Sunday, July 27, 2014
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Where to Focus your attention as a student leader
This is for everyone, as leadership should exists in everyone!
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
How to Practice by Dan Haag
Repost from BDG
How to Practice
(for people who HATE to practice!)
Be honest now, when you hear your music teacher say,
“Practice, practice, practice!” isn’t there some part of you that just dies a
little inside? Me too! Don’t get me wrong, I love playing music, but
I’m not going to spend hours a day practicing.
I mean, let’s face it, I have a life, and so do you!
That’s why I created a whole new way to practice that is
quick, effective, fun, and you still get to have a social life! Here it is:
Step #1: Set a
place and time to practice.*
This seems obvious, but make sure you have a PLACE to
practice. This place should be free of distractions (like TV,
computer, phone, dogs, little brothers, space aliens, etc.)
(DON’T PRACTICE RIGHT NEXT TO THE TV WHEN YOUR PARENTS ARE
TRYING TO WATCH THEIR FAVORITE SHOW!!)
Set a regular time to practice. Make
it reasonable! DO NOT schedule your
time to be right during your favorite TV show or for when your friends usually
hang out. Otherwise, you will be tempted
to skip out of practicing.
Only set a start
time, DO NOT set an ending time!
I’ll explain why in a second.
*Sometimes parents cannot stand the sound of a young player
practicing, so it might be a good idea to let your parents help you schedule
that time. Otherwise, if you’re trying
to practice while Dad is paying the bills or Mom is making an overseas phone
call, they might shut your practice down!
Step #2: Set 2-3 SHORT, REASONABLE goals for yourself.
Pick 2-3 things that YOU CAN’T DO YET, but you could with
maybe 5-10 minutes of dedicated work.
They should also be goals that YOU CAN TELL WHETHER OR NOT YOU
SUCCEEDED. WRITE THEM DOWN ON PAPER!
Put a little box next to each one, and when you achieve your goal, check
it off! (I love that part!!)
After you’ve met your goals for your practice session,
STOP! Put the instrument down, and go do
something fun. Call your friends, watch
a movie, play with the dog, or take up model ship-building. Whatever you think is fun! J
If you didn’t meet your goals, the important thing is to
STOP and ADJUST! Don’t keep messing up the same thing over and over and make yourself
mad. In the end, that will make you
hate practicing. If you’re not getting
any better at your goal in 5-10 minutes of trying, you probably set the wrong
goal. Stop, ask yourself what the REAL
problem is, and try again. IF YOU’RE ANGRY, STOP PLAYING AND DO
SOMETHING ELSE! Anger will make you
make more mistakes, which will make you more angry, which will make you make
more mistakes, …Come back later when you’re refreshed, and re-evaluate!
Step #3: Set goals for your next session.
Again, make sure the goals are short, reasonable, and you
can tell whether or not you’ve succeeded.
Once again, WRITE THEM DOWN!
Writing down your goals and how you did has another
benefit. Ever get down on yourself and
think, “I’m no good at this instrument!” ?
In those times, go back and look at your practice journal to see how far
you’ve come. You’ll be surprised at how
much you’ve grown as a player in such a short time.
AND HERE’S THE BEST
PART…
You will be a better
player after practicing for 20 minutes than most players will be in 4
hours! Why, because you’re focused and
goal-oriented.
MAKING MUSIC SHOULD
ALWAYS BE FUN, EVEN WHEN YOU’RE PRACTICING!
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Everything We Needed to Know About Business, We Learned Playing Music
http://www.ldv-enterprises.com/Biz-Music_Book/CCortello_Biz-Music_Article-excerpt-4.pdf
College and Career Ready - We got that!
College and Career Ready - We got that!
"Everything We Needed to Know About Business, We Learned Playing Music"
"The following article is an excerpt from Everything We Needed to Know About Business, We Learned Playing Music, printed with permission from the author. The book is a compilation of 32 profiles of CEOs and business professionals who played music as a child or adolescent and view that experience as a defining one in preparing them for success in their business endeavors."
Clarinet Embouchure
http://www.tcnj.edu/~mckinney/clarinet_embouchure.htm
CLARINET EMBOUCHURE
The clarinet embouchure is one of the most widely misused and misunderstood aspects of clarinet playing. Over many years this writer has had an opportunity to work with young clarinetists, both beginning and advanced, and have observed a number of common faults. With careful understanding and applying a few basic adjustments, these players could begin to enjoy a well controlled clarinet tone. These faults - call them improper blowing methods - can never be corrected by simply practicing studies or long tones; the whole difficulty arises from the basic question of how one places the mouthpiece into his/her mouth. The following will be divided into Correct Procedures and Common Faults.
CORRECT PROCEDURES
Develop good habits early. The errors in the formation of the embouchure tend to fall into a number of distinct categories which are extremely difficult to remedy after the student has formed certain habits in which the wrong muscular action is involved. On the other hand, if correct habits had been developed in the beginning, these students would find the development of tone production a relatively simple phase of their technique. At this point long tone studies designed for control and tone quality are indispensable. Practice the following:
1. Firm seal at the corners of the mouth.
2. The throat should have an open feeling. Form an AH sensation.
3. The angle of the clarinet depends mostly on the jaw formation but I believe a 35degree angle is quite effective. Figure 1 provides a good visual of the mouthpiece position.
4. With the help of the teacher as interpreter of anatomical jargon, Figure 2 illustrates the essential facial muscles that come into play in forming the embouchure.
a) Here one can see that the chin is flat and pointed downward - the labii inferioris muscle #3.
b) The muscular control around the mouthpiece is controlled by the lips - the obicularis oris muscle #1 is uniform and applied equally from all sides.
c) The corners of the mouth are drawn SLIGHTLY upward - the zygomaticus muscle #6.
d) Approximately one half of the red or fleshy part of the bottom lip is drawn over the lower teeth.
e) The cheeks are prevented from "puffing out." - the buccinator muscle #5.
5. Use a mirror. Careful visual monitoring of embouchure formation in addition to its actual formation is extremely helpful. The teacher can help by visually seeing the embouchure setting, and when the student is alone, standing/sitting in front of a long vertical mirror - if available - is an indispensable aid to correct habits.
Figure 1
Figure 2
COMMON ERRORS ENCOUNTERED
1. Constricting and bunching the muscles in the chin and pushing upward to support the the mouthpiece.
2. Extreme pulling from the corners of the mouth causing a tight pinched tone. This concept is sometimes identified as the 'emphasized smile' position which is supposed to keep the chin flat. When overdone, sometimes a "hissing of air" is emitted comes form the corners of the mouth because the muscles cannot sustain the tension..
3. Rolling the lip not far enough or too far over the bottom teeth.
a) Rolling the lip too far causes the tone to sound dull, and in the upper register, unsupported and shrill.
b) Too little lip on the teeth - including a rolled wrinkled position - emits a very bright and edgy sound.
c) Both of these positions will eventually cause the lip to be sore and/or cut on the inside.
4. Puffing the cheeks.
5. Neglecting to place the top teeth on the mouthpiece.
6. Insufficient support from the right thumb in holding and supporting the instrument firmly against the top teeth.
7. Holding the instrument at too wide of an angle thereby causing the lower lip to rest too close to the tip of the reed causing a small "pinched" tone. Some of the above factors are evident in many young students and must be addressed. The fundamental principles seen in Figure 1.
SUMMARY
I have found that the lack of success encountered by a student in producing a good stable tone is directly related to the amount of mouthpiece that is placed in the mouth. Even though mouthpiece placement might seem to be correct, by instructing the student to move the lower jaw outward and downward on the reed, tone quality and control are greatly enhanced. This downward/outward placement with the jaw is by not means the prime factor in the successful production of tone, but merely moves the cushion of the lip further out on the reed allowing for more freedom of the reed to vibrate, thus eliminating the "thin" and "pinched" sound.
All of the above is predicated on constant support of the tone with proper breathing. Don't use greater lip pressure for the higher (altissimo register) notes more than the lower ones. Evenness of breath flow is absolutely essential for maintaining a well controlled tone. Changing dynamics is simply a matter of increasing or decreasing the amount of air that passes into the instrument. The support of that air should never change.
How many hours a day should you practice?
http://www.bulletproofmusician.com/how-many-hours-a-day-should-you-practice/
I also encourage you to check out the many other articles on Bulletproofmusician.com Great stuff!
I also encourage you to check out the many other articles on Bulletproofmusician.com Great stuff!
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
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