 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Rachel
Date: 2004-01-28 01:21
How do you get young students to practice all their technical work while still maintaining their interest in the clarinet? I know how important scales are, but how do you convince a 10-year-old that they are not just boring, pointless torture?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Katrina
Date: 2004-01-28 01:39
I make sure they have a variety of things to practice. I also stress the importance of having a balanced practice session. If they work on the scale (and listen to how well/poorly they're playing instead of just honking until they play each note right) then they have "songs" with which to reward themselves. I see you are in Australia, Rachel, and I'm unfamiliar with the method books y'all have down there, but most of the "band books" that I have kids in ('cause that's what they have to use for school) have more tunes than scales! I make sure that they are playing a scale, its corresponding arpeggios and scales in 3rds every week. They also have more "appealing" things like folk songs or well-known melodies that are already in their method book. I also supplement with other easy clarinet/piano arrangements as soon as they have the basic technical ability required for each piece.
As the dieticians say, "Have a balanced diet!"
Katrina
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Alyra
Date: 2004-01-28 02:53
The band books we had in Victoria in high school had no scales at all (Yamaha ones), if I recall correctly!!
Luckily, the woodwind teacher photocopied some - but we barely did them, I admit.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: allencole
Date: 2004-01-28 05:57
With younger students, I find that it works best to insist on good scales while leaving other technical exercises more negotiable. A book like Tunes for Clarinet Technique will still do a fine job of challenging their fingers.
1 - Use the scale to play a song by ear. The First Noel, Ode to Joy, and My Country Tis of Thee move primarily up and down the scale with not too many jumps. Joy to the World IS a scale--and one being playing in a direction that kids often forget to practice.
2 - Foster the connection between the scale and the key signature. Before having a kid play a tune I try to ask 1) what is the key, 2) how many beats per measure, and 3) what beat are you going to start on (just in case there's a pickup) If the child has difficulty with the tune, I will have them run the correct major scale and then try to just feel it in their fingers. The best encouragement to learn scales, IMO, is present them to the student as problem solvers.
3 - Show the kids how to extract the arpeggio from the scale. It makes them more conscious of what they're playing, and can also be helpful in playing by ear. You'd be surprised just how early a kid can play "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" along with Kenny G.
4 - KISS. Stick with basic/primary fingerings and don't try to optimize the scale fingerings too early. (here we go again...) Scales played with primary fingerings can be used with good effect on arpeggios and particularly on scales-in-thirds. Don't diminish their utility as a tool by getting wonkish on technique. There's already the devil to play trying to get them to use only one pinkie at a time on the D scale! Choose your battles, and remember that our goal is to make the instrument user-friendly.
5 - While you curse my name for keeping technique simple, take the time you would've wasted on special fingerings and spend it on counting rhythm. Master Theory does a great job on this.
6 - LOTS of songs! Standard of Excellence has a very good song-intensive setup accompanied by technical exercises (called "Excellerators") which are written to assist the student with a particular song in the book. Play-along CDs (which Kjos licenses you to copy for the kids) force kids to keep up, and provide them something to check their rhythm against.
Keep priorities straight. The simplest technical exercises (scales) if done to perfection are far better than a slew of technical work neither perfected nor memorized. Get scales straight and the rest will come.
Allen Cole
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: msloss
Date: 2004-01-28 12:45
I just start my kiddies with the mechanical and practical exercises in Klose. They are little bite-sized ways to start building the fundamental skillset alongside scales, rhythm exercises, Rubank or whatever else is in play.
Frankly, if you respect the kids and challenge them, they rise to the occasion. I find they are usually quite pleased with themselves when they get it right, and then can apply that skill to everything.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Renato
Date: 2004-01-28 13:44
Two things:
1- there's a "scale game" created by Mr. Michel Debost (a flute master) and someone else whose name I forget. It takes the whole range of scales and establishes a chart of different articulations (all legato, all staccato etc), so, let's say, on day one, the student is to play the C major with... articulation B -- for example, legato for the first two notes in a group of four, and staccato for the other two. It makes things less boring, at least. The choice could be made by some kind of draw or random method.
2- if the student wants to play a certain piece of music, we could have him/her study the specific scale for the key of that particular piece, showing that it would help them through their difficulties, to play that piece smoothly and all. It would give them a sense of having a practical, immediate goal instead of just the long-term goal of knowing all the scales. With time, the student would develop more self-discipline and focus (hopefully) and get down to working on the whole set of scales from, say, Klosé's book or whatever.
What do you think?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: William
Date: 2004-01-28 14:55
And do not forget the importance of using role models to "kick start" a students self motivation to improve technical skills in the practice room. Recordings, videos, live concerts, guest clinicians--whatever it takes to incite interest like, "Gee, I wish I could do that!" As my grandfather used to say, "You can lead the horse to the water, but getting him to drink is the problem". Convincing the horse that it is thirsty is much better than a lot of pulling and shoving at the waterside.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Amy
Date: 2004-01-28 16:09
To extend Renato's idea, get them to create their own rhythms and patterns for the scales.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Meri
Date: 2004-01-28 19:43
I find that incorporating the scales and arpeggios that students need to learn in warmup exercises helps a lot. For example, using different arpeggios for the long tone exercises, and using scales for students to master various articulation patterns.
The other big motivator for my students is connecting what they've learned to actual music--theirs and yours. When your student is having difficulty in a particular section of a piece that they are learning, and that difficulty is a scale or arpeggio (it usually is) that they already know (or are learning), see if they recognize the pattern by having them name the notes and figure out which scale/arpeggio that they already know contains the notes in that difficult section. I occasionally show them what I'm learning, which often contain sections that are scale/arpeggio patterns, and see if they can name that scale/arpeggio.
Hope this helps!
Meri
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Pinner
Date: 2004-01-29 10:52
This question has been asked since time immemorial. Balance in lessons and practise is essential. A balance of what is necessary and what is fun is what you need to work out for each student. Finding variety in what you teach, regardless of whether it is technical or melodic, is important. This is what makes instrumental teaching a challenge. I don't know whether you will succeed in convincing a 10 year old of much at all. Sometimes you need to use a bit of authority. There is certain amount of discipline involved even at early ages. Incorporating technical work as part of a warm up drill is also a good idea.
Band method books such as Yamaha, Standards of Excellence (read mediocrity), Best in Class etc., are notoriously deficient in anything technically worthwhile and need to be augmented.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
