Mother Nature has robbed us of TWO band classes since the new year!
As I have been saying right along, this group is coming along nicely and making good progress. That said, we are at a point were our first performance is not far away, and I think for at least this week, we all need to concentrate on that material, which is Page 21.
I have a goal for this group. It's not just to learn it enough to sound good in the concert, but to learn it well enough so that we enjoy playing it! I want them comfortable and confident in their chairs on March 11 that this indeed will go well. I have no doubt that this will be the case, but it will be all the better if I can have them remove doubt themselves. They will be joined by about 60 other fourth and fifth grade musicians, and there is strength in numbers. They are going to be great. They will be all the better if they go into it believing just that.
At this point, on Wednesday mornings, I want to be working on smooth transitions, and pulse control, and dynamics, and a good sound. It is absolutely up to them at this point to come into each rehearsal as prepared as possible with correct notes and rhythms. If they can manage that, we will be in great shape. They are allowed and encouraged to show up with lots of questions.
I feel like we are not very far from this point. Let's have a great week of practice, focusing on "Montego Bay" and "Regal March". We'll see how it goes next Wednesday, and how much we can keep progressing in the book after that.
See you all next week, weather permitting!
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