Energizing the Orchestra Rehearsal: Getting in Touch with Your Inner 7th Grade Self FMEA Conference James Mick, Ph.D. Tampa, Florida Ithaca College January 15, 2015 [email protected] Posture • Stomp-Stomp • Stand up without moving feet • Stretch-the-String / Grow an Inch • Worst to First – show bad/unacceptable followed by perfect • Fix the Teacher Technique • Form bow holds on a variety of items – straws, pencil, pixie sticks, music stand leg, etc. • Spell name on ceiling – finger flexibility; do it with forearm resting on a stand • Paper cup relay – teams pass the cup maintaining perfect holds while going through an obstacle course • Lifesaver Olympics – obstacle course while keeping the lifesaver or washer on the tip • Posture Police – select students are given badges and permission to find and help correct someone before they receive a violation citation • Spider races • Professional Picture – take pictures of students with perfect LH, RH, and posture to post around the room • Dot-to-Dot – place small circle dots on the instrument; as students walk in, use a marker to put dots on their hands (e.g. finger tips, inside of bas knuckle); match dots • Bow hold parade – parade around room/school to march music; hand out medals for best holds • Dr. Arco Pizzicato – students diagnose sicknesses and provide remedy prescriptions • Twelve Days of Orchestra – different theme/goal for each day • Intense Rehearsal Days – “Miss it, Mark it” or “Picky Pinky Day” • Technique Brochure – students must create by explaining 3-5 points for perfect posture, LH, and RH; include FAQ section that students must provide answers • One Inch – must look and match bow placements within one inch of the same place • Finger Tap Races – tap thumb and 1 together 4 times then thumb and 2, thumb and 3, and thumb and 4; 3 taps; 2 taps; 1 tap; then clap to indicate you finished Bowing Activities • Hot/Cold Dynamics – student locates something in the room while orchestra helps • Simon Says – students must mimic teacher’s placement and usage • Phone # – set metronome and use entire bow for each digit (0 = rest) • Bow Twister – play easy songs or scales using different places on the bow and on the instrument (= ”lanes”) • Frog-to-Tip – vary the number of hooked bows in one direction using the same tempo Tone Production • Speed – “MPH” write in speed (e.g. 5-100) • Weight – name the car you are driving in each passage (e.g. Mini vs. Semi-Truck) • Placement – “Primrose” Highway and Landing Strip (e.g. UH, LH, M) • Upside Down Bow • Wrong Way Bow Day – opposite directions while maintaining same desired tone • Mystery Man / Wonder Woman – student must find person not performing with correct bow speed or placement • ‘Miss’ed Articulation – play a passage staccato then legato then with slurs and accents Dynamics • Dynamic Numbers – write in using 1-10 • Student Soloist – pick one person in the section who everyone must always play quieter than; helps to place sections in circles around the student Difficult Passages • Memorize the Spot • Monster Fingers – LH finger-tap a section audibly • Wheel of Memorization – spin a wheel to select memorized sections for warm-ups • Rhythm Dice – roll to select rhythm for scale or tricky passage • Musical Assassin – student in charge of trying to distract a section without touching anyone (e.g. clap, turn out lights, sing, play their own instrument out of tune) • Bingo – leave out specific notes or note values • Mozart Table Songs – play backwards or upside-down • Land the Plane – students write down tricky sections to re-rehearse and then make paper airplanes to throw at a target, the closest “landings” are selected • Metronome Races – classes/lesson groups compete against each other • Inside-Outside – stand partners within a section split to perform as a reduced ensemble; other sections vote on best sounding • Popcorn – section fingers along while one person/stand plays until caller “popcorns” another section at the beginning of a measure (start at next measure) • 4-3-2-1 – play each note 4 times, then 3, 2, 1 • Teacher versus section – if teacher loses, they have to put away the stands; make it harder for the teacher by playing on another instrument at pitch or playing instrument backwards • 3 Penny Slide – start on left, move one to right each time played correctly; move back to left if played incorrectly; finished when all 3 or on the right Building Community • Piano Recital – demo students with other talents • Secondary Recital – students teach each another a simple song on their home instrument with a focus on going over technique; prize for best teacher/student pairs • Weekend Camp – kick-off the year with an in-school retreat; boosters cater; offer sectionals, technique review, play best hits from last year’s music selections and then move to new music • VIP Coffee House – invite teachers, parents, and administrators down for coffee while ensembles perform • Music Train – memorize music and march around school playing for others (e.g. Holiday tunes the day before winter break) • Practice Picnic – bring a snack or lunch, grab a music stand and clothes pins, and enjoy a beautiful spring afternoon • Blast from the Past – watch videos of performances from over the years then play the music • Music Potluck Concert – learn folksongs from other countries, parents provide sample foods • Composer Facebook Profiles • Music Video Project – learn song, wear costumes, film, vote on best video; prize is an autographed picture of the teacher Music Reading • Hello, My Spouse Is… – enharmonic pairings • One of these things is not like the other – enharmonics, accidentals, rhythms, etc. • Concentration – find enharmonic pairs on a game board by flipping cards • Candy Rhythms – bring Halloween favorites and play/notate the rhythms; compose a candy rhythm song using open strings or scales • Lady Justice – balance rhythms, scales, triads (e.g. harmonic minors; triads contain root, 3rd, and 5th; rests values balancing note values) • Rhythm Baseball – teams where individual students must correctly perform rhythms to advance onto base (teacher “pitches” the rhythms) • Magic Note – do something special every time a selected note is encountered that day (e.g. stick out tongue, sing, make a rest) • Flash Card Frenzy – flashcards with note names; decrease time each day • Rhythm Spin the Bottle • Hello My Name Is… - name note and finger • Commercial Jingles – students compose and perform for class; need something to sell, someone to sing/rap, may use a familiar melody as a foundation to alter • Sight-Reading Folders – number songs/rhythms and roll dice to select (2 and 4 = songs 2 and 4 or song 24 or rhythm 2x4 = 8) • Rhythm Name Tags – students create rhythm nametags to wear that day; they first perform it for the class and then students “meet-n-greet” by playing each others “names”; rotate on the teacher’s cue • Spot the Mistake – display a rhythm or melody with numbered measures; teacher plays but makes “mistakes” that students list (e.g. ms 3 rhythm or ms 5 F#) • Blank Part – pass out a piece with no bowings, dynamics, phrase or slur markings. Students edit on their own and then perform their version for the class. Class may respond to the various styles and ideas. Retention • Words of Wisdom Wednesdays – ask outgoing students in the spring to write a letter to incoming students in the fall about why they played in orchestra; read a different letter each week • In-District Concert Tour – take students to play at feeder programs • All-District Concert – all groups set-up in the gym; can-drive admission for donation to local food bank; older students are given younger “buddies” to tune and assist • Concert Preview – ask new students onto stage to stand next to the instrument they would like to play while the HS orchestra plays one of their songs Changing-Up Pacing • Wacky Wednesdays – flip the orchestra (e.g. violins on the right, basses in front, facing different direction); warm-up while standing on one foot, bow for your stand partner • Reverse Day – start every song at the final rehearsal letter and work backwards (e.g. Z-end, Y-Z, X-Y) • Silent Day – teacher leads a normal rehearsal but doesn’t say a word all day • Teacher Swap Day – trade classes with another music teacher • Compass Day – rotate facing east, west, south, north in one rehearsal • 360 degrees – students circled around teacher in middle then face out • No Podium Day – completely avoid giving directions/conducting/standing at the traditional podium location; stand amongst the sections • Tempo Headache – change all of your tempos (e.g. slow is fast; fast is slow); watch! Instrument Care • Maintenance/Re-Sizing Day – cleaning stations twice a year • “Home” Instrument Day – play through concert music (sound different?) Vibrato • Round the Room – setup exercise stations (e.g. metronome, shakers, Dr. Vibrato) • High Roller – roll dice to determine how many wiggles you put on each note Ensemble • YouTube, You be the Judge – students use a NYSSMA large ensemble form to rate other groups of varying levels playing your concert pieces • Rotate Seating – name tags on the stands color coded by class; inside up one stand each day, outside back • The Voice – judges face the opposite direction as groups of students perform a piece or passage; judges provide constructive musical feedback and pick the best • Small Group Ensembles – stands, name tags, and chairs are arranged in small group orchestras and given sections to rehearse and perform at end of class while others provide constructive musical comments • Melody Mic – sections with melody must stand while playing • Beach Ball Movement – follow where it goes; students keep it afloat with their bows; CAREFUL with instruments • Campfire Circles – 4 to 6 groups; groups take over when teacher points at them Miscellaneous • 3/14 Pi Day – perform rounds • Blast from the Past – ask students to play music they previously learned using notation (e.g.