ACHS (Spring Break)

Directors Megan Fitzgerald, Jeanette Soebbing

3/14/17-3/17/17

Jazz

Rhythmic precision
Separating rhythms lots of syncopation
Speaking rhythms separately and together to gain confidence and clarity
Playing rhythms separately and together to gain clarity
Run throughs of both pieces (swing and latin)

Symphonic Band

I sat in and played several days this week.

D minor scale warmups
o Students volunteered and everyone else had to guess which minor scale was being
played
Discussion of upcoming events (plus 2018 Spring Break Trip announcement)
Rehearsal of The Great Train Race
o Discussion of focus points which part should be prominent as each part layers onto
each other
o Separation of syncopated parts lined up with each other
o Focus on balance and blend, along with rhythmic precision

Wind Ensemble

I sat in and played several days this week.

A Major scale warmups
Discussion of upcoming events (plus 2018 Spring Break trip announcement)
Rehearsal of Mount Everest
o Introduction focus points
o Where is the melody?
o Unison trumpets separated to focus on blending
o Adjustment on overall balance and blend could the melody be heard?
o Shift to the end of the piece focus on clarity of tempo and articulations
o Broken apart to hear each part and then brought back together

Chamber Orchestra

Tuning
Classroom management quiet during tuning process
Unison scales changes in articulations
Scale warmups
o Walked around room to hear all parts and see all bowings
o Student involvement checking to see who is keeping their bows close to the bridge
 o Emphasis on bow control
B minor arpeggio quizzes on computer
Rehearsal of Cumbia
o Shifting positions around the room
o All standing (minus cellos)
o Focus on listening bass will lead/guide the tempo
o Run through of Cumbia
o Changing listening to how the concert will be (held in the large Swanson gym, echoing
everywhere)
Rehearsal of Punto
o Applying most of Cumbia aspects to Punto
o 6/8 feel
o Some hemiola
o Call and response sections
Listening for who theyre taking the melody from
o Tempo inconsistencies listen for downbeats in cellos
o Cutoffs together
Review of Interval Tests
o Several did very well!

Beginning Band

I sat in and played every day this week.

Split parts winds/percussion and strings
o In different keys
Warmup on concert C scale each transposing instrument had notes projected onto screen
Rehearsal on Minuet
o Broken up into two measure pieces
o Each piece played by both sections
o First and second ending rehearsal
o Run through
Discussion of tetrachord worksheet

Cadet Orchestra

I sat in and played several days this week.

Tuning each string; walked around to help with individual tuning issues
F major scales in pentatonic
o more bow (no wimpy bows!)
o tuning and finger positions
Sight read Simple Gifts
o 30 seconds to work out any potential issues/run through
o Lots of tuning issues with F natural; first row everyone else raises bow when F locks in
o Purposely moving in and out of tune to help lock it in
Rehearsal on Legend
o Meter changes and ritardando simultaneously
 o Tuning throughout
o Not playing through rests
o First violins higher part; mixing this part with the ensemble tuning with lower part to
start, adding in higher parts
o Adjusting to the first violins
Vocab review
o Candy as incentive definitely works