensemble
Sight singing is required in higher standard ensembles therefore we will prepare you. We will learn how
to recognize intervals and sing them when given

Trombone: Tone, range, technique/articulation and blend
Adjusting your mouth and posture to achieve greater tone
Improving range with exercises (ex. Lip trills)
Slurs and dynamics are hard for trombones and are expected in higher standard ensembles therefore it
is important that we work on it as well as other articulations and techniques (glissandos, vibrato, etc)
Blend is important to make several trombones sound as one as well as challenging

Tuba/Baritone: dynamics without losing tone, blend and tuning
In most cases there are few tubas compared to the rest of the ensemble even though they are the base
of the foundation, therefore key to dynamic contrasts. It is important that tubas can successfully lead
the ensemble in dynamic contrasts so we will develop those skills. Tubas also tend to lose tone during
dynamic contrasts therefore we will work on keeping the tone clear during dynamic contrasts. Baritones
are the next to follow the dynamic contrast as the tubas lead therefore they need to learn how to
successfully follow the tubas as they start the crescendo/decrescendo etc.
Tubas need to be able to blend with the rest of the low register instruments as well as vice versa or else
the foundation of the ensemble is messy. Baritones need to learn how to fit their sound into the tubas.
Learning how to adjust your tuning slide to fix notes that are too sharp or flat that are not due to
overblowing or lack of air

Percussion: staying together with the band, coordination, counting, dynamics and
techniques/articulation
Breathing when the band breathes, counting and learning the piece helps you make sure you dont get
lost during the piece
Developing coordination to allow flexibility and efficiency when you play
Counting for accurate timing and beats
Dynamic contrasts
Holding your drumsticks properly, rolls, muting the snare drum, when to put your hand on/off of the
bass drum etc

Piano: theory, rcm standard requirements etc.

Alto/Tenor/Bari Sax: dynamic, fingerings, tone and blend
Common in beginners players can not control their dynamics and often over play above the ensemble
Learn fingerings
Learning how to achieve great tone (breath technique, mouth shaping etc.)
How to sound as one

French Horn: Tone, Blend, Dynamics
Often French horn players lose tone as they play higher notes in their register or they overblow and lose
tone
French horn mostly blends with the saxophones but it is very challenging for them to blend with other
French horns and saxophones
French horns find it very challenging to do dynamics therefore important to learn and develop

Bass Guitar: Fingerstyle, picking techniques, clean notes and techniques/articulation and improvisation
In a piece you will either fingerstyle, pick or both therefore it is important to learn both
Bass guitars have heavy string so its easy for notes to be messy, we will work on making clean notes
Slides, hammer ons, pull offs etc
We will learn about different structures, modes, keys and scales to develop our improvisation
techniques. (ex. A blues scale for this key etc)

Compositions: theory basics, improvisation and sharing short compositions, common patterns etc,
genres

Conductors: Dividing time, dynamics, queues, reading scores, paying attention to each section

For every section, there will be a warm up and evaluation to determine what needs more work
Students will make a goal together
Students will reflect on their strengths and weaknesses, one by one they will develop a strategy to
overcome what they think should be improved

12:30 to end of lunch

End of lunch to end of session

Divide into wind and percussion ensemble, Strings and percussion ensembles, bands, choirs, composers
and conductors

Wind and Percussion Ensembles:
Blend
Counting during playing and rests
Playing together
Judging your playing based on the ensemble (ex. Why do I hear myself over everyone else, is it my: tone,
blend, posture etc)

Strings and Percussion:
Blend
Counting during playing and rests
Playing together
Judging your playing based on the ensemble (ex. Why do I hear myself over everyone else, is it my: tone,
blend, posture etc)


Band:
Counting
Harmonizing
Improvisation
Working together
Teamwork

Choir:
Counting
Sight singing
Blend and tone
Harmonizing

Conductors:
Will conduct an ensemble of their choice
Practice conducting dynamic contrasts
Be able to identify problems and tips for improvements

Composers:
Will compose a short score from several music eras and have the ensembles play them at the end

Citizenship: Practice for a performance, money raised will go for a non profit organization
Personal Development: Goal setting and achieving
Leadership: Conductors will conduct and lead an ensemble, during the first part of the day every
student has a chance to lead their section with their strategy/technique to improve flaws
Outdoor Skills: N/A more of this section is explored in the contemporary and visual arts